Kanye West performs his “Jesus Is King” album and film experience last month at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif.Kevin Winter / Getty Images file
Kanye West’s Christian conversion is less about Jesus than it is about Kanye
Lance Goodall 23 Nov 2019
“Both have baptized their commercial notoriety and their financial gains in Jesus’ name,” Walton said. “The communion table has become a merch table.”
West’s recent album “Jesus Is King” has earned praise in unusual corners of conservative Christianity, but his comments have raised eyebrows over their association with Osteen’s prosperity gospel teachings, the idea that God grants health and wealth to his followers. Some Christians are also questioning whether black hip-hop artists are being used by white evangelical preachers to boost their own brand and falsely signal progressive racial attitudes.
Kanye West performs Sunday Service at Coachella this week in Indio, California.Rich Fury / Getty Images for Coachella
West recently tied his success and wealth to his newfound faith in an interview with comedian James Corden on “Carpool Karaoke.”
“God is using me … to show off,” West told Corden. “Last year I made $115 million and still ended up $35 million in debt. This year I looked up, and I just got $68 million returned to me on my tax returns.”
During a 20-minute interview with Osteen during a regular Sunday morning church service, West said many Christians give Osteen a hard time, but when you turn on the radio, Osteen “keeps showing you how good God is.”
“When you’ve got Kanye defending you, you’ve made it, man,” Osteen said while laughing.
West’s new album preempts criticism from fellow Christians. “They’ll be the first one to judge me / Make it feel like nobody love me,” he sings in the song “Hands On.”
Pastors need to be especially careful when featuring fame and conversion, said rap artist Kevin Burgess (better known by his stage name KB), who attended White’s Without Walls church 15 years ago but now attends a small urban church in Tampa called Living Faith Bible Fellowship.
“What I do bristle at is the tendency superstar pastors have to stake their claim in superstar converts, sort of chomping at the bit to ride this wave of attention for the sake of strengthening your brand,” he said.
During his interview with Osteen, West said that at his lowest point, when he was hospitalized in 2016 after a mental breakdown, God “was there with me, sending me visions, inspiring me.” His own acknowledgment of his recent mental health struggles has raised questions about the reasons behind his heightened interest in spirituality.
“I’m not sure people really love Kanye,” said hip-hop artist Sho Baraka. “They love the idea of him and how they can use him for their particular wars and agenda.”
While some evangelicals have reservations about Osteen’s theological teachings, many have embraced West as a brand since his recent album release. The American Bible Society has given away 11,000 free Bibles because of the high interest since West’s album release.
“Evangelical culture in America is very fame-driven,” said Derwin L. Gray, pastor of the nondenominational megachurch Transformation Church near Charlotte and a former NFL player. “It has the propensity to use people instead of to develop people.”
West and evangelicals hold a mutually beneficial relationship, said Ibram X. Kendi, a historian at American University and author of “How to Be an Anti-Racist.”
“White evangelicals are showering him with attention because they’ve been criticized for years for their racism,” Kendi said. “Anytime they can embrace a person of color, it allows them to present themselves as not racist.”
West has been tied to the Pentecostal tradition for several years and was married to Kardashian by Florida Pentecostal preacher Rich Wilkerson Jr. in 2014.
West’s support for Trump and comments that “slavery was a choice” has shaped many people’s opinions — especially those of African Americans — about his recent conversion. Atlanta pastor Jamal Bryant recently condemned West’s positions as harmful after West appeared at his church in September.
The reaction to West has been polarizing among Christians, said Esau McCaulley, a professor of New Testament at Wheaton College.
“People think he’s either the devil or he’s leading a revival,” McCaulley said. “I think he’s neither. He’s a troubled person trying to find healing in Christianity.”
Some black church leaders are worried that the white evangelical leaders who are connected to West won’t push him to question his support for Trump. “Some black pastors say: We want him to get the right Jesus, not the white Jesus,” said Charlie Dates, pastor of Progressive Baptist Church, a historically black church in Chicago attended by about 800 people weekly.
But Dates believes that West’s recent album will transcend “Kanye West” as a brand.
“The gospel message itself has inherent power,” said Dates, who was involved in a private event earlier this year with West. “We should not confuse the potency of the message with the unpredictability of the messenger.”
Osteen’s Lakewood may have been the biggest church West has been in, but he has also made appearances at the Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church on Chicago’s South Side, the Forum in Los Angeles, Howard University and the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York in Queens. Ahead of his appearance at Lakewood, West also held two services for prisoners at the Harris County Jail in Houston on Friday. Jason Spencer, public affairs director for the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, tweeted a picture of the service.
Jason Spencer@JSpencer_HCSOSay what you want about the man. But @kanyewest and his choir brought some light to people who needed it today at the Harris County Jail.
