Kanye West’s song “Jesus Walks’ won him a Grammy award in 2005. In his song, he spouts his faith in Jesus, peppering his theme that ‘Jesus walks with everyone’ throughout his lyrics. Now, we have Kanye posing as Jesus on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine. Is Kanye motivated by a devout need to bring Jesus back to the people?
Kanye West’s song “Jesus Walks’ won him a Grammy award in 2005. In his song, he spouts his faith in Jesus, peppering his theme that ‘Jesus walks with everyone’ throughout his lyrics. Now, we have Kanye posing as Jesus on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine. Is Kanye motivated by a devout need to bring Jesus back to the people? Is he trying to revive faith in Jesus in our youth? Not likely. Kanye West is out to sell his music, out to make as much money as he possibly can and build his own wealth.
Kanye has figured out that Jesus Sells.
Not just any Jesus, but a cool rapping sleek-clothes wearing voice that excuses all of his wrongdoing and materialistic motivation behind his Jesus lyrics. How do we know that West is not sincere? To use his own words, lets ‘check the method.’
Jesus taught that you cannot serve both God and Wealth: No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. Kanye has clearly made his choice, and it doesn’t appear to be God. Kanye has his own line of clothing, has sold several million records and by all standards lives a life of indulgent luxury. I’ve heard a lot from him about how great he is, but I haven’t heard much about how to put his or anyone else’s money to use in helping out the poor or unfortunate. He hadn’t given a single dime to anyone devastated by the events of Katrina, but he was more than willing to put his own face on TV and benefit from the exposure. When asked to comment on illegal pirating of music, Kanye asked that we ‘please not download illegal music. I need a new pool at my second home.’ It seems his thoughts are elsewhere.
Jesus taught humility, and respect for others. Kanye showed a painful lack of humility when he lost after being nominated for best new artist at the American Music Awards. Complaining loudly that he ‘felt he was definitely robbed’, he stormed out of the show in protest. Even after losing the award, he stated to a reporter ‘I was the best new artist this year, so get that other (expletive) -- out of here.” Arrogant and demeaning to other nominees, his comments show that his true motive is to gain attention and accolades for himself.
Jesus gave us the golden rule, which is to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Kanye writes raps that glorify violence, racism, and demeaning acts against women. The worst part is that this is not even his life experience- Kanye grew up very much middle class, with standard middle class opportunities. He was accepted into college, failed, and now aims his frustration through his lyrics at those who were successful in school. He claims the ‘ghetto’ as his own, but there is a strong chance Kanye has never even been in a ghetto, let alone lived in one. He is exploiting the suffering of others and selling it back to them- shameful behavior, committed shamelessly as more money rolls into his bank account.
Who is Kanye West? An imposter, an opportunist, an arrogant musician who has caught the brief attention of the American public. He can pose as Jesus, complete with his crown of thorns and tear stained cheeks. However, his true devotion to Jesus is about as real as the blood on his made-up face.
Nathan Tabor regularly appears on radio and is writing a book for Thomas Nelson Publishing. Nathan received his BA in psychology from St. Andrews Presbyterian College and his MA in public policy from Regent University.
In 2004, Nathan ran for Congress (NC5) in an eight-way primary. He raised over $850,000 and received over 7,500 votes in the most expensive primary in American history. Nathan's supporters included Dick Armey, Ed Meese, Steve Moore, Art Laffer, Pat Robertson, Bob Jones III, Congressman Robert Aderholt, Congressman Trent Franks, Congressman Jim Ryun, Beverly and Tim LaHaye, Mike Farris and many others. Dr. Jerry Falwell dubbed him the "young Jesse Helms."
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