Will the real Kanye West please stand up?

The rap icon recently announced that he plans to launch his own custom-branded “adult film” website, called “Yeezy Porn.” It’s a dramatic shift from the Kanye who not too long ago was decrying the evils of pornography, claiming it had destroyed his family and enabled pedophilia. On the Alex Jones show, he even pulled out his phone and began quoting Jesus’ words about looking on a woman with lust in your heart. He was quoting Jesus quite a bit in that phase—which appears, sadly, to have been just a phase.

There were numerous other red flags, of course. I wrote about his anti-Semitism here at World, but it was also generally clear that Kanye was very unwell. Christians eager to see a popular celebrity “representing” them in public should have managed their expectations accordingly. Still, the appropriate response should be sadness, not cynicism. Ex-porn actress and new Christian convert Brittni De La Mora models this in a video rebuking Kanye. Her plea comes from the heart, earnestly grieving his turn back to “the darkness” and hoping he can still find his way back to the light.

De La Mora is not the only pornographic performer to have made a public conversion to Christianity. There’s been recent controversy around the testimony of former OnlyFans star Nala Ray, who talked about her journey on the Daily Wire and seemed to demonstrate a clear understanding of the Christian gospel. But is she really sincere, or has she just switched up her grift? Various voices on the far right have suggested the latter, sometimes in language questioning the whole idea of a gospel that could save prostitutes. Christians rightly pushed back on this reaction, especially since at this time there’s no clear reason not to give Nala the benefit of the doubt. 

But as the case of Kanye West demonstrates, people with a dark sexual past remain vulnerable to temptation. Such converts desperately need private discipleship and local community, far more than they need a public platform. That doesn’t mean there’s no time and place to share a testimony, but it does mean Christians should receive these stories with a certain hopeful caution. If the post-Christian right falls into the ditch of anti-gospel cynicism, Christians can sometimes fall into the ditch of too-eagerly trusting or amplifying people with a “shocking” conversion story. With converts who are also gifted communicators, there’s a temptation to invite them on all the podcasts and put them on all the conference stages. Catholic pundit Michael Voris is just one sad recent example of what can happen when an immature adult convert quickly pivots into the role of a Christian influencer. Voris came out of the gay lifestyle, only to slide back into it and take down his ministry along with him. Similar examples could be multiplied.

Christians are also currently buzzing about British comedian Russell Brand, who announced his recent baptism in somewhat confusing fashion. On one hand, he seems sincerely excited to explore Christianity. On the other hand, he still dabbles in “woo” (his word), including tarot cards. Meanwhile, it’s been suggested that Brand’s whole “journey” is a pious distraction from ugly sexual assault allegations. Similar skepticism has swirled around Shia LaBeouf’s exploration of Catholicism. This New Year, LaBeouf was officially confirmed into the Catholic Church by Bishop Robert Barron, who has a popular international apologetics ministry. Apparently, LaBeouf is even considering a vocation to the diaconate now.

Again, as Christians thinking about all these cases, we can sincerely hope for the best while being unshockable by the worst. Writing about LaBeouf’s spiritual journey, Bishop Barron reflected that “God seems to specialize in finding the lost.” All Christians would agree. We can declare that the gospel is for all people (by which, yes, we really do mean all people.)

Of course, Jesus Himself prepares us for this in His parable of the seed and the sower. Some seed falls in good soil and grows up well-nourished. Other seed falls on rocky ground, or begins tentatively sprouting only to be choked by thorns. As we observe people’s stories in bits and pieces through headlines and YouTube videos, we must remember that we will never know their full stories from beginning to end, whether that end is happy or unhappy. As Aslan often has to explain to the children in Narnia, he tells no man any story but his own. It is not for us to have final knowledge, or render final judgment. Ours is but to hope, and pray, and preach, always holding out the invitation of Revelation 22:17: “And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”