But others aren’t convinced. Michael Arceneaux from NBC reports;
West’s narcissism, his self-loathing and his politics have been on full display long enough to know that I don’t need to attend Sunday Service or subject myself to a “Jesus Is King” listening session. West’s latest shtick is clearly nothing more than him showing us a Black Pat Robertson in a dumb red hat with a beat machine, with pretensions of being gospel star Kirk Franklin.
Much like Trump, whom he has described as a “brother” who shares his “dragon energy,” West reimagines Christianity in a way that leaves more than a few Christians scratching their heads. During his appearance on “The Late Late Show,” for instance, West bestowed the Lord with high praise for doing more for him than his accountant apparently ever could.
“God is using me as a human being. … As humbly as I can put it, he’s using me to show off,” he explained. “Last year, I made $115 million and still ended up $35 million in debt. This year, I looked up and I just got $68 million returned to me on my tax returns.”
West went on to say: “And people say, ‘Oh, don’t talk about these numbers.’ No, people need to hear someone that’s been put into debt by the system talk about these kind of numbers now that they’re in service to Christ.”
Kanye West is not the first person to espouse a version of “prosperity gospel,” which is more or less Christianity for hypercapitalists and folks who aspire to be rich. To think that God’s great reward on earth is providing wealth to the highly favored is a dubious notion, but perhaps I’ve yet to reach the right tax bracket to be eligible for divine intervention.
What’s more clearly repugnant, however, is how this supposed born-again Christian has continued to antagonize and berate his own people.
First, after wearing a MAGA hat and claiming Trump was “God’s practical joke on all liberals” when asked about his ongoing support of Mr. Two Corinthians this week, West said the Black people who take issue with his conservative stances are stuck on “the idea of victimization mentality,” and claimed we were “brainwashed.”
“The vast majority of people who are members of churches in America today are not Christians. I say that without the slightest fear of contradiction. I base it on empirical evidence of 24 years of examining thousands of people.” -Dr. D James Kennedy
Bradlee Dean writes regarding Kanye West.
In the early 2000s, I was the drummer in the band Junkyard Prophet, voted second highest unsigned band in the country, behind P.O.D who became MTV’s darling, and according to Reverb Nation, we were the best unsigned band. We worked with Geffen Records, Warner Brothers and being endorsed by major musical instrument companies globally. After touring the nation, as well as playing with the biggest names in the Christian scene (Bride, Guardian, Disciple, Novou, etc.) and secular bands (Drowning pool, Creed, Sick Puppies, Head East, Steppenwolf etc.), I am simply bringing my experience to you concerning the topic in which I will highlight first hand.
Before I get started, I would like to say to those who want to twist Scripture in an attempt to protect the gods that they have created in their minds such as their favorite musicians, actors, etc. (Exodus 20:4) by suggesting that I am not to judge, I would remind you that I am using the Judge’s Word to make judgments. I am judging with righteous judgment, and that out of love (Leviticus 19:17; John 7:24).
Furthermore, I would like to add that if you are not zealous against errors, it is because you are not zealous for the truth, whereas I am.
Yesterday, I took the time to highlight on my radio show the likes of many “celebrities,” that have been elevated to modern-day Christian stardom such as Kayne West, who was trophied on the heretical Joel Osteen platform recently for his supposed conversion. And you thought the political scene was filled with theatre! The Lord warned us of both (Mark 8:15).
This novice (Unaquainted or unskilled in the Word), Kayne West, stated that he was the greatest artist that God ever created.
Didn’t know that it was about Kayne West anymore (Luke 9:23)? Kayne was praising himself (Proverbs 27:2).
Furthermore, does someone want to give this guy a reality check on what talent truly is? Then again, the bar has been lowered so far that we can understand why he is deceived into believing that he is what he wants to believe that he is.
“Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.” –1 Timothy 3:6-7
You are to prove those who call themselves Christians.
“And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you…” -1 Thessalonians 5:12
Case in point: Established churches up until 1900s used to prove their members for 1-3 years before accepting them for their professions (Acts 11:26).
Now, Kayne wants to evangelize America’s youth with his music. That’s a good initiative, but he needs to first make sure that he is first a partaker of the fruit that the Lord gives in understanding in all things (2 Timothy 2:7). Time will show whether he is genuine or not.
The reason that I bring this point up is to show you what others that have claimed conversion such Bono from U2, Brian “Head” Welch from Korn, Alice Cooper, Bob Dylan, etc. do. They go back to the vomit that they claimed that they were converted from (Proverbs 26:11).
How does that work?
For example, Brian “Head” Welch from Korn claims his conversion, but rejoins the band and lifestyle that he claimed to be converted from.
Let me tell you that works by feeding upon the hirelings of the day (John 10:12) and refusing to do your own due diligence in searching the Scriptures for yourselves (John 7:17; Philippians 2:12; 2 Timothy 2:15).
