Monday, March 17, 2008

Lil' Wayne is a Christian?

Just when you thought that you had the good guys and bad guys separated into their neat little categories, up jumps this statement by Lil Wayne to the crowd attending a recent concert in New Jersey:

Lil Wayne had three things to explain. No. 1, a religious confession: “I believe in God and his son, Jesus. Do you?” He interpreted the roar as an affirmative response. No. 2, a professional confession: He said he was nothing without the fans, adding, “Make some noise for what you created!” Noise was made. No. 3: Same as No. 2. More noise.

This is quite interesting. I'm not sure I could find many people who would list Weezy F. Baby (Lil' Wayne for the uninitiated) as one who will be in the number when the "saints go marchin' in". However, is it possible that he could be a Christian? Several question come to mind as I ponder this:
  • What does he mean when he says he believes in God and his son Jesus? Does he believe that Jesus was God in the flesh, was crucified, died, buried and was raised to life? Does he place all of his hope and trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ as being the sufficient substitute for his own deserved punishment (namely eternal separation from God) and that his trust/hope/faith in the work of Christ is the thing that makes him acceptable to a pure, loving, and just God?

  • How can one really know if another person is a "believer"? 18th century theologian Jonathan Edwards, in his book Religious Affections, cautioned against making determinations about what a person believes based solely on external actions that seem to be "Christianly" (a new word that I just made up). It is true that you will know a tree by the fruit that it bears (cocoa trees don't produce mangos), but it is also true that God is the only one who truly knows our hearts and thus is supremely qualified to be the final judge. I'm not saying that Weezy is a believer, but I'm also not saying that he isn't...

  • Are we even comfortable with the idea that Lil Wayne could be a brother in Christ? How gnarly would it be if we could know with certainty that dude is a Christian? Would you welcome him into your church all tattooed, sporting a wife beater and smelling like weed? For those who would welcome him, would you gravitate to him because of his celebrity and his uncanny ability to spit over anybody else's beat and make that song better than the original? Or would it be because he is someone who just like you realized that he needs redemption has found it at the feet of Jesus.
Lil' Wayne a believer???? hmmmmmmm......

34 comments:

Unknown said...

More intriguing than the discussion of the authenticity of Weezy's confession of faith is the fact that you used the word gnarly in a sentence!

Good form!

lol

Unknown said...

Totally agree, I can't believe you used the word "gnarly" pretty funny.

I think the question is does he "accept" Jesus Christ as his personal savior. He may believe their is a God and His Son Jesus Chris died on the cross, but I don't believe that automatically qualifies as a believer.

Auspicious Breaker said...

If he is a Christian, then yeah, i accept him as my brother and I love him just the same.

But I do think that as a person in his position, living in true faith, that he should be using his voice to win souls for God, not spreading such slander and tolerating all that madness of mainstream rap

Kirk said...

It is true that only God knows a man's heart. But the Bible clearly calls upon those who accept Christ to turn from their sinful ways and to be trnasformed by the renewing of their mind to know and do the will of God (Romans 12:1-2). The Bible emphatically calls upon Christians to use their speech and their actions to glorify God. The lyrics of Lil Wayne are the antithesis of such speech. I would welcome Lil Wayne in my church and I pray that he will someday use his talents to glorify God rather than promote sex and violence. But please know that even Satan believes in God and mere belief in the existance of God does not make one a Christian.

shardware99 said...

Romans 10:9 says salvation is two fold-if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord AND believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, THEN you shall be saved - confession is one part, but truly believing in your heart is the second part. Then we want to do what is right in Gods eyes, not the worlds eyes, and we might not stop "swearing" or whatever we are doing right away, but there comes a conviction where we suddenly find those things that were acceptable not so acceptable anymore!

OJay309 said...

