Thursday, February 25, 2016

Kanye West: Church Kids and Others Are Watching

© 2016 The Wired Word
www.thewiredword.com

Editor's note: According to some pastors we know, their churches' young people are talking a lot these days about hip-hop artist Kanye West. Adults, not so much, and many have little or no interest in West's achievements and antics. But if we're to connect with our church young people, there's likely some value in knowing what they're interested in and talking about. The remarkable interest in this story by young people far and wide and its implications for our faith walk prompted TWW to look into this story this week.
Hip-hop recording artist, songwriter, record producer, fashion designer and entrepreneur Kanye West is among the most acclaimed musicians of the 21st century, attracting both praise and controversy for his work and his public persona alike. West was a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the early 2000s, producing hit singles for artists such as Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. He released his own debut album, The College Dropout, in 2004 to widespread commercial and critical success, and has received similar accolades for his subsequent record releases including his sixth album, Yeezus, in 2013. Following a series of recording delays and work on non-musical projects, West's seventh album, The Life of Pablo, was released just last week during a combined fashion show/record release event at Madison Square Garden.
West's outspoken views and ventures outside of music have received significant mainstream attention. He has been a frequent source of controversy and public scrutiny for his conduct at award shows, on social media and in other public settings. His more publicized comments include his declaration that President George W. Bush "doesn't care about black people" during a live 2005 television broadcast for Hurricane Katrina relief, and his interruption of singer Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.
West is one of the best-selling artists of all time, having sold more than 32 million albums and 100 million digital downloads worldwide. He has won a total of 21 Grammy Awards, making him one of the most awarded artists of all time and the most Grammy-awarded artist of his age. He has also been included in a number of Forbes annual lists and TIME magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2005 and 2015. Kanye West has been widely revered as one of the most gifted talents in the world by many of his fans and by people "in the know" in the music industry.
As his following has grown, he has become more and more outspoken. Though he identifies himself as a Christian, he now calls himself Yeezus, in a thinly veiled reference to being a savior. He has claimed that he is the "greatest living artist" and "greatest artist of all time." Even with all of the social media outbursts and grandiose self-proclamations over the years, many of West's fans remained stalwart in their belief that these things were warranted by his talent.
Recently, however, West's rants have escalated, including a series of "tweets" about his being $53 million dollars in debt, and that he should be paid millions by Mark Zuckerberg (and others) for his ideas. Ignored by Zuckerberg, he continued saying, "I am Warhol. I am the number one most impactful artist of our generation. I am Shakespeare in the flesh. Walt Disney. Nike. Google. Now who's gonna be the Medici family and stand up and let me create more!" His fans began a GoFundMe page which, at the time of this writing, has collected almost $8,000 for Kanye West from people who appear to have considerably less liquid capital than West and his wife Kim Kardashian have.
Just before the Grammy Awards last week, West was apparently upset that the magazinePitchfork rated his latest album 9.0 out of 10 instead of, as Kanye suggested, "30 out of 10." West tweeted, "To Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, New York Times, and any other white publication. Please do not comment on black music anymore." West followed that by ranting with profanity to his team backstage when his set was altered for a Saturday Night Live appearance without his permission.
Then the hotheaded rapper went on to proclaim that he is "50 percent more influential" than legendary filmmaker Stanley Kubrick, Pablo Picasso, the apostle Paul -- who was handpicked by Jesus to deliver the gospel -- and even the notorious drug runner Pablo Escobar. All of these recent escapades have caused a veritable barrage of media memes and blogs and prompted every major (and minor) news source to devote airtime and print space to Kanye West.
In the end, West may realize he has gone too far. On Wednesday, he tweeted, "My number one enemy has been my ego ... there is only one throne and that's God's."
More on this story can be found at these links (the language used by Kanye West and quoted in some of the articles written about him may be offensive to some readers):
The Big Questions
1. When a celebrity or politician behaves foolishly or even criminally, what should our Christian reaction be? Is it okay for Christians to take part in humorous public celebrity-bashing when it seems to be well deserved? If not, what should our reaction be?
2. Should people who claim to be godly use their talents for secular purposes or should God-given gifts be reserved strictly for his glory?
3. Are Christians allowed to receive accolades and acclaim when using their talents? Is there a line; an extent to which we can bow and say thank you or cross over that line and acknowledge God's role in our giftedness?
4. Is it possible that taking glory for ourselves for gifts and talents given to us by God may be the cause of the downfall of this and many other celebrities from the past?
5. Mental health issues are often played out by celebrities in the media through their own self-exposure or paparazzi-style reporting. What is a Christian's responsibility to call attention to or to ignore such issues? How might we use the example of those in the spotlight to help those closest to us?
Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Numbers 20:7-8, 10-12
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ... command the rock before their eyes to yield its water. Thus ... you shall provide drink for the congregation and their livestock. ... Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, "Listen, you rebels, shall we bring water for you out of this rock?" Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff; water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their livestock drank. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me, to show my holiness before the eyes of the Israelites, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them."(For context, read 20:1-13.)
God gave specific instructions to Moses about how he was to use his gift. Many scholars say that Moses made a "grandstand" move by striking the rock instead of commanding it and taking God's glory for himself ("shall we bring water" vs. "God will bring water").
Questions: Do your gifts and talents waver when you take God's glory for yourself? Does it affect your psyche and your spirit when you thwart God's glory? Why or why not?
Revelation 21:23-27
And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. Its gates will never be shut by day -- and there will be no night there. People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life. (For context, read 21:9-27.)
Matthew 7:21
Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. (For context, read 7:21-23.)
Romans 7:19 
For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. (For context, read 7:14-25.)
Sporting a WWJD bracelet in a 2013 interview, Kanye West said, "I'm a Christian, and I just wanted to always let people know that's what's on my mind. It's important to me that I grow, walk and raise my family with Christian values."
Due to the content of his lyrics, the release of his album Yeezus, and his reckless behavior, this is a surprising and confusing declaration for many.
Yet, from our own experience, what is not confusing or surprising is that Christians always struggle with their own behavior that doesn't conform to what they -- or God -- would desire. It's worth remembering that we at times do the wrong we do not desire, and need to ask God for forgiveness.
Questions: Do we ever waffle between being a Christian and worldly behavior? Is there a line we might cross in which we would not be welcomed into the arms of Jesus even when we have claimed him? When we finally catch ourselves outside of his will, can we return as easily as saying something like, "… there is only one throne and that's God's."
Proverbs 16:18 
Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. (No context necessary.)
TWW team member David Hall comments, "So many of us, at varying levels, get 'puffed up' only to be burst by reality. Scriptures caution us about this." The verse above is one such text.
Questions: Can you relate to this idea of getting puffed up or burst by reality? How were you brought back into line with the teachings of scripture?
Colossians 4:5-6
Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone. (For context, read 4:2-6.)
Questions: Does this passage and others telling us how we are to treat people apply only to those with whom we are in personal contact? Are those in the public eye open to a different kind of scrutiny? To what extent can the mistakes of others, including those in the public eye, serve as a corrective for our own behavior? Do we ever mimic some of the grandiosity of celebrities in our church fellowships?
For Further Discussion
1. Respond to this from TWW team member Rev. Frank Ramirez: "This news brings to mind a poem a man used to recite at a congregation I previously served. It was during the 90s. Two or three times a year he'd recite this poem:
I dreamt death came the other night
And Heaven's gate swung wide.
An angel with a halo bright
Ushered me inside.
And there! To my astonishment
Stood folks I'd judged and labeled
As "quite unfit", "of little worth",
And "spiritually disabled."
Indignant words rose to my lips
But never were set free,
For every face showed stunned surprise --
Not one expected me!
Ramirez added, "I suspect it is okay for West to self-identify as a Christian, no matter how dubious the claim."
2. Several TWW team members noted how difficult it is to think of Kanye and God at the same time because of the way the West/Kardashian clan seems to flaunt wealth and beauty and how juxtaposed their every move seems to be to our Christian way of thinking. Discuss how easy or difficult it is for you to perceive the world outside of your Christian circles and how well or poorly you manage being in the world but not of it.
3. To what extent if any might fame and public attention exacerbate a person's existing unhealthy tendencies?
4. Whose job is it to tell celebrities when they've gone too far?
Responding to the News
This might be a good time to consider how you behave on social media. Are your posts reflective of your Christian values? Do you jump on the bandwagon to bash those you believe are outside of your Christian way of thinking and living or do you suggest prayer and sympathy? Of course, there is right and wrong in the world, but perhaps this is a good time to reflect on how judgmental we are, how we show that to others and what we might possibly be doing instead from God's perspective.
Closing Prayer
Father God, we want to set an example to the world with our words and actions even when our human reaction is disdain for the one being derided in the public eye. Make us better followers by showing the love and compassion you would show; not blind or naïve to the negative situation, but moved instead by compassion to lift those who are behaving badly to you instead of to others for further ridicule. Show us how to use the gifts and talents you have given to us for your glory and to be humble even as we will surely excel when we do. Amen.
Other News This Week
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