According to Brian’s world (Hosea 4:6), you are to yield yourself back to the spirit of the world of antichrist in order to influence young people for the Lord (1 John 2:15-18). I cannot find that in the Word.
The same thing goes for Alice Cooper. He said that he “got saved because he was afraid that he would go to Hell.” I cannot find that in Scripture, but I can find where we are to fear the Lord in being converted from our sins (Psalm 19:7; Luke 12:4; Galatians 3:24) and putting our trust in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8) through godly repentance (2 Corinthians 7:10).
His stage antics during his live tours include being beheaded by the hands of a sexy nurse and a guillotine, using baby dolls and then impaling them with a shiny sword, all with spiders draped over his eyelids and a straight jacket with blood running down.
What happened to “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”? (2 Corinthians 5:17)
The good thing is that Alice said that he could never turn his back on his fans. If that were true, then why isn’t he preaching repentance (Mark 1:15; Acts 2:38; 20:21)? A faithful witness delivereth souls (Proverbs 14:25).
I would remind my readers that Jesus Christ is the standard here (John 14:6) and not your favorite “celebrities.”
This all comes back to the mushroom converts that the modern gospel has produced. The message is “Repent for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2), not God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life!
Jesus Loves You Gospel
My friend Ray Comfort breaks this down really well.
Characteristics Of A False Convert
The Parable of the Sower is found in Matthew 13 and Luke 8. So, we are going to use the harmony of the Gospels to look at six characteristics of a false conversion.
- Mark 4:5: There are immediate results with a false convert. That is, he hears the modern message of everlasting life and says, “I want that.” There is no weighing of the issues. And yet Jesus said, “What man goes to war without checking out what the enemy’s got? What man builds a tower without seeing if he’s got enough materials?” (Luke 14:28–31).
- Luke 8:6: There is a lack of moisture. There is no thirst for the living God.
- Matthew 13:6: There is no root. There is no depth of godly character.
- Mark 4:16: They received the word with gladness. And this is the key. You see, when the Law is not preached, sin is not seen as being exceedingly sinful. Paul said, “By the commandment, sin became exceedingly sinful” (Romans 7:13). And when sin is not seen in the light of what it is—being exceedingly sinful—there is no trembling before a holy God. There is no contrition, no sorrow for sin. So the false convert receives the word with gladness.
- Matthew 13:20: They receive the word with joy. Their laughter isn’t turned to mourning, and their joy isn’t turned to heaviness (James 4:9).
- Luke 8:13: For a while they do believe. They have a genuine “false conversion” experience.
Characteristics Of A True Convert
So, what are the fruits of a new convert? Well, according to Matthew 3:8, there is the fruit of repentance. If we are soundly saved, we will have evidence of repentance. Zacchaeus said, “Behold, Lord, I give half my goods to the poor; and if I have wronged anyone, I will pay back fourfold” (Luke 19:8).
- Colossians 1:10: The fruit of good works. If you read the book of Titus, Titus continually says things like, “Let those who have believed in God be careful to maintain good works” (Titus 3:8). Jesus Himself said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
- Hebrews 13:15: The fruit of thanksgiving. Oh, once you’ve seen the cross, you will say, “O thanks be to God for the unspeakable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15).
- Galatians 5:22: The fruit of the Spirit. If you are soundly saved, if you are a genuine convert, you will manifest the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, gentleness, faith, meekness, and temperance.
- Philippians 1:11: The fruit of righteousness. You will do that which is right. “He will lead you in the paths of righteousness” (Psalm 23:3).
Matthew 3:10 warns that “every tree that brings not forth good fruit”—not ordinary fruit, but good fruit—“will be cut down and cast into the fire.”
So, as witnesses of Christ, we should do everything we can not just to get church members, not just to get decisions or youth group members, but with God’s help, we must make sure that those we bring to the Savior have the things that accompany salvation (Hebrews 6:9).
Friends, the key word in these alleged conversions is found in patience. When it comes to the false converts in comparison to the real converts, patience is the weapon that forces deception to reveal itself, and in many cases, if you are paying attention, it already has (Matthew 7:21-23).
Article posted with permission from Sons Of Liberty Media. Article by Bradlee Dean.
Evangelicalism Hits An All Time Low
Geoffrey Grider suggests this is how the One World Religion, which Pope Francis has spent nearly all of 2019 assembling, finally comes together.
Kanye West is the linkpin that connects together the lost denizens of Illuminati Hollywood with bible-deficient Laodicean Christians, mainly Charismatics who number at over 100 million, to form the end times ecumenical horror show the Bible tells us will come. Kind of makes the Pretribulation Rapture more of a rescue operation than anything else, doesn’t it? God will not allow born again Christians to enter the time of Jacob’s trouble, but it’s starting to look like that before we are all pulled up and out, that many will have to be liberated from the One World Religion.
