How do you transform human societies that have been mired in darkness for thousands of years? Through what I call wild cards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This term I got from Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series (specifically, the book Foundation and Empire)<\/em>. In this story, an unexpected human actor — “The Mule” — shockingly takes society away from the accepted predictions of psychohistorian Hari Seldon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We have already had one Wild Card in politics — President Trump. Nobody expected a goofy TV show host to actually win the presidency — and then have an enormous worldwide influence. For better or worse, Trump is literally excoriating the old system and forcing people to wake up. It’s no longer possible to be on the sidelines anymore, or straddle the fence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, a second Wild Card has appeared in the entertainment industry — Kanye West. All ten of the tunes on his new recording, Jesus is King<\/em>, occupied the top ten on the Gospel music charts. https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/hughmcintyre\/2019\/11\/11\/kanye-west-makes-history-on-the-gospel-songs-chart\/#5f4b691124b8<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember when Kanye met with Donald Trump at Trump Tower on December 13, 2016? That was a shocker to the entertainment industry, and to everyone else. https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/2016\/12\/13\/why-did-kanye-west-meet-donald-trump-reason-meeting-multicultural-issues\/<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n His seven-word tweet back in 2016, where he threw his support to Trump, literally scandalized the entire entertainment industry. Although West occasionally talked about God in his music he was basically a rapper and a secularist. Then, West suddenly did a 180 and proclaimed his devotion to God. And supported Trump. WTF? <\/p>\n\n\n\n But that’s what Wild Cards do — they do 180s. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Less well known is Kanye’s visit to Russia two weeks before his meeting with Trump. According to Hollywood Life, West was in Moscow for business, meeting with subversive Russian fashion designer Gosha Rubchinskiy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/2018\/05\/03\/kanye-west-trip-russia-2016-before-trump-tower-meeting\/<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n But apparently Kanye had what I call a severe reality adjustment while he was there. Most Americans believe Russia is evil — a holdover from the days of communism, and from the ridiculous Russiagate stories that have demonized the Russians and that have tried to restart another Cold War. Our media has taught us to think that Russia is a totalitarian society. Well, it is an oligarchy run by Putin, but Russia is also Orthodox Christian. My guess is that Kanye became aware of that and had some kind of spiritual awakening. Otherwise, why would he meet with such a hated figure as Donald Trump so soon after? That’s my theory anyway. Of course, Russiagate believers will say that the evil Vladmir Putin subverted Kanye’s mind just as he did Trump’s. But really, is Russia that important? When was the last time you saw a “Made in Russia” sticker on anything? They don’t make anything anybody wants, their economy is nothing compared to the US and China. The only influence they have is their nuclear weapons, but even Israel and Pakistan have them. Russia is a comparatively minor player on the world stage; a player that has been lifted to almost AntiChrist proportions by the U.S. media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What makes Kanye a true Wild Card are his “popup Sunday Services” in which thousands pay to hear sermons about God and be entertained. Fox News sent a church-going reporter to attend one of Kanye’s Sunday Services, and this is what he reported: https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/opinion\/kanye-west-sunday-service-jonathan-morris<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Chris Yee, writing in Christianity Today<\/em>, also went to one of Kanye’s worship services. He drove 400 miles to LA just to satisfy his curiosity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe\u2019s tapping into an urban market,\u201d says Susie Seiko, an LA musician and longtime West fan. Seiko, who frequents multiple churches in the area including Hillsong Church LA, is excited about Kanye\u2019s new direction. \u201cHe\u2019s showing the world that you can believe in God and still be excited and lit about music.\u201d<\/p> Called \u201cSunday Service,\u201d these pop-up worship events were originally described by Kanye\u2019s wife Kim Kardashian West as a \u201chealing experience\u201d to \u201cstart off your week.\u201d The initial events were usually private and hosted Hollywood A-listers like Brad Pitt and Katy Perry. Back then, I couldn\u2019t help but assume that the services were more about self-promotion than sincerity, and that like many artists before him, Kanye was commodifying the church experience for clout and profit.