By Annabelle Smallwood, Staff Reporter
As most have probably heard, Kayne West has just released his ninth studio album titled “Jesus Is King”. This album has caused much controversy, even within the Christian community.
Many have become suspicious of his claims, wondering if he has truly become a Christian. Opinions are spreading that range between calling Kayne West a liar for claiming that he is a Christian and supporting his faith and music.
Around Hardin-Simmons University, it seems as if most of the students are supportive of his conversion. Lucas Lopez, a junior at HSU, brought up the fact that Kanye has had religious themes throughout his entire discography, even if they have never been gospel songs. One of his albums has a song called ‘Jesus Walks,’ which is not a gospel song, but it talks about Jesus. And ‘Ultralight Beam’ is one of his more recent songs that talks about Jesus.
“I would like to think that God has actually changed his heart and based on the interviews that he is given and stuff like that, obviously Kanye isn’t perfect, but he is doing something that a lot of us can’t do. He is using his God given ability and placement in society to share the gospel,” Lopez said.
Kanye has openly spoken up about the hate that he has received from many Christians concerning his conversion. He even talks about this in his song “Hands On.”
Jesper Jiang, a senior at HSU, explained his opinion in the matter. “I don’t understand why people can’t accept the fact that somebody can turn. Weren’t we all like that at one point? I think he deserves some credit for that . . . If someone says that they are going to change, we should believe that they are going to change,” Jiang said.
While these students support Kanye’s stance, other students think that his music does not have to do with him being a Christian at all. Serenity Hill, a freshman at HSU, believes that it is more about publicity.
“I think that Kanye West is a fraud. I think that he is using this as a publicity stunt because his music has kind of been sinking, so him becoming a ‘Christian’ is fake. I feel as if you cannot just make a bunch of songs and then say that you are a Christian. It doesn’t work like that,” Hill said.
Makayla Hallford would agree. “Kanye West and his family are no longer in the spotlight, so because of that I am sure that he isn’t making as much money anymore. Rap or hip hop culture didn’t really accept him, so he is probably trying out a new genre to make himself known again. Now everyone wants to listen to it just to see if it’s good or not,” Hallford said.
So, what is the truth? Has Kayne West truly become a Christian or is his new music just a stunt created to produce more fame for himself? Though no one may know Kayne’s heart, many are starting to pay close attention to Kayne’s actions to see what he will do next.
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