I just found this link and was intrigued...I think that it is very possible wayne is christian. He would definately not be the worst person ever to have a Christian belief system. And though I do agree he has his moral issues, to each their own. He has stated in his songs that he is a child of god...as in we are all gods children and backs that by saying but not like Nas...so he's denying accusasions that he believes he is christ incarnate...he also has said i payed 50000 for this cross to keep the reaper off me...so obviously he is admiting christs power...i dunno. just saying

Anonymous said...

listen to the song "pray to the lord" by lil wayne
yes not all of his songs are christian but some are.
and what does him smelling of weed have to do with anything?
didnt god say that we could use any plant on the world except for his garden, the only people who say weed is bad is the government.
last time i checked the government was against religion.

audrey said...

satch,

im sorry but you are so wrong!!!! weed hasnt EVER EVER EVER Killed ANYONE- there is no record of a weed related death in the 5,000 years its been in use by humans.

you really need to check you facts!

audrey said...

o and also satch, i dont believe in god- but if i did i would also tell you this:

it is a fact that we have thc receptors in our brain, why would god create us with specific receptors in our brain if its so bad for us, and hes so against it?

and also the reason the goverment is against weed is this (well its actually many theories, the bulk of witch is as follows) that the goverment canot tax weed, because it is so plentiful, and it grows natually in MANY MANY MANY places of the world, let alone our nation. Therefore they wiped it out n made it illegal because its too easy to grow- OR they say its a gate way drug, however it is also a fact you have to actually go to a drug dealer to get weed, its better business for the dealer to offer you crack, or heroin in addition to the weed, that way they can get you hooked, and keep you coming back, since weed isnt addicting. dont you think its the drug prohibition that is causing the gate to b opened? that if the goverment regulated weed like they do alcohol it would b a- harder for minors to obtain and b- reduce the influence of other drugs on ppl.

i could go on and on

Tina said...

Audrey,

God lives =) He has healed me, me brain tumor, my back, characteristics in my that would destroy myself from the inside out.

I was the typical popular girl that the guys tried to get with. I lost my virginity young to a man I loved. I partied, drank, swore, stole, lied... Just things everyone ekse around me did.

I PROMISE you there is no better high the what the Lord brings. He takes good care of His children. To those who love Him and God makes that clear.

for 19 years of my life I grew up in churches that bored me half to death. Find a rockin spirit filled awesome church whee people love the Lord. Just give it a chance. A month and watch and listen to all God has in store for you life. Someday you will thank thise who care so much for you to show you the way to the best years of you life.

Let God show you what's REALLY awesome! =)

God bless you! May the Lord be with you and show you He has always been with you =D

audrey said...

tina,

i understand that you want to push ur beliefs on me, but im woman enuff to accept the fact that i simply do not know. I understand that youv been cured n ur automatic response to to thank 'god' but i wasnt trying to voice my view, i was trying to correct a point made by snach anout how you will die if u smoke weed, which is simply not true.

HOWEVER you, tina, are a prime example that 'christians' tune in and out when someone else speaks.

i made several valid points disproving what snach said about weed, however the only thing u zoned in on was the one little line where i said i dont believe in god.

im glad u were popular n slutty n a drunk, im not that way, so im glad to see that 'god' saved u from your lifestyle.
i was smart enuff to figure out for myself thats not the way i want to live, no god told me.

Unknown said...

of course i would welcome him into our church with tattoos and whatever he had on... u can not just shun ppl from church because they dont dress properly... although it would be concerning that he lives his life the way he does and him claiming him a christian... i do not know i think God and Mr.Wayne are the only ones who does know

Nik said...

Good post. I think society is loves to overdramatize the split between the sacred and secular spheres. sometimes Christians often live in two separate worlds, commuting between the private world of family and church (where we can express our faith freely) and the public world (where religious expression is firmly suppressed). We have to be okay with people straddling the (false) divide.
His admission does take you aback when popular music is cordoned off as a religion-free zone. Lil wayne in the eyes of Christians and secularist must be one thing or the other, but i fear this view forces our lives to become splintered and fragmented. Work and public life are stripped of spiritual significance, while the spiritual truths that give our lives the deepest meaning are demoted to leisure activities, suitable only for our time off. The gospel is hedged in, robbed of its power to leaven the whole of life.

