This month I wanted to write about an interesting situation that happened last year in Christian news. The rapper named Kanye West made a significant profession of faith in Jesus Christ and has since launched a series of evangelistic musical rallies and even a gospel album. Now, this was such big news in the Christian world, and even the secular world, because of the past history of Kanye West. If you don’t know anything about him, let me explain. He is married into the celebrity family of the Kardashians and he has a bizarre history of outlandish claims and behavior, fitting of a big star. He famously interrupted another artist’s acceptance speech to grab the microphone and say how she shouldn’t have won. He also made claims about his greatness, even calling himself a ‘god’ and referring to himself as ‘Yeezus.’ Now, when someone like this professes faith in Christ and claims to be born again, it tends to make news.
When I first heard the news, I admit, I was skeptical. I thought it was a PR stunt to sell more records or something. But then I listened to a podcast of the pastor who has been discipling Kanye. He explained how Kanye quietly came to his church a few weeks, arranged a meeting with the pastor, and how that pastor met with him explaining the gospel and answering questions for 3 hours, where Kanye confessed to being born again, and the pastor concurred. Now, this pastor has a very credible reputation as well. He was the student body president at the seminary that I attended and pastors a large church in Santa Clarita with multiple seminary faculty sitting under his preaching. If he believed Kanye had been truly converted, who was I to question it? So, I listened to the album and was pleasantly surprised at the Biblical content.
When news started to circulate of Kanye’s conversion, the response of mainline Christianity was mixed. Some celebrated thinking such a big star would have a positive effect on many others. But some were, not just skeptical like me, but downright insistent that it could not possibly be true. They just could not believe that such a radical change could have occurred in such a worldly man. What is the appropriate Christian response to such a confession of faith from such an unlikely convert?
I would say rejoicing is the appropriate response. But, I would also say, rejoicing with a healthy dose of caution. Let me explain. First of all, we have no reason to doubt someone’s dramatic conversion, however unlikely. The Bible is full of radical conversions that happen on the spot. Think of Zaccheus, or the Apostle Paul, or the Garasene demoniac of Mark chapter 5. Are we skeptical of those conversions? No? Then, we shouldn’t doubt the power of God to change someone like Kanye as well.
But, as much as we must believe someone’s confession of faith, we should have a healthy dose of caution as well. Jesus told parables about false conversions that people would experience. Some would-be ‘conversions’ are based on emotionalism and dramatic experiences, but there should be a waiting for fruit to bear to see that conversion experience was real. Think of the parable of the soils, where 2 of the soils have positive responses to the gospel, but eventually fall away as having not been really wrought of God. There is also the parable of the wheat and the tares and the haunting words of Jesus in Matthew 7 about there being ‘many’ who confess faith but are not really saved.
So, what do we do about Kanye, and others like him? First, we rejoice in that confession of faith. If a person is verbally acknowledging Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior then we should believe him/her! And I would even baptize a person based on that profession of faith. At the same time, I want to lovingly admonish that person that true believers persevere and remain in the faith bearing fruit for Jesus; they do not fall away. We don’t start with skepticism, God can convert any person at any time, that is the power of the gospel! But we remember that confession alone is not salvation.
When we think of Kanye specifically, let us pray for him. He is a baby Christian who is already neck deep in the spotlight of the world. We should expect him to act like a baby Christian and we should avoid looking to him as any type of leader or pastor. Just because you are a famous, and become a Christian, does not make you a Christian leader. But also, let’s rejoice at the majestic grace of God that can humble a man from a self-proclaimed god to a self-proclaimed servant of God.
~ Pastor Mark Scialabba