Everyone is cutting ties with Kanye West. For church leaders, it’s not that simple
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article contained erroneous information. We regret the error.
It’s one thing to cut ties with celebrities like Rihanna, Miley Cyrus or LeBron James. For example, West has recently released a slew of songs with a Christian-leaning edge and the rapper was recently featured on a series of Christian-themed videos.
It’s also another thing to cut ties with a celebrity like West — especially when, as West recently admitted, he’s not a Christian.
“I can’t say I’m a believer in Jesus, but I love Jesus,” West tells The Christian Post in our exclusive interview.
“I love Christ,” adds West, who believes in the trinity of God, Christ and the Holy Spirit. “He was a God, he was human and he was spirit. And so I feel closer to Christ than anybody I know.”
So why did West’s church, where he serves as an elder, cut ties with the rapper in the first place?
A source familiar with the situation told The Christian Post that West’s church leaders found the rapper to be “irresponsible.”
It’s an assessment that seems to track with the kind of statements West has made since being released from a New York City jail on Jan. 3.
Since then, West has spoken out against his former church and called for pastors and church leaders to “repent” for supporting the “hate of the week.”
But his remarks — which, as of Friday’s press, were being called “an apology” — have drawn the ire of the church, which is already under fire for its decision to cut ties with West’s wife, Kim Kardashian, following her husband’s arrest.
Although it’s unclear what impact West’s recent comments had on the church’s decision, the source familiar with the situation told The Post that the church was “disappointed” because of West’s apology, but also
