Thankful for Kanye
While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees confronted them. They were incensed that the apostles were teaching the people and announcing that the resurrection of the dead was happening because of Jesus. They seized Peter and John and put them in prison until the next day. (It was already evening.) Many who heard the word became believers, and their number grew to about five thousand. (Acts 4:1-4)
Told people God was my mission.
What you been hearin’ from the Christians?
They’ll be the first one to judge me. – “Hands On,” Kanye West
Kanye West is certainly kicking up some dust with the success of his new gospel album, Jesus is King. It dropped about a month ago now, and debuted at number one of the Billboard charts and number one on the Gospel charts both. No question it is a commercial success. But there are many questions about the authenticity of the faith that gave rise to this work. Lots and lots of questions.
I admit, I have my own questions. Those questions drove me to read up on all the controversy. In the course of that reading, I came across an opinion piece by Michael Arceneaux entitled “Kanye West’s Christian conversion is less about Jesus than it is about Kanye.” In it, Arceneaux hits the high points of the controversies surrounding this work: did Kanye really convert, is he a false prophet, isn’t he just perpetuating prosperity gospel, and isn’t he a problematic figure who both defends and throws African Americans under the bus and critiques American politics at the same time as he courts and supports Donald Trump? All of those things are worthy points of debate. As with anyone who comes forward promoting the Christian faith, Kanye can expect some scrutiny. All of us face the challenge of hypocrisy – does what we say we believe actually reflect our actions? Spoiler alert: no, no it does not. I do not know a perfect Christian. But some amount of scrutiny for our failures can be helpful in helping us continue to grow in our faith.
Some amount of scrutiny. But also, that scrutiny needs to be based in reality and not in assumptions. And that is where I have a problem with Arceneaux, and consequently with many of the people who are attacking Kanye. Arceneaux writes, “His narcissism, his self-loathing and his politics have been on full display long enough for me to know that I don’t need to attend Sunday Service or subject myself to a ‘Jesus is King’ listening session.” Wait. You are going to level a critique of insincere faith against a man without even listening to what he has to say?
I mean, at least the Sadducees had the decency to get mad about what Peter and John were actually saying. People are writing Kanye off without even listening to him. The thing is, though, lots of other people are listening to him. People who regularly listen to him, and people who have never listened to him. And because of what he is saying in that album, internet searches about Jesus and the Bible and Ephesians and John 8:33 and 8:36 have jumped. Significantly.
So I listened to Kanye. And I was surprised. There is stunningly little use of prosperity gospel, the corrupt message that following God faithfully will bring you wealth. “On God” has some reference to loving God bringing you favor, and there are references to elements of a wealthy life in it. But there is also tension in that single mothers and men in jail are also identified as those who have God’s presence in their lives. “Water” includes a prayer for wealth, but no promise that such a prayer will be answered. Instead the song seems to affirm that God’s love helps us survive life’s storms, and turns us into pure water. Look, I have prayed for material things at times. They are sometimes my heart’s desire, and what I am doing when I take those things to God is asking me to see the wealth in my life that I already have. But if I can’t take those desires before God and hand them over, they will continue to grip me. All I am saying is we can pray for all kinds of things with God, and just understand that the power is in handing them over to God. It doesn’t mean we get wealth because we follow God. But please, can we at least be honest before God? Kanye’s music potentially makes space for that kind of honesty, and it certainly makes that kind of space for people who have nothing, who lack power, and who have a lot to take before the Lord. There is no doubt that some liberation theology shows up in this album too, the antithesis of the prosperity gospel Kanye does from time to time proclaim.
Now, I do want to address the fact that Kanye specifically lifts out Ephesians and John 8:33 and 8:36, and makes a passing reference to Genesis. First of all, as one of the biblical books that contains household codes, Ephesians is going to present problematic familial images, particularly for women. And while we are at it, refusing Eve’s apple juice is also a problem, in part because it perpetuates blame for the fall on Eve but also because there is no apple in the Bible! And as for the John 8 passages, I get wanting to affirm how Jesus can set those who are imprisoned free, and that is an important message in light of the crisis of incarceration in the black community that Kanye critiques regularly on this record, but that particular chapter is also frequently used to justify the mistreatment (or in more extreme cases the genocide) of Jews. There are other places where freedom in Christ is less problematic.
But here’s the thing. If I didn’t listen to Kanye’s record, I could never have engaged in that kind of critical reflection. You know what else I can’t do? I can’t engage the people around me who are curious about Christianity because of Kanye’s record. I can’t even start a conversation. I just become one of the Christians who sit back and judge him. Consequently, I also judge those who listen to him. And I then miss the chance to share the Gospel with them. I am a modern Pharisee, or a Sadducee who has judged something as a false Gospel because I think it doesn’t line up with what I believe. I miss how it opens the door of faith because I am too closely guarding the door.
I get it. We look at this man who does not meet our expectations for a prophet, so he can’t possibly be one. But I am guessing Peter and John didn’t look like people who could speak with authority about faith to the Sadducees. But again, at least they hauled them in for questioning. And while they did, about 5000 people heard what they had to say and came to the faith. Thousands are coming to faith at Kanye’s Sunday Service concerts too. We sit back, skeptical that any of this is real. But we could be showing up and helping those folks connect to a community who will help faith take hold. We could walk alongside them while faith grows. Or we can sit back from our courts and judge.
But not all Christians are missing this opportunity. The American Bible Society set up a page on their website to offer a free Bible to anyone who heard Kanye’s music and was curious now about what the Bible says. But the thing is, I know I roll my eyes at the American Bible Society too. Their theology doesn’t line up with mine either. But they are in the game. More than my denomination is.
So keep sitting on the sidelines, mainlines. Miss the opportunities right before us to share the Good News. Miss it because we are sure we have the real Gospel. But if no one ever hears it because we are too good to get in the conversation, or because we are quick to judge the message without even really listening to it, then eventually we will have too few of us left to share this news we think is so great.
As for me, though, I am going to listen. And I am going to be thankful for Kanye. Thankful that he has tilled the soil. Now let’s see what we can get planted here.