I think weezy F baby (please say the baby) may have inadvertently gave us a tool for breaking free from the dichotomies that limit God’s power in our lives.

Whether he lives like a christian in the end seems immaterial, but that he found this askance method and unlikely place to share his spirituality speaks toward what Christians all over the world should aspire to.

Anonymous said...

If He is a Christian only God knows,....The word does say you'll know them by their fruits. Does he have fruit?? As a fruit inspector id have to say no. To know Christ is to change from the old to the new. Is there change in lil wayne? if your a true Blood bought believer there will be no discussion about whether your a christian or not.....your walk will talk for you.


Travis

PB said...

No, lil wayne is definitely not a christian. He is, and there's no other way of putting this, a possessed man. Look at his lyrics; does 'John' really imply he's a man of God? Absolutely not; the devil knows all too well God exists, and therefore lil wayne knows it too. Look at the fortune teller in acts, and you'll find there are a few similarites between what she and lil wayne are doing. The best thing to do is to pray for lil wayne, and not to get into his music. Whether he has killed or not, his music is a deathtrap.

johnnymac said...

That's pretty harsh Pb,
the fruits of the spirit are not shown in him, but that does not mean he is not a christian, it just means he is either scared to show it or he thinks Christian music may make him less money. If he is a Christian, and only God knows, he would probably be a lukewarm one. Lukewarm means he is neither a hot (strong) or a cold one. It is obvious he does not devote his life to Christ and that he has many problems of his own, but you cannot truly know. He has given into worldly desires to find satisfaction, and it has not fully satisfied him. My guess is that people told him to be a Christian and it would satisfy him so he tried professing it? Just proposing. but i do not think he got the full experience that would satisfy him and have a true relationship with God. He does not need a 50000 dollar cross to protect him from the devil. The Holy Spirit does that if it lives in us, and yes it really does live in us if we allow it. If he is lukewarm though, it would be better if he were not one at all. The bible says God will spit the lukewarm out of his mouth. He disgusts them. I think Lil Wayne needs to work on his relationship and find the true good news that we do not have to go to hell forever like we deserve because Christ died for us and took all our sins upon himself, making us clean and worthy of heaven.

johnnymac said...

and audrey, tina would only tell you the truth of life if she cared about you. She is not trying to force you to do anything, but I don't see why you wouldn't start looking into Christianity because the free gift that we are given comes with no price we have to pay because the ultimate price for paradise has already been paid for us. Don't get mad at someone trying to share the gospel, because that means they are only trying to save you from the terrible, unavoidable pits of hell that we all deserve. And if you think that hell won't be that bad, think again. Its a million times worse than your worse nightmare so take the advice while you still can because if you die with no relationship with God, He will say "I do not know you" and you will be eternally punished.

Unknown said...

Much like DMX, you have to question Wayne's faith by how he lives and his other songs. On the other hand, I'm far from perfect myself. Only God knows the heart, but by their fruit you will know them. I suppose a great tell would be whether or not Wayne shows humility in his sins before the Lord, either in public or private.

With that said, I don't mean to stand in judgment on Wayne, but if he is a Christian, this record label offers several great examples of being a talented hiphop artist while living your faith: http://reachrecords.com/.

As to whether or not marijuana is good or bad for you or is addictive, visit this site for more facts: http://www.nida.nih.gov/infofacts/marijuana.html.

Thanks for the interesting post.

WomanOfGod1889 said...

I will say this... any one can believe in God and Jesus... I am a Christian and I believe in the Devil (only that he is real and a destroyer)... but that doesn't mean that he accepts God gave his only begotten son Jesus that died on the cross. For our sins and he didn't include the Holy Sprit... Many non believers believe in Jesus because of the history that supports he was alive and that their is "a God" but it doesn't mean that they accept Christianity... anyone can lie too... you have to see his actions and I'm not round the guy everyday but I don't see see it...

bigdude77 said...

to say someone is not a christian is completely wrong you do not know lil wayne and his life he might not be the best christian on the face of the earth but neither was ronald reagan an american icon how dare you have the audacity to judge someone like that it makes me sick. the only thing we can do is pray he might be in the struggle of a lifetime and drowns it with drugs and alchohal just pray for his soul

arisia said...

