(Kan)Ye or Nay?

Is the God we serve incapable of saving a man like Kanye? Is God unwilling to sully His holy hands with the muck of Kanye’s past sins?

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Is he in…or not?

Is he for real about Jesus…or is he pulling a fast one?

Is he actually saved…or does he just think he is?

Is he really trying to serve God…or is he just desperate for good publicity?

Is he a baby believer clumsily trying to find his footing…or is he a sleeper agent of the devil looking to make a mockery of the church?

Are all the people who believe he’s truly been converted just gullible, non-discerning idiots?

Are all the people who are skeptical of him just non-compassionate, judgmental haters?

Just so you know, all of these questions are rhetorical. I doubt I could answer them to anyone’s satisfaction. So I won’t waste my time trying. But I have to be honest…I’m really frustrated with how some of my Christian brothers and sisters are reacting to this situation.

It’s as if some are unwilling to even entertain the slightest possibility that Jesus may have actually saved Kanye West.

I understand the need for a healthy level of skepticism in this situation, particularly given Kanye’s “track record”…pun intended. It wouldn’t be very wise to just absentmindedly take his word for it when he says that he’s given his life to Jesus.

But why are some of us so QUICK to dismiss him?

Is the God we serve incapable of saving a man like Kanye? Is God unwilling to sully His holy hands with the muck of Kanye’s past sins? Is God simply not interested in redeeming a guy who indulged in idolatry and called himself “Yeezus” at one point?

I think most believers would emphatically answer “NO.” And yet, I believe that’s precisely the message being communicated when so many of us immediately write Kanye off.

And even worse, I get the sense that many are actively looking for that one scandalous headline, that one wayward quote from an interview, that one misstep on Kanye’s part that will prove what they “knew” all along.

What does that say about us? I think it says that we have a bad case of selective amnesia…and an even worse case of subtle hypocrisy.

It’s one thing to be discerning and watch for fruit as Jesus tells us to. It’s another thing to cut down the tree before the fruit even has a chance to grow.

Is Kanye truly saved? I don’t know for certain.

But I would rather patiently hope for the best than loudly assume the worst.

 

Featured Image By Oscar Keys

This is an updated edition of a post originally published on jesusthecenter.com

The views and opinions expressed by Kingdom Winds Collective Members, authors, and contributors are their own and do not represent the views of Kingdom Winds LLC.

About the Author

Wayne is a husband, father, avid reader and writer, and youth minister who happens to believe that Jesus is the focal point of every aspect of life…the individual, family, society, government, philosophy, the arts…and everything in between. He’s committed to challenging preconceived notions about what it means to follow Jesus, and seeks to engage the culture instead of running from it.