Kanye, Hitler, and the Marks of True Conversion
In his book Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman presciently warned of a few consequences of an entertainment-driven age. Among them was the temptation of celebrity-ism in which fame supplants expertise, and style supplants substance. What he did not predict was how much worse it would all get in the age of influencers or how the church would be especially vulnerable to the forces of entertainment culture, including when it comes to “celebrity converts.”
There are, of course, wonderful stories of high-profile conversions, such as Chuck Norris and Kirk Cameron. Chuck Colson could also be included in that list, though his very public conversion to Christ predated the current age of celebrity politicians. But then there is this longer list of celebrities who, after an enthusiastic beginning, went completely off the rails.
The latest addition to that list is rapper Kanye West. In 2019, after announcing his conversion to Christianity, West launched a new album and mini-tour called “Jesus Is King.” The songs quoted from the Bible extensively, exhorted parents to raise children to trust in Jesus, and even praised Chick-fil-A for being closed on Sundays.
However, after a couple rounds of psychiatric treatments and a messy divorce, West is literally singing a different tune today. His most recent single is called “Heil Hitler.” In it, he praises the German dictator who started World War II and murdered six million Jews. The song follows several years of antisemitic and pro-Nazi remarks from the artist, including denying the Holocaust.
Most major social media and streaming platforms quickly removed the song, but the music video, which featured a clip from one of Hitler’s speeches, can still be found on X (formerly Twitter), where it has accumulated millions of views and shares. It’s a tragic and despicable song. Not only is it ideologically opposed to his previous musical production, but West also added significant fuel to an ongoing fire of online antisemitism and historical revisionism about Nazis.
Celebrity “gossip” should be relegated to the tabloids, but how Christians handle the conversions of celebrities is important. Like all image bearers, celebrities can and do convert to Christ. Like all new converts, celebrities are susceptible to temptations and sinful behaviors. Christians should welcome celebrity converts into the fold, but not because they are celebrities or as celebrities. Rather, we welcome them because they are human beings who found their Creator and Savior.
Many Christian cliches are theologically misleading, but one that is accurate is, “The ground is level at the foot of the cross.” In other words, no one is more or less qualified, or more or less deserving, of God’s free gift of salvation. We all stand condemned by God’s justice, and we all stand in desperate need of His grace.
Celebrities need to be rescued from their sins as much as any of us do. In the parable of the sower, Jesus described various kinds of “soils,” of how the Gospel is received and grows. There isn’t a “celebrity soil.” There aren’t special rules that nuance spiritual realities. The human condition is universal, and it transcends fame and fortune.
After conversion, celebrities need to be discipled to follow Jesus as much as any of us. Being talented, beautiful, or charismatic on camera is no shortcut to what Dallas Willard called “the renovation of the heart.” Kanye needs Christ, like we all do, as much after his conversion as before.
We can rest in how good the Holy Spirit is at His job of conviction and renewal, and how effective the work of Christ is at reconciling sinners to God. The disappointing trajectory a celebrity convert takes should not make us cynical about the possibility that the Holy Spirit is still at work in his or her life. And yet, to place celebrity converts on a pedestal is dangerous. To paraphrase what Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, Christians should regard no one according to the norms and rules of celebrity culture, but rather according to Christ. Paul, we might remember, went into solitude for three years after his own somewhat prominent conversion.
Rather than hold up new believers as examples or experts before they’re even out of spiritual diapers, let’s be hopeful but also give a little time. Thankfully, there are marks of true conversion that have been noted by evangelists for centuries. George Whitfield, one of the most effective preachers of the First Great Awakening, offered a list in his little book, Marks of a True Conversion.
A true convert, Whitfield wrote, will exhibit self-denial, or “pangs of the new birth,” in which the person battles and begins killing old sins. A true convert will practice the “means of grace” by praying, studying Scripture, and worshipping regularly with fellow believers. He or she will also begin to imitate Christ, taking up their cross daily, and striving to live by the Lord’s example. Whitfield argued that real converts will exhibit a deep, spiritual transformation, becoming evidently and personally loyal to Christ in their hearts, and not just grasping doctrine intellectually (or, in our context, loudly). These marks are rooted in Scripture and are just as applicable to the famous as the unknown because, as they say, the ground really is level at the foot of the cross.
What this means about Kanye, God knows. Clearly, he needs prayer and probably an intervention. Still, we are in a cultural moment when many of the rich and famous are being attracted to Christianity. We should welcome them with hope and grace, but never by changing what Christianity is.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Rich Fury/Staff
John Stonestreet is President of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, and radio host of BreakPoint, a daily national radio program providing thought-provoking commentaries on current events and life issues from a biblical worldview. John holds degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (IL) and Bryan College (TN), and is the co-author of Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview.
The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of CrosswalkHeadlines.
BreakPoint is a program of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. BreakPoint commentaries offer incisive content people can't find anywhere else; content that cuts through the fog of relativism and the news cycle with truth and compassion. Founded by Chuck Colson (1931 – 2012) in 1991 as a daily radio broadcast, BreakPoint provides a Christian perspective on today's news and trends. Today, you can get it in written and a variety of audio formats: on the web, the radio, or your favorite podcast app on the go.
