Many Christians are loudly supporting Kanye in his conversion. They quickly tell others not to “judge” but to simply be excited and jump on board the Kanye-conversion-bandwagon. A lot of these Christians also frequently listen to Steven Furtik and Joel Osteen. They think worship is an emotional experience that can happen in a boat while fishing just as easily as it can in a church on Sunday (so why go to church?). They support same-sex marriage and don’t like talking about hell because they’re not sure it’s a real place. That’s only because they aren’t sure the Bible is really God’s Word, but they really like Jesus. They are quick to agree that other religions can result in getting a person into Heaven and looking solely to Jesus just isn’t inclusive enough. And not being inclusive would be bad karma. 

Still others that are eagerly encouraging support for Kanye and acceptance of his conversion are voices I have a great deal of respect for. They are well-trained pastors with as biblical a theology – in both teaching and practice – as you could hope to find. They actively defend against liberal theology and consistently call their churches to repent through Gospel centered preaching. They rebuke the moral therapeutic deism found in most contemporary evangelical churches. They have just one agenda: make much of Jesus and share the Gospel. Their voices ring true. 

From within the same mass of Christians are two distinct voices calling everyone that will listen to be excited for Kanye and resist skepticism. Both the nominal and the orthodox are saying the same thing. That, in itself is worth mention. 

What I’ve come to realize as my issue is that I have no context for a Christian Kanye. 

It’s easy to dislike the guy that interrupts the awards show to make his opinion known. And it’s a no-brainer to reject the guy that says he is God. I don’t have any interest in the music of a guy that partakes in the narcissistic lifestyle of the Kardashians. This kind of person is easy to dismiss and ignore. 

To be honest, I make assumptions about a guy like Kanye. I assume that if he’s married to a Kardashian, they must be in agreement concerning socio-political issues. If Kim supports the transgender movement, Kanye must be a supporter as well. I assume that if Kanye is making chart topping music in the hip-hop genre and hanging out with industry heavy-weights, he must be in agreement with them concerning abortion, pornography, homosexuality, and many other moral issues. And indeed, his previous music indicates that he is/was in line with the non-Christian liberal moral revolutionaries and their viewpoints concerning these issues. 

So, when a guy like this, a guy like Kanye says he is now a Christian and starts making Christian hip-hop albums and saying he rejects pornography and abortion and all the things that were central to his life…I’m skeptical. And I’m skeptical because I don’t have a context for that Kanye. I don’t know what to do with thatguy. 

Some, like the folks at Christianity Today, say the New Testament tells us not to question Kanye’s conversion. And then they go on to recount all the times in the New Testament when Christians questioned the conversion of notorious sinners. Funny thing is that no one was ever condemned or rebuked for being skeptical of the conversion of a notorious sinner (see the account of Saul in the book of Acts). In fact, it takes the witness of a faithful Christian (Barnabas) to convince Christians of Saul’s conversion (Acts 9:27). What seems clear to me from the New Testament narrative is that Christians should expect fruit as corroborating evidence of conversion. (John 13:35, Gal. 5:22-23) To say that perseverance and fruit are central to the Christian faith is the same as saying salvation is by faith alone through grace alone. It just is.

In fact, being skeptical in our current culture where easy believe-ism has led to more than one “Christian star” flaming out almost seems to be a wise virtue. After all, we live in a culture where people can say anything. But if those words aren’t backed up with evidence, and, in this case, fruit, those words are as false as the ones the snake uttered to start the sin ball rolling. 

My biggest fear is that this will blow up in the face of every true Christian. I’m concerned that after all the hype and all the praise from high-profile Christians that Kanye will turn out to be nothing more than what many thought of him previously. In that scenario, the damage to the church and its reputation could be disastrous. However, I have to admit that this is my fear, my issue. It’s quite possible that I am making Jesus way too small. And I may be forgetting that Jesus uses the awkward attempts of His detractors to malign Him for His own glory. Just look at any encounter Jesus had with the Pharisees and that will be abundantly clear. 

Let’s be clear about one thing: Jesus can save Kanye. 

No person is beyond the saving grace of Jesus Christ. No sin, no life, is hopeless and outside the reach of the Savior. Kanye isn’t a worse sinner than anyone else. Christ died for every sin of every born-again believer – regardless of the sinner or the sin. So, this isn’t about whether Kanye can be saved because there can be no doubt that Christ can save anyone. 

In the end, what I hope, more than anything is that Kanye is a truly repentant believer in Jesus that will boldly call those around him to trust in Jesus. Already we’ve seen his new album, Jesus is King debut at #1. And, on top of that, every song on the album is on the Top 100 chart. Every major media outlet has been covering this story for weeks, and internet searches for Jesus and the beliefs of Christians has spiked significantly. The cultural significance can’t be overstated. The Gospel is going places it hasn’t gone before. People that didn’t care about Jesus are searching the internet to know more. 

It seems appropriate for Christians to exercise “cautious optimism” in the case of a guy like Kanye. We should be excited at Kanye’s profession of faith. We should be overjoyed that the Gospel is being heard over media outlets and in places it previously wasn’t. And we should pray for this new believer to be properly discipled and strengthened in his faith. Let’s not go and make him a pastor, author of theology books, or president of the SBC just yet. Kanye needs time to grow and mature in his faith. When the fruit of true repentance become evident, our excitement can increase. 

Could Kanye be a modern-day Spurgeon ready to bring revival? I don’t know, but, if that’s true, is it a bad thing? Sign me up for Sunday Service.