My family had the opportunity to attend a @KanyeWest Sunday Service this morning in Pigeon Forge, TN – a far cry from Hollywood – and I thought I’d describe the hard-to-describe experience. /1
The service was a part of a Christian high school/college conference called @StrengthtoStand – 12,000 people attended the early service. Most of these attendees were rule-abiding and Bible-carrying which allowed us to jockey past them to the first few rows. /2
The songs were a combination of old (revamped to reflect this new spiritual/artistic direction) and new. Also included: How Great Thou Art and Jesus Loves Me. Most poignant to me was how they incorporated the old spiritual ‘I Want Jesus to Walk with Me’ with ‘Jesus Walks.’ /3
Some have complained about the robes. My take: many church services have robes, but they're the old-fashioned kind that would fit in at a college graduation. These are slouchy, comfortable, stylish, and allowed Kanye to blend into the group. /4
The event was God-glorifying, not Kanye-glorifying. He slipped in unseen with the choir, was hidden most of the time behind beautiful rows of flowers. Even though we were super close, I never saw his full body; the choir surrounded him. Even their backs were mainly to us. /5
The sermon, delivered by Pastor Adam Tyson, was about the prodigal son and was even, measured, and theologically sound. It was like any sermon delivered at any Bible-believing church anywhere and included an invitation to become a Christian. /6
The Collective choir was stunning. I've listened to 'Jesus is King' a million times and was not prepared for the in person experience of those voices being raised to Heaven. Very inspiring. /7
All in all, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, marked by earnestness, art, exuberance, and surprising joy. #JesusIsKing /7 
(Oops -- I had two #7s. Anyway, here's an 8th.) In case you missed my exploration of faith in the public square and how the church should approach new believers, you might enjoy this: washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/redemp…
