A big Wyoming welcome to the West family

Monster Lake Ranch Photo: Courtesy J.P. King Auction Co.

There is nothing unusual about seeing the glitterati walking the boardwalks of Jackson. For decades it has been known as a playground for California multimillionaires. Many, like Harrison Ford, even own property there and make it their home.

But when Kanye and Kim West bought the Monster Lake Ranch in early September, it was something altogether different. The Wind River Range lies between their Cody ranch and Jackson’s chic boutiques. What looks like an hour’s drive to flat-landers takes around five hours in the real world (depending on tourists and weather).

It’s not just the location of the West’s sprawling ranch that raises eyebrows. Its purchase was accompanied by Kanye’s very public announcement of his conversion to Christianity. Within weeks the Wests hosted a Sunday religious service at an outdoor venue in Cody. An eighty-voice choir was flown in to back up Kanye’s songs and testimonials.

Two weeks later Kanye’s equally famous wife, Kim, released pictures of herself with their three youngest children: Chicago, Saint and Psalm. They were brought to the headquarters of the Armenian Apostolic Church to be baptized at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin in Vagharshapat, Armenia. (The eldest, North, was baptized in Jerusalem in 2015).

Scholars count this as the oldest cathedral in the world. It was built in 303 A.D. on top of an ancient pagan shrine. King Tiridates III deliberately wanted to show that paganism was no longer the national religion of Armenia. Nearly a decade before Constantine legalized Christianity in the Roman empire, Armenia became the first kingdom in the world to adopt Christianity.

By their baptism in Armenia, Kim signaled not only an alignment with ancient Christianity, but also a personal solidarity with the faith of her late father, Robert Kardashian.

Kardashian sisters and children on baptismal day

The worship services that Kanye hosted in Cody and those attended by Kim and the girls in Armenia could hardly be more different. But the faith professed by each has far more similarities than differences. These similarities start with the worship of a first-century Jewish rabbi named Jesus.

By the very act of worship, both Kim and Kanye profess that Jesus is not merely a man. Worship is reserved for God, alone. Christians profess that Jesus is the Creator of all things in the universe—from distant galaxies to your own individual body. They teach that God was born into the world as a real human being. He did this in order to rescue His own creation now fallen into sin.

The assertion that Jesus is King has drawn the wrath of cultural rulers since Jesus was crucified for it. But for those who embrace it, life changes in two fundamental ways. First, that person consciously submits himself to his Creator. Second, that person sees every other person and creature through the eyes of God.

On Friday, October 25, 2019, Kanye West released a new album titled, “Jesus Is King.” Like King Tiridates III, West has publicly built a Christian album on the site of what once was a monument to paganism. It is a remarkably coherent set of musical tracks that say, “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15 AV).

I admit that until yesterday I had never listened to any of Mr. West’s music. While I can equally enjoy Chris LeDoux and J.S. Bach, hip hop has never made it on my playlist. Still, I was drawn to give it a listen. I hoped to understand his heart through his own words and music. I was not disappointed.

From the opening chord of “Every Hour” to the abrupt end of “Jesus is Lord,” West’s album offers commentary on his recent moves. There is not space here to discuss it all, but I want to make just a few observations.

The album title, alone, speaks volumes. The statement that “Jesus is King,” is the overriding theme of every song. For Kanye, Jesus is not some weak metaphor for kindness and love. He understands that Jesus is the Creator of the universe. He holds in His hand authority over every competitor—from political power to demonic forces.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Psalm 111:10). Every track seems to say that Kanye means this personally and seriously. But he goes further. Not only is Jesus all-powerful, He is also all-merciful. The music exudes the joy of one who deserves nothing from Jesus but has it all by pure gift. “That’s on God,” as he puts it in the fifth track.

For West, Jesus is not an optional accessory. In the second track, “Selah” he says, “Ain’t no wantin’, no, we need it.” That explains why he can’t keep his new-found faith sequestered from his art. Unlike many celebrity conversions that hardly affect their public life at all, Kanye’s has totally upended every aspect of his life.

For him it is personal. But it is not only personal. I do not consider the baptism of Kim and his girls as an independent, unrelated coincidence. Without prying into family conversations, it seems that his was more than a celebrity conversion. It was a family conversion. There might even be hints in the names of his children, Psalm and Saint, that these conversations have been going on for years.

Speculation aside, his fourth track, “Closed on Sundays,” makes it clear that his Christianity means an explicit and dedicated focus on the family. “Get your family, y’all hold hands and pray / When you got daughters, always keep ‘em safe.” He has a special word for boys, too: “Raise your sons, train ‘em in the faith / Through temptations, make sure they’re wide awake.”

The refrain, “you’re my Chick-fil-A,” makes a decisive break with the sexualized culture that Kanye and Kim have supported since 2014. Ever since CEO Dan Cathy said, “I pray God’s mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude that thinks we have the audacity to redefine what marriage is all about,” it has been a watchword in the war on the family.

Now West sings, “Watch out for vipers, don’t let them indoctrinate… Follow Jesus, listen and obey / No more livin’ for the culture, we nobody’s slave.” Their conversion to Christ comes with a new recognition that the family, as God has defined it, reflects the image of God. To uphold it is freedom, not slavery.

In the third-last track, “Hands on,” West turns to address Christians. Will they accept him as a brother, or not? “Said I’m gonna do a gospel album / What have you been hearin’ from the Christians? / They’ll be the first to judge me.” He even lays out the reasons why Christians may reject him: “If they only see the wrongs, never listen to the songs.”

Well, Mr. West, this Christian writer knows about your wrongs. Still, I listened to your songs. What you have learned of Christ is true. His crucifixion is for you. (Please don’t judge me for my lame attempt at hip hop.)

Speaking one Christian to another, I certainly don’t judge you. Your Christianity is not measured by anything but Jesus’ redemption of your life. Neither your strength of faith or weakness, nor your understanding or spiritual achievements make you a Christian. God does—and, apparently, God has. That’s on Him! The new life and righteousness that Jesus freely gives will never be denied anyone who renounces the old and seeks Jesus. Never.


Speaking just for me, I will probably not replace my Chris LeDoux collection with hip hop. But speaking for countless good-hearted citizens, I want to extend you and your whole family a big, Wyoming welcome.

NOTE: This article has been updated. An earlier version erroneously referred to Psalm as a "daughter" and included Kim among the recently baptized.