If Thou withdraw Thyself from me, where shall I go? Such was the power of the gospel. It is ostensibly a favorite of Kanye West , who sampled Pastor T. As West sells it, figuratively and literally , Jesus Is King is a repudiation of his past sin, an absolution, a blank slate from which to spread the word of a very specific God, one whose blessings rain down on a cul-de-sac in Calabasas and a ranch in Jackson Hole. By most accounts, fewer and fewer Americans identify as Christian, and a steadily growing number describe themselves as atheist or agnostic. The religious, meanwhile, identify as more devout. Consider the power of the evangelical right on the political landscape, into which West has inserted himself in recent years, causing some of the turmoil that presumably sent him seeking refuge in Christ this spring. In a recent piece for Vibe , the writer Kiana Fitzgerald, who shares with West a bipolar diagnosis, put forth a moving theory connecting spiritual fervor with the experience of mania. Though Jesus Is King followed what is now a characteristically chaotic album rollout for West, the result is much more focused than his album ye.


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“Is Christ really at the center?”
West has certainly received a fair amount of backlash for his hard turn toward spiritual music. But West has also received a groundswell of support— particularly from gospel artists themselves. In January , West began his Sunday Service performance series in Calabasas, California, with the choir group The Samples and other collaborators performing a combination of hymns and secular pop songs rewritten with Christian themes. Is Christ really at the center of this gathering? Dillard told TIME. Dillard dismissed the idea that the performances were Kanye-centric. The choir takes a more ancillary role in Jesus Is King , which was released Oct. Smallwood, a member of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, says that the negative reaction to Jesus Is King continues a reactionary sentiment that has run rampant throughout gospel music history.
“It has to reach the young people”
The album follows a Christian theme, with West describing it as "an expression of the gospel. West began recording the album in August , originally announcing it as Yandhi. The album missed two initial release dates in September and November under the original title, before being delayed indefinitely. West had formed his gospel group the Sunday Service Choir in January , performing gospel songs and covers of songs from West's discography. The song " Water " was performed live prior to release by the group. In August , Yandhi was reannounced as Jesus Is King , but it missed two planned release dates for late September under the new title. The final release of Jesus Is King was simultaneous with that of a concert film of the same name , which included a number of the tracks as part of the soundtrack. The album received mixed reviews from music critics, with a number of them drawing comparisons between it and West's previous solo album Ye. Some critics complemented the former's composition, while others expressed negative feelings towards the lyrical content and the inconsistency of ideas. In addition, West broke several Billboard charts ' records.
I do wonder if you ask this blog just to get supporting advice. You've made good points about not bringing up the CES letter or anything that could be called "anti-mormon. It might be just a few seconds, depending, but evidence that he's thinking of you.