This post drafted November 22, 2019, following Kanye West’s announcement that he had recently converted to Christianity.
What do you think about Kanye West? Some of us have been debating the subject for days. I think he is green and needs to grow and study and continue to be mentored. At this point, he could use a dose of humility. (A lack of humility always indicates a lack of wisdom.)
But he is drawing a lot of attention to the gospel.
And speaking out against pornography which he says ruled his life.
The recent events remind me of two other well-publicized celebrity conversions, that of Jane Fonda and Anne Rice. Jane Fonda rather famously gave her life to Christ some 15 years ago. Having recently looked up the subject again, I do not doubt that she continues to take that faith seriously. But her conversion did not play out the way most in the church initially hoped it would.
The novelist (the vampire chronicler) Anne Rice, famously “returned to the faith of her childhood,” a few years ago and wrote a handful of amazing books about Jesus, my favorite being Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt (which I loved). Rice then officially “left the faith” in 2010. Ms. Rice claims still to cling to Christ, but no longer wants to identify herself as a Christian or as a member of the Christian faith, being disappointed that the Catholic church remains opposed to same-sex marriage.
A third celebrity who claimed to be born again is Charlie Sheen. He says he found Christ in 1997—and that may be completely true—but twenty years later he appears to continue to struggle with the demons of his past: drugs and women.
Even Matthew Perry reported desperately crying out to God while trying to detox from his drug addiction. “God, please help me, show me that you are here.” Soon he was overwhelmed by the presence of God and found himself weeping. “I wasn’t weeping because I was sad–I was crying because for the first time in my life, I felt Okay. I felt safe. Taken care of … He saved me that day, and for all days, no matter what.”
When it comes to celebrity conversions, I err on the side of skepticism.
This is what my friends and I were debating on Facebook when Bob Young offered the best comment, saying, in effect, that as long as these famous people–no matter how spotted their personal lives–are proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ, then God’s word is going forth.
Bob quoted Philippians 1:15-18.
Honestly, if this passage were not in the Bible, I would argue against its conclusions. But I’m not going to argue with the Apostle Paul, the genius legal expert and author of more books of scripture than anyone else. Here’s what Paul has to say about preaching that some find questionable:
“Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will; the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice” Philippians 1:15-18.
The above is from my favorite translation, the New American Standard. But I also like the way The Message puts it:
“So how am I to respond? I’ve decided that I really don’t care about their motives, whether mixed, bad, or indifferent. Every time one of them opens his mouth, Christ is proclaimed, so I just cheer them on!” Philippians 1:18.
We are to rejoice that Kanye and his family are preaching Christ, even if they preach imperfectly. Pray for them and for Adam Tyson, Kanye’s well-trained pastor and mentor. Pray for Kanye’s rich celebrity friends and family. Maybe God is sending a revival to the broken, hurting people of Hollywood. The Bible says to be shrewd and to test the words and examine the fruit. I have a wait-and-see attitude about Kanye. But God is at work. We need to pray for him.
ΑΩ
Household Words: 