I'm not exactly sure if lil wayne is a Christian and only God knows. Nobody can decide whether he is a Christian or not. If he wants to come to my church, he is totally welcome, tattooed and all. I watched the video " Pray to the Lord". It could be possible that he is a Christian, but he could also be a possessed man. Idk. And it doesn't say anywhere in the Bible that you change once you become a Christian. Its about grace not deeds. Even a criminal can be saved. Although criminals do a lot of bad things, God will always forgive them even though Hes not happy about it. And about the weed thing, just like Audrey said, nobody dies from weed. It actually helps you with grades in school. Nowhere in the Bible does it say, "Thou shalt not do drugs." The only thing that it says that is even close to drugs is about getting drunk. Getting drunk is the bad thing. And I'm not too good of a Christian either. I have been saved since I was 5, so I believe that Jesus is my savior. I mess up every day, and I ask God to forgive me and he does. So don't judge people unless you know everything which I doubt you will because everyone learns something everyday. But don't take offended to what I'm saying. I'm just saying it because its a fact. So I'm not going to judge whether lil wayne is Christian or not because I don't know the guy.

Anonymous said...

Wether he is christian or not i will always welcome him in the church not because he is famous but because he is my brother in christ and together we are God's children.i don't think you have to show that you are God's person you just have to believe,hope and faith 'yes i will pray for him' he seems to rebel maybe it's his attitude and his words that makes him sound bad but no on can judge him cuz no one knows can see through his heart.Jesus is everyone's savior in this world he is the reason why we are alive right now plz!everyone is christian cuz we are all part of God family so yeah you want any question plz feel free to ask me i'll be here and will always answer your question.I am a big believer trust lot's of things people say miracle is impossible but not in Christ if you are reading this it's a miracle that God gave you a a time to read this
God bless you

My brothers and sisters go in PEACE and preach/spread the Gospel of the Lord.

Anonymous said...

wether he is christian or not i will always welcome him in the church not because he is famous but because he is my brother in christ and together we are God's children.i don't think you have to show that you are God's person you just have to believe,hope and faith 'yes i will pray for him' he seems to rebel maybe it's his attitude and his words that makes him sound bad but no on can judge him cuz no one knows can se through his heart.Jesus is everyone's savior in this world he is the reason why we are alive right now plz!everyone is christian cuz we are all part of God family so yeah you want any question plz feel free to ask me i'll be here and will always answer your question.I am a big believer trust lot's of things people say miracle is impossible but not in Christ if you are reading this it's a miracle that God gave you a a time to read this
God bless you

My brothers and sisters go in PEACE and preach/spread the Gospel of the Lord.

Anonymous said...

wether he is christian or not i will always welcome him in the church not because he is famous but because he is my brother in christ and together we are God's children.i don't think you have to show that you are God's person you just have to believe,hope and faith 'yes i will pray for him' he seems to rebel maybe it's his attitude and his words that makes him sound bad but no on can judge him cuz no one knows can se through his heart.Jesus is everyone's savior in this world he is the reason why we are alive right now plz!everyone is christian cuz we are all part of God family so yeah you want any question plz feel free to ask me i'll be here and will always answer your question.I am a big believer trust lot's of things people say miracle is impossible but not in Christ if you are reading this it's a miracle that God gave you a a time to read this
God bless you

My brothers and sisters go in PEACE and preach/spread the Gospel of the Lord.

Unknown said...

