This past Sunday (Oct 31), Kanye West, who officially changed his name to Ye in October, held his