*This isn't about how much you like Kanye's new album or if its the greatest hip hop album of the year. This is not an album review, that can be for another post.
Lately, I have been completely confused with the response that Christians have had about Kanye West, his last album, and his faith. I am not sure why things that get posted on social media ever surprise me, but I often feel like we forget that we are responsible for our words and there are people who are watching how we react to everything.
I am not ignorant to the fact that A lot of people do not like Kanye. That’s not what this blog is about. I personally do not like every Christian or non- Christian artist, pastor, or person in general, but this is so much bigger than a “personal feeling.” Even if I do not like someone I can acknowledge that they are making an impact. What this really is about, is how the church responds as a whole when people start changing.
The other day I saw a video posted of Kanye West speaking at Joel Osteens Church, (Click here to watch) and what caught my eye was how many people left a negative comment under it. From people questioning how long it was going to last, to them trying to figure out if it was “real”, It made me understand how non-believers can feel when they enter into the church. Here we have a man who has lived a very open life, and despite his status in the world, we have had an insight to a life of struggles. When he talks about being changed and what God has done for him, there are some “holy” people who don’t like how it looks. Since when has salvation been some pretty package?
My real issue is I have seen this before, but not with Kanye west. I have seen it with the person just released from prison who goes to church and is being judged on their past and how they look. I’ve seen it with the single mother who was told she couldn’t serve in leadership because she wasn’t married. I’ve seen it with the teens who are struggling with their faith and go back in forth between living for God and living for the world. I've seen it in the people who spend more time defending their faith than having their own relationship with God. What some people do not want to admit is that Kanye is what salvation is supposed to look like.
We preach that anyone can come to God as they are, we preach that even if we waiver God will always be there with open arms, and we always say “Only God can judge”, so why is Kanye west the exception? If any part of his salvation is not real, HE has to answer to God, not us. What makes it so hard for us pray for others? If we don’t understand them, and if we doubt them, it is our job to take it straight to God; not the nearest comment section for all to see.
Ultimately, I want people to know that what may look like harmless bashing of a celebrity is the direct reflection of how so many people feel walking into the church for the first time or going back to church after a while. We run a dangerous risk when we play God. There are too many people who don’t know God who need to know that if someone like Kanye can start living for God then so can they.
I have learned that people will not always like or believe the new version of you. It makes people uncomfortable when change starts taking place in others around them because it can convict them of the change they haven’t made. The truth of the matter is that people who may have never stepped foot into a church now are, others who would never listen to music that mentioned God are now blasting it. Good is taking place. I pray that everyone pointing a finger and passing judgement is doing all they can to lead people to God. Lets focus on making sure that people truly know they can come to God as they are without being judged by a million Christians in the process.