Wow... Reading these comments just goes to show how corrupted we have really become.
First, why is it such a big deal if Lil Wayne is or isn't a Christian?
If he is, shouldn't Christians embrace that? I'm just glad he made a public announcement of it, and let the world know he is. So he's going through a time in his life where he has fallen to the world... And?
I believe in once saved, always saved.
However, I also believed if you are truly saved, there is such a deep love for God in your heart that you would want to share Him with others, and be an example of how He wants you to be. Hopefully, one day he will be an example.
But if I fell in worldly things, and I craved for spiritual guidance, but there was people trying to decide if they should even let me in the church for my tattoos and the things I've done... I could only think of them as hypocritical and selfish.
Besides, you shouldn't ask man to let a man in church, you should be asking God. It's His house...
And on the weed thing...
Weed is bad in the Bible because you SMOKE it. SMOKE is bad. SMOKE harms your lungs. In the Bible, it states that our bodies are temples and we shouldn't try to harm it. Yes, God made weed. Just like he made lice, fleas, cancer, poison ivy, and many other harmful things...
I would never be caught smoking any of them.
Well this is my rant for the night.
And this is just an opinion from an 18 year old girl/4 year old Christian.

Unknown said...

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Thy_AllStar said...

Weed is addictive. I normally stand back on commentary, but as a user of the said distance for over 10 years and quitting, the symptoms of withdrawal are very real. Granted it's not as crazy as something like crack or heroine, but like anything else (sex even) do it long enough, and you'll care less to know the difference. I wish to leave the world the way God brought me in it. And it helps to know to know the facts along with some faith/discipline.

Thy_AllStar said...

Weed is addictive. I normally stand back on commentary, but as a user of the said distance for over 10 years and quitting, the symptoms of withdrawal are very real. Granted it's not as crazy as something like crack or heroine, but like anything else (sex even) do it long enough, and you'll care less to know the difference. I wish to leave the world the way God brought me in it. And it helps to know to know the facts along with some faith/discipline.

Yokie Robinson said...

Why u people think u should worry or be all up in Lil Wayne's life.
Mind ur own business!!!!!��
You think u believe u believe in God And Jesus and that ur a Christian then why u sitting here gossiping and talking about people u people have most likely never met before.
So bye and think about the next time start to say something about someone else.
Thank you have a nice day


From : Yokie

Yokie Robinson said...

I fully agree
God Bless YouπŸ™πŸΎπŸ™πŸΎπŸ˜Š

Yokie Robinson said...

Why u people think u should worry or be all up in Lil Wayne's life.
Mind ur own business!!!!!��
You think u believe u believe in God And Jesus and that ur a Christian then why u sitting here gossiping and talking about people u people have most likely never met before.
So bye and think about the next time start to say something about someone else.
Thank you have a nice day


From : Yokie

The Canadian said...

Hey Satch,

Weed is no more deadly than cigarettes but the government has not banned tobacco. It is not possible to get physically addicted to weed (but there is the possibility of psychological addiction). Tobacco and alcohol can both lead to physical and psychological addiction or dependence but they are not banned. When people get "addicted" to weed they are typically using marijuana that has been cut with another substance and that is the substance to which they are addicted.

I agree that Jesus rocks, but I think it's time Christians realise the truth about marijuana and that it's not as portrayed in Reefer Madness. And if we want to use the religion card against marijuana we also would have to take a moral stance and protest cigarettes and other tobacco products, alcohol, and artery-clogging fatty, deep fried foods otherwise we would just be practicing a double standard... And to say that someone who smokes marijuana is not a Christian is like saying that anyone who drinks beer or wine is not a Christian.

Peace Dalton, my Brother in Christ.

Unknown said...

19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. - James 2:19

Interesting article but I think it's probably safe to say he is not a Christian. You can't profess Jesus but not be transformed in some sort of fashion. Certainly sanctification occurs at different rates for everyone but just look at his CD's lyrics since his supposed change. The lyrical content is as bad as ever. I just don't buy it.

Unknown said...

Well life is funny I am not taking sides but yes God could turn Lil Wayne life around I make him be a better person the Bible say he that is without sin Let Him cast the first stone God turn murder life around why not lil wayne yeah he smoke weed beat woman. what is impossible with man is possible with God he can do it for him I am a young pastor going bible school. I say yes he can turn