What I Told My 5-Year-Old About Kanye West

“Mommy, who sings this song?”

“Kanye West.”

“Who’s that?”

I never thought I would listen to an entire Kanye West album. He and I don’t share the same musical style. And with songs like “I am a God” riddled with cursing every other word, his songs have always been a big N-O for me.

But millions of people do like Kanye West’s music. Millions of people. So when I heard that he had become a Christian and released a gospel album, I immediately started digging into this seemingly impossible situation. Surely, I thought, it’s some kind of joke or publicity stunt. So of course, I started googling while listening to his album. 

Here’s the facts:

• Kanye West’s Jesus is King album hit #1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.  
• He is offering a “Sunday Service” concert for free all over the US. Thousands have reported giving their life to Christ at these concerts.
• His new lyrics are curse word-free and clean.
• There is nothing blasphemous or biblically inaccurate about the lyrics in his gospel songs. In fact, they contain sound scripture references and exalt Jesus above everything else.

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Tonight, @candacebrewington & I got to experience Kanye West’s Sunday Service at @bethany_church in Baton Rouge. If you’ve ever doubted the legitimacy or spiritual impact of this #sundayservice project, simply look at this incredible shot taken by @the.smitan during the altar call. YES, I said ALTAR CALL. 😲 Tonight, worship was lifted, the name of Christ was exalted, the Word of God was preached, a multitude prayed together, the Gospel was clearly proclaimed, and an opportunity to respond was given. In a crowd of 6,000 people from all walks of life, all ages, and all races, i witnessed over 1,000 people respond to The Gospel by raising their hands to accept Jesus as their Lord & Savior! 😱🙌🏾 Say what you want, & think what you want…. But trust me when I tell you – The Spirit of the Living God was indeed present. I danced, wept, stood in awe of God’s redemptive work, & can honestly say that tonight I witnessed a new wave of REVIVAL first hand. #Jesusisking • Isaiah 43:19 “Behold I do a NEW thing. • 1 Corinthians 1:27 “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. • #excited #inspired 📸 @the.smitan

A post shared by Curvine Brewington (@curvinemusic) on Nov 2, 2019 at 12:37am PDT

Given all of this, Paul’s letter to the Philippians popped into my mind:

 “It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.”

Philippians 1:15-18

Does it really matter if Kanye West becoming a Christian and releasing a gospel album is a publicity stunt? Does it matter if he is just trying to tap into a new audience in order to make more money? Either way, God is being proclaimed as King to millions of people that would never step foot in a traditional church or seek out the gospel message on their own. 

For what it’s worth, his motives look sincere to me. Why would a man who has fame, a ridiculous fortune, and pretty much everything that the world has to offer, become a Christian and undergo scrutiny and persecution from both non-believers and believers alike? Everyone is questioning his motives. Non-believers are telling him his new album is awful and not up to his musical standards. And believers are looking at his past life and playing judge.  

There are many verses that tell us we are all on an equal playing field when it comes to Christ. Here’s just a few:

• We have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  Romans 3:23
• All sin is equal in God’s eyes. James 2:10-11
• It’s not our job to judge because we are often in worse shape than those we are trying to judge. Matthew 7:1-5

Anything with God is possible (Matthew 19:26) and anyone can be saved (read Acts 9 where a man with murder in his eyes for anyone proclaiming to follow Jesus finds salvation). It’s possible Kanye West is a born-again Christian. His past is not too dark or scary for Jesus to wipe it clean. Jesus’ open arms are there for Kanye West just the same as they are there for you and me. And that is what I want my child to learn, even as a five-year-old. You can come to Jesus no matter what. 

Only God can truly know if Kanye West’s salvation is genuine and sincere. But what I do know is that he is proclaiming Jesus as King to millions of people in the world. What an amazing platform God is using to spread the gospel to the lost and hurting.

After giving my brain a few seconds to process all of these thoughts, I finally answered my sweet five-year-old’s question.

“Mommy, who sings this song?”

“Kanye West.”

“Who’s that?”

“He’s a man that didn’t love Jesus, but now he does. And he isn’t afraid to tell the world” 

RESOURCES FOR THE GOSPEL-CENTERED MOMMA

If you enjoyed this post, check out Messy Tired Love’s devotionals here.

Check out our resources page for game-changing resources for the gospel-centered momma. All of the resources have been or are personally used by me (Kristina) and are among the best of the best: resources to dive deeper into your faith, children’s books and bibles, and parenting books.