<\/p> But following a widely attended Sunday Service at Coachella earlier this year, where the visibly distressed rapper wept<\/a> during the performance, something changed. West said that afterwards he became \u201cborn again.\u201d<\/p> With most shows now open to the public, the crowd, filled with the inevitable mismatch of hypebeasts and hipsters drawn to LA headliners, seems to validate Seiko\u2019s claim. His most diehard fans seem to be taking this newfound faith to heart. Juan Rosales, an LA native who calls West \u201cone of the greatest rap artists ever,\u201d has not attended church in years, but says that the lyrics of \u201cClosed on Sunday\u201d are making him rethink the idea of the Sabbath. \u201cThe Bible says you shouldn\u2019t work on Sunday, so I want to use that day to reconnect with family members and go to church more often.\u201d<\/p> While many are embracing West\u2019s new God-centered music (some have even skipped their weekly church service to attend the event), others from non-religious backgrounds say that West is their first real exposure to Christianity. Pasha Esmaili has never stepped inside a church before but loves to watch the services online. \u201c[Kanye\u2019s] the only person who can make me like this kind of music. I\u2019m not religious, but even him playing this makes me feel some type of way. It\u2019s weird,\u201d he says.<\/p> https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/ct\/2019\/november-web-only\/what-kanye-wests-sunday-service-taught-me-about-grace.html<\/a> <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n West’s worship services, and the exploding sales of his new recording, sounds like a cultural phenomenon. TMZ reports that this Sunday, West will bring his worship services to Houston Texas at the Lakewood Church, where he’ll appear before 45,000 live, and a 10,000,000 TV audience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Kanye West may have his biggest audience yet for a Sunday Service, because we’ve learned he’s agreed to take the stage for Joel Osteen’s incredibly popular Sunday ritual.<\/p> Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ … Ye and Joel have been talking fairly regularly recently … they’ve become friends, especially since Kanye has doubled down in his devotion to God.<\/p> We’re told the plan is for Kanye to show up at Joel’s 11 AM service in Houston this coming Sunday at the Lakewood Church<\/strong><\/a>. Kanye will walk up to the pulpit and have a conversation with Joel that will last between 20 and 30 minutes.<\/p> Our sources say Joel wants his congregation — which stands 45,000 strong — and his TV audience — which stands at 10 million in the U.S. alone — to hear how Kanye has overcome significant adversity<\/strong><\/a> in his life.<\/p> As one source put it, “Kanye used to be about nothing greater than himself. Now it’s all about a higher power.” BTW, Kanye has echoed<\/strong><\/a> this sentiment before. We’re told Joel will ask Kanye to contrast his life then and now.<\/p> https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/2019\/11\/12\/kanye-west-joel-osteen-sunday-service-megachurch\/<\/a> <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Kanye West isn’t just another hypocritical TV evangelist, although his secular critics claim he’s a sellout. Kanye is a Wild Card. No telling how big he’s going to get, and what other Wild Cards will show up before the Biggie — the 2020 presidential election. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In an earlier blog post, I wrote that “nobody expected this.” That’s because Wild Cards are totally unpredictable. The good news? Wild Cards are a sign of an evolving society, a society that is wresting itself away from the control of elitists who use political and economic institutions for their benefit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The history of our planet has been intervals of peace between countless wars paid for and begun by elites. That is going to stop because people aren’t going to put up with it anymore. That’s what the great awakening on this planet is all about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Are you frightened about current events? Don’t be. In the past the fix was in, the masses were kept quiet by a complacent news media that reflected the viewpoints of the warmongers. Many people long for that past because the darkness was hidden and they could live their lives without seeing the dark underbelly of human societies. Now it’s being exposed and that makes people uncomfortable. Well, take heart from these words by Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to James Madison on January 30, 1787: \u201cI prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery.\u201d<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n How do you transform human societies that have been mired in darkness for thousands of years? Through what I call wild cards. This term I got from Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series (specifically, the book Foundation and Empire). In this story, … Continue reading <\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"