In Response to the Posts Against Kanye West... The Hypocritical Christian

Response Post #1: Response to the Posts Attacking Kanye West


This post is in response to all those calling out Kanye's hypocrisy. I am not sure who originally posted the topic of Kanye West's faux-Catholicism. This response will play devil's advocate (......not literally/no pun intended!) and is of course not meant as anything personal to anyone. 

"Jesus Walks" was the third single Kanye West dropped off his debut album "The College Dropout". The song was released in 2004 and since then, Kanye has embarrassed himself publicly (I don't even need to mention Taylor Swift here, do I?), posed in risqué photoshoots (Amber Rose, anyone?), written and released songs glorifying sex, alcohol, and drugs, written some more songs that defame and objectify women, and become more materialistic by the day. He tweets such eloquent remarks as "I f**k with my Timbs on" (followed by "Timbs and Jesus piece" no less) and, despite his outspoken love and affection for his mother, he continues to refer to all other women as "bitches". He is known as an egocentric who flaunts his money and designer clothing. He is known for and embraces his arrogance (another tweet to exemplify this: "Hard to be humble when you stuntin on a jumbotron"). Kanye does all of this while wearing his Jesus piece and staunchly defending his faith.

Is he a hypocrite?

Let's break down the arguments against Kanye step by step. First, people call him out for his excessive spending and materialistic ways. How can he be a good Christian, they argue, when he's spending millions on cars, clothes, alcohol, and the like? How can we call him a good Christian when it seems all he cares about - materialistically and otherwise - is himself?

According to Ivan Ruggiero, the Holy See's chief accountant, "The Vatican's real estate is worth about 700 million euro ($1.21 billion), not including its priceless art treasures." As the popular saying goes, "Sell the Vatican, feed the poor." How can we possibly sit here and call Kanye West a hypocritical, false Christian when the Vatican itself - not even including its "priceless" art treasures or its investments - is worth that kind of dough?

Further, Kanye West is an entertainer with no duty to the Catholic tradition. Our society puts celebrities on a pedestal, expecting them to be good role models. The Vatican, on the other hand, has a duty to practice what it preaches and exemplify its own teachings. Churches in general are beautifully constructed buildings with stained glass windows and well kept lots. Of course I think some of this is necessary; Churches need some money to maintain their professionalism and status in society. They need to be respectful and a service run out of a grungy run-down building would not be honoring God as it is supposed to. Do I think, however, that the Vatican's $1.2 billion is excessive? Absolutely. Do I think that the Church is hypocritical for preaching about the poor and poverty and the homeless and running soup kitchens on Sundays when the sale of even two or three "priceless" art treasures would go quite a long way for the poor?

Sell a piece of artwork and pay for the construction of a school in an underprivileged urban area. Sell another and fund scholarships for children around the world to go to university and get the education they deserve. Use that money to lay a groundwork for a better world. I don't think the Vatican should throw money at people for food and other short-term benefits. That is putting a band-aid on a much larger problem that stretches from sea to sea. The Church needs to accept the politics of modern society and use its financial wealth and sway to promote social strategy that will benefit the people in the long-term. Evidently sermons on Sundays aren't cutting it. I think Kanye West is just an example of a far deeper problem within the Church. What has the Church made headlines for in recent years? Molesting choir boys and laundering money. Hushing up scandals and lobbying against gay marriage.

I cannot sit here and judge Kanye West's faith when the Catholic tradition itself sits in a building soaked with money and jewels and priceless "treasures" of art. I cannot call out Kanye West for being a hypocrite when he has no responsibility whatsoever to believers in the Catholic faith. The Vatican, however, I can absolutely call hypocritical. Perhaps, of course, perhaps I'm uninformed. Perhaps the Church has made socio-political strides in correcting the foundations of a precariously balanced society. Perhaps the Church has been matching government dollars in federal spending on social services. Perhaps the Church has been actively using its millions of dollars for greater purposes than scepters for the Pope and maintaining historic art pieces. Perhaps I am wrong - in fact, I'd love to be wrong. Unfortunately, however, if the Church has indeed been making strides to distribute its amassed wealth to those in dire need of it - unfortunately I have yet to see or hear about it.

If the Vatican does not sell all its wealth but what it absolutely needs to function, the Catholic Church cannot expect its followers to do so either. That is why we have people like Kanye West who defend their faith while spending thousands of dollars on a Louis Vuitton satchel.  He is blamed for being a hypocritical Christian only because he is in the spotlight. I am willing to bet that anyone calling him a hypocrite is being a hypocrite themselves. Do you need a Blackberry? Did you need that Canada Goose jacket or could you have spent half as much on a winter jacket and given the other half to the homeless man you passed on your way to school? I am of course including myself in these sentiments. But if we as a generation are throwing money at expensive materialistic things we don't need - how can we possibly sit here on our Macs calling Kanye a terrible Christian?

"Jesus started the trend by telling his followers, 'If anyone wishes to be perfect, sell what you have, and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven (Mark 10:21)