Get ready now, and hold onto your hats, former Catholic priest and good buddy with Pope Francis Jonathan Morris has made a prediction about where Kanye West may land next.
For the past few days, hip-hop superstar Kanye West has been sucking all the oxygen out of the room with his Sunday Service, grabbing every headline there is to grab, dominating the Billboard charts, and riding a wave of popularity among Christians the likes of which may not have ever been seen before. To date his success with ‘Jesus Is King’ has expanded his bank account to the tune of over $150 million dollars, and there seems to be no end in sight. So what could possible be next for Kanye West? The ultimate prize for any Illuminati superstar – Rome.
“And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.” Revelation 18:9,10 (KJV)
Fox News contributor Jonathan Morris was, up to very recently, known as Father Jonathan Morris, a Catholic priest in good standing. By his own testimony, he went in private to Pope Francis and asked for something called a ‘voluntary laicization‘, a release from his priestly vows, which was granted him by the pope. No sooner is Father Morris now Citizen Morris, when he pops up at Lakewood Church for private meetings with Joel Osteen and Kanye West. Morris then proceeds to write gushing op-ed pieces praising Joel Osteen and Kanye West, and helps to promote the ‘good gospel work’ of the Sunday Service travelling road show. But get ready, now, and hold onto your hats, former Catholic priest and good buddy with Pope Francis has also made a prediction about where Kanye West may land next. Former Father Morris says that Kanye West is headed to the Vatican to get the papal blessing on his Sunday Service.
Before we go any further, it would be beneficial to remind ourselves about the connection first between Joel Osteen and Pope Francis. On June 5th, 2014, Osteen flew to Rome for a private meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican, and also attend the Convocation of Renewal in Rome. It was also around this time that other prominent leaders from the Charismatic church were seen working with the Vatican, finding “common ground” on how the two sides could come together. Kenneth Copeland famously offered Pope Francis his entire congregation and declared that ‘the Reformation is over’ in a show of unity. You will also remember how Rick Warren, one of the main early drivers of Chrislam, referred to Francis as “our pope” implying that he is the leader of all Christians worldwide and not just Catholics.
Now, in case you really don’t remember this flurry of ecumenical activity that took place between the Charismatics and the Vatican,
The Charismatics, The Vatican and the Coming One World Religion
Back in 2014, not only did Pope Francis hold ecumenical services in the Vatican where he prayed to the moon god of Islam, Allah, he also held high level meetings with megachurch pastor Joel Osteen and US Senator Mike Lee who was there to represent the Mormon church. The actors have taken the stage, with more still arriving, in the unfolding of what will one day soon be the wildest bible prophecy ever told – the Great Tribulation.
Now that you’re up to speed, let’s turn our attention back to Kanye West and his Sunday Service. Over the past 48 hours we showed you the how Kanye held his Sunday Service show at Lakewood church on a stage set build around the All-Seeing Eye of ancient Egypt, then we showed you the same All-Seeing Eye on his very first Sunday Service at Coachella back in April, just to prove to you this is intentional and not a one-off coincidence. Then we told you that on November 24th, Kanye West will debut his opera based on the life of Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, a biblical type of Antihrist. Now today we bring you the prediction of former Catholic priest Jonathan Morris that Kanye is headed to the Vatican for a meeting with the pope.
This is how the One World Religion, which Pope Francis has spent nearly all of 2019 assembling, finally comes together. Kanye West is the linkpin that connects together the lost denizens of Illuminati Hollywood with bible-deficient Laodicean Christians, mainly Charismatics who number at over 100 million, to form the end times ecumenical horror show the Bible tells us will come.
This is so good! I’m exhausted trying to tell people that he is a false prophet. I’ve lost friends because I believe this.
Hi Katie,
Sorry to hear you have lost friends over it.
The matter of Kanye’s conversion is not an easy one. He has said some great things, which are biblical and his understanding seems high.
However we simply cant ignore the aspect of not knowing when he came to a point of decision (repentance ). Is he born again? He talks about God drawing him.
Whatever is going on presently, he lacks any discernment and maturity and shouldn’t be thrust into the limelight at this point.
You’re Spot On, Lance. Also – there was a few-seconds clip of the Pyramid formed by two hands in one of the early videos – https://twitter.com/MikeLee97381136/status/1195844487471341575?s=20. So it was a brief acknowledgement to the Luciferian elites that Kanye is still part of the Satanic brotherhood – just doing his part to hoodwink Christians and lead them into a different direction. Controlled Opposition. Tiffany Fitzhenry is also Controlled Opposition – https://luciferisreal.wordpress.com/2019/09/29/controlled-opposition/.
Thanks Mike,
Not sure what it all looks like in the end….But it reminds me of the deception during the Jesus Hippy movement of the 70s.
More spurious conversions that bring a dangerous mixture.