Kanye West Misunderstood? Pastor Says Rap Mogul Trying to Do Something Good
Rap mogul Kanye West's brash behavior may have made him a polarizing figure in pop culture, but Pastor Rich Wilkerson Jr. insists there is more to the entertainer than his public persona.
Wilkerson, the leader of The Rendezvous, a ministry of Trinity Church in Miami, married West and his "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" wife, Kim, in an Italian ceremony last year. Now, the preacher is gearing up to star in his own reality show, "Rich in Faith," which airs on Oxygen network Wednesdays at 10 p.m.
The preacher seems to be fond of the West family, and defended the rapper in an E! report.
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"I think often times people only get to see a glimpse of who you are so I think the guy I know is a loving guy, a family man and I think he's trying to do something good and I just appreciate him," Wilkerson said. "I just know my relationship and I think for me in life and what I kind of discovered on this journey is you don't have to agree with somebody in every area to accept somebody. On the flip side of that, when you disagree with somebody, you don't have to disrespect them."
Instead of criticizing West, who has been vocal about being a Christian, Wilkerson is accepting of the rapper's personal journey.
"Everybody is on their own journey. I think [Kanye's] on a journey. I'm on a journey," he said. "[My wife] DawnChere is on a journey and I think the better we do loving one another and accepting one another, the further we all go."
In 2013, West spoke about doing God's work on his "Yeezus" tour, but the cast of Oxygen's hit docu-series "Preachers of L.A." questioned that ideology. Bishop Ron M. Gibson of Life Church of God In Christ in California insists that while West is gifted, he needs some guidance.
"I think Kanye West is a tremendous gift to the world, I just have a problem with Kanye West's philosophy," Gibson previously said on the Wendy Williams show. "I just think Kanye needs a positive role model. I would love to mentor Kanye West, he's a great guy."
Still, Gibson did not hesitate to criticize West's music videos that feature sexual imagery stating, "He's not throwing Jesus of the bible out there."
While minister and gospel singer Deitrick Haddon said that he could understand West's creativity, Pastor Jay Haizlip of The Sanctuary Church in California seemed to agree that the rap mogul may have some learning to do before claiming to carry out God's work.
"Honestly there's some interest he's expressing toward Jesus and toward God and for that I'm thankful," Haizlip told Williams. "Maybe he's not fully knowledgeable about the level that he may need to be to be doing what he's doing."
West previously spoke about being on a mission from God.
"I'm working on one mission and that's a mission from God, period," West previously said on Power 106. "So all this negative energy that ya'll throwing against me and this confusion that ya'll trying to put around me, I'm going to make it very clear exactly what I'm here to do and I'm going to apply all the blessings that I've got...all the info and creativity that I've got and I'm going to really help."
