Kanye West’s new album, “Jesus is King" is lighting the world on fire. Across every social media platform, Kanye is being celebrated by some and judged by others. Unfortunately, most of the judging comes from those calling themselves Christians. I write to those who suffered loss at the hands of the church. I write to my brothers and sisters in Christ that love without judging. Most importantly, I write to the spirit of the Pharisees and Sadducees of Christendom. Throughout the four gospels we learn that Jesus has a real problem in the way His “religious” community was interpreting and using scripture. Jesus speaks the following to the religious leaders of the day:

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life” (John 5:39-40).

“You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me” (John 8:15-16).

Like the Pharisees of old, Christians who live in judgment of others, engage scripture in such a way that it neither leads to nor reveals Jesus. This approach damages the soul. When learning scripture there is a hidden danger that lurks within the darkness of the soul. The danger is this: as we study (i.e. Pharisees and Sadducees) the heart begins to replace God for knowledge. Paul imparts the following wisdom to believers in 2 Corinthians 3:6, “[Jesus] who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” Paul is saying, remember the letter kills, but the Holy Spirit gives life through Christ. The Word which we place ourselves under. As the Pharisees lived in judgment of others, their pride elevated above the very text in which they were to live under. The spirit of religion enacted by the Pharisee/Sadducee and “Churchianity” is infectious. We must inoculate ourselves by throwing our judgments and biases against the work of the cross.

Kanye West’s life is on display for all to see. In October 2002, he survives a near fatal car accident. In 2003, he records “Through the Wire” while his jaw is wired shut. Kanye’s debut album “College Drop Out,” released in 2004, features a song titled “Jesus Walks.” The song was an instant hit. The shocking and untimely passing of his mother in 2007, left him devastated. In five short years, he escapes death itself, only to lose his mother to death soon after. We all suffer loss and Kanye is no different. Unlike Kanye, most of us grieve and spiral out of control in private. His happened through the public lens of entertainment. We all are fallible and have a redemptive story. Kanye shares his story through his calling. It is shared in the poetic artistry of music. His story bleeds through his album “Jesus is King.”

Instead of judging, we give thanks for the transformative work of the Cross. Instead of judging, we glory in the fact that Christ is being preached (Phil 1:15-18). As Christians, it is not our place to judge a person’s past, present, or future. Especially those who proclaim the transformational work of Christ in their life. Christians are called to listen carefully, pray fervently, forgive righteously, and love unequivocally. By Grace we are an imperfect family adopted and grafted into the perfect headship of Christ. Due to our imperfect nature we will miss the mark, we will blow it, and we will fall. However, in community we exist to pick each other up and encourage one another to finish the race well. Kanye, run your race and finish it well (2 Tim 4:7; Heb 12:1).

With Blessings,

CT Davis