Kanye West brought the gospel to Joel Osteen’s Houston megachurch on Sunday, and for many of the service’s 16,000 attendees, it was probably the first time they’d heard the word of God uttered inside that building.
Marketing his feel-good, inclusive Christianity as the truth, Osteen has sold his prosperity gospel to millions of people. It’s unclear whether West is one of them. We know that since his conversion to Christianity, he’s been taken under the wing of Adam Tyson, another megachurch pastor based in Los Angeles. But Tyson, unlike Osteen, seems to have read this handy-dandy book called the Bible.
“My message is that God is holy, but we are all sinners and therefore deserve God’s judgment,” Tyson said last month. “God loves the world so much that He gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, who lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, and was raised from the dead on the third day.
“The good news is that through repentance of your sin and faith in the risen Christ, you can have true joy and happiness which is found only in Jesus,” Tyson continued. “I would teach from God’s Word about how salvation is only by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.”
This simple message was present in West’s appearance at the Lakewood Church this Sunday, just as it was in his gospel-themed album, Jesus is King. Though West’s speech was riddled with the typical arrogance we’ve come to expect from the rapper (sanctification is an ongoing process!), he made it clear that he no longer serves himself, or money, or fame. He serves God.
“All of that arrogance and confidence and cockiness that y’all seen me use before God is now using for Him,” West said, drawing applause. “Because every time I stand up, I feel that I’m standing up and drawing a line in the sand and saying I’m here in service to God, and no weapons armed against me shall prosper.”
West seems to be standing at a crossroads: On one side, you have Tyson urging him to lay it all down before the cross, repent, and be saved. On the other, you have Osteen’s self-centered gospel, which teaches that humanity exists to glorify itself rather than God.
And although West offered a mild defense of Osteen from the many criticisms he rightfully deserves, West’s very presence in that building was a rebuke to the fair-weather Christianity Osteen teaches.
West didn’t become a Christian because he was looking for good health, success, or wealth — three things Osteen constantly promises to those who buy his books. West had all of that and so much more.
But what he didn’t have was meaning, joy, or purpose. And in Christ, he’s found just that: “King of Kings, Lord of Lords/ All the things He has in store,” West sings in “God Is,” one of the tracks on his new album. “From the rich to the poor/ All are welcome though the door/ You won’t ever be the same/ When you call on Jesus’s name/ ‘Listen to the words I’m sayin’/ Jesus saved me, now I’m sane.”
Both West and Osteen preach a message of hope and redemption. But the difference is that West understands that true redemption requires sacrifice, while Osteen teaches the opposite. West has made it clear that he’s done with his former lifestyle and its accompanying pleasures. No one but West knows if he’d give up his fame and fortune if push came to shove, but he has repeatedly disavowed both. Meanwhile, Osteen teaches that worldly fortune will come to those who have enough faith.
The difference between the two men is striking, whether West sees it or not. West’s message is a testament to the truth: God doesn’t exist to serve you. You exist to serve God.
And maybe, just maybe, Osteen caught a glimpse of that while West stood behind the pulpit.
