Kanye West surprises Christian Youth conference organizers, agreeing to be headliner

Kanye West, riding high off the success of his no. 1. 'Jesus is King' album and his Sunday Service events, is now the headliner at a youth bible conference

Blue Telusma

Dec 16, 2019

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Kanye West is apparently taking his Sunday Service event to the next level and headlining his first Christian conference.

According to faith-based website Christian Headlines, next month, West will be headlining the “Strength to Stand Student Bible Conference” in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.

Christian comedian John Crist was initially set to headline the January conference, but in November he was “removed due to moral failure,” after it was revealed that a several women were accusing him of sexual misconduct and manipulation.

The formal announcement that West would be filling in as a replacement was made by conference founder Scott Dawson, who made a YouTube video confirming the change.

“We were about to lose hope,” Dawson revealed. “But [a mutual friend] said, ‘I got a crazy idea. … I know a pastor who is mentoring a man by the name of Kanye West. Would you be interested?’”

“I was sitting at home at a Friday afternoon and my phone rang,” he recalled. “To my shock, a voice said ‘Hey, Scott, this is Kanye West.’”

“After picking myself up off the floor, we had a conversation,” he continued. “I realized that although this is a worldwide megastar, he was a brother in Christ. He told me his testimony. He told me his struggles, what he was still going through. He said he’s been delivered, but he’s on a growth journey with Jesus.”

Since the announcement of West becoming a headliner at the conference, the event has sold out. The “Jesus is King” rapper, who has been the center of controversy over the past year over his at least rhetorical support of President Trump, has garnered a wide following with his traveling Sunday Service events, which have crisscrossed the country and even attracted the attention of megachurch heavyweights like Joel Osteen and Pastor Jamal H. Bryant.