Why Kanye West Needs Our Prayers Not Our Gossip

Most of the world is thoroughly annoyed at Kanye “Ye” West right now, and for good reason. His social media antics have enraged his haters and fans alike. Many consider his very public interactions with estranged wife Kim Kardashian about their marriage and co-parenting as harassment and even emotionally abusive. I’m not going to sit here and discuss the merits of all his actions. Plenty of articles have already done that. Instead, I want to focus on the public’s reaction to a extremely messy, very public divorce, and in my opinion, a cry for help. Some would disagree, but I think it’s possible to pray for someone, even when you don't agree with all of his or her actions. I also think it’s possible to avoid gossiping about celebrities and pray for them instead.

On the cusp of Kanye’s conversion to Christianity, I wrote:

If we each looked back to the start of our own spiritual journeys, we’d realize that just because one fully surrenders one’s life to Jesus, doesn’t mean all their bad habits instantly disappear. Kanye is a rash, passionate person and I believe the Holy Spirit still has a lot of work to do in him. No doubt, he will make his own share of (very public) mistakes. But he needs more of us—his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ—praying for him instead of wasting our time questioning his motives.

The most recent of these mistakes are the ones I just mentioned. I’m sure there will be more. But as onlookers, where do we go from here? You and I have no choice but to engage in some way when someone of his stature chooses to be a magnet for the glaring spotlight. What do we do when the temptation is to gossip, dismiss, and even condemn? 

You see, unlike the average person, celebrities will make their mistakes in the scrutiny of the public eye. Unfortunately, we treat celebrities not as mere entertainers, but as entertainment themselves. We place them under continuous scrutiny, and feel entitled to criticize their every move. Now, don’t get me wrong here. I’m not advocating that we excuse the wrong behavior of Kanye, or any other celebrity. I’m not saying there’s no room to constructively critique unbiblical and destructive behavior. I simply want to challenge fellow Christians to choose to see past the fame and glamor to the brokenness, and as a result, to extend compassion. Kanye has been through a lot over the years: a near-fatal car crash in which he broke his jaw in three places, losing his mom (his deepest human source of encouragement), having a mental illness, and now a divorce. I choose to see Kanye as a human being who goes through hardships just like you and me, not just an untouchable celebrity. 

The fame cycle is intriguing: celebrities are worshiped one moment, and then become the object of ridicule the next. They live in a constant Catch-22. Placed on a pedestal, they are unable to do anything wrong. Placed under a microscope, they are unable to do anything right.

It’s not just the tabloids at fault here, but you and me: the readers, the viewers, the water-cooler discuss-ers. We somehow feel entitled to talk down on celebrities, as if they weren’t human. Too many of us think celebrities “deserve” all the backlash they receive, that “it’s part of their job.” We forget that they are fragile human beings, not unbreakable demi-gods. In reality, all celebrities are made in the image of God, and as such, deserve all the grace and compassion we all do. 

A deep prayer of mine is that one day, Christians would come to view celebrities as real people who carry their own share of brokenness. Whenever a fellow Christian makes a comment that condemns or belittles a celebrity, I flinch. It stings, especially coming from the pulpit. We are quick to point out the sins and shortcomings of celebrities, yet rarely do we take the awareness of their flaws as a catalyst to pray for them. 

We must examine our motives when we thoughtlessly tweet, post or otherwise share our opinion on the latest celebrity gossip. Remember: gossip is wrong, whether it’s about someone you know personally or not. As someone once said: “If you spend time praying for people instead of talking about them, you’ll get better results.”  

Kanye reminds me a lot of David in the Bible. Both are public figures who committed giant mistakes in the public eye. But even after committing adultery and murder, God still chose to use David as a King. In the same way, I believe God still plans to use Kanye in a mighty way in pop culture, not because he is perfect, or the most well-behaved Christian, but because he is a broken human being desperate for God’s grace.

Eighteenth-Century Scottish Preacher Oswald Chambers said that “God gives us discernment not so we can judge, but so we can be intercessors.”

Next time we’re tempted to gossip about a celebrity like Kanye, it might be wise to ask: Am I speaking out of a genuine concern for this celebrity or with any hint of malicious intent? Am I building up this celebrity by making this comment? What if, instead of speaking about this celebrity, I lifted him or her up in prayer?

Don’t know where to start? Watch the documentary “Jeen-Yuhs” on Netflix to gain more insight on his journey or check out some suggested prayer points below.

• Pray that the Holy Spirit would make Himself known to Kanye as Comforter

• Pray that Kanye would find his identity apart from his fans, and cling to Jesus as His main cheerleader

• I can only imagine as he is going through one of his toughest times—divorce and redefining his access to his kids—that he may be missing and grieving the loss of his mother (who was his biggest supporter and human source of encouragement) even more. Pray that Kanye would seek solace in the arms of the Father and his spiritual community 

• Pray that Kanye would find or foster relationships with a spiritual community that would offer Him both grace AND truth

• Pray that he would find a supportive team of mental health professionals (if he doesn’t already have one) to help him with his mental illness

• Pray that the Holy Spirit would make Himself known to Kim in a deeper way

• Pray that Kanye and Kim’s kids would not be collateral damage, but that Jesus would protect them and allow them to thrive even in the midst of a messy situation

• Pray that believers would rally around Kanye in prayer, as a beloved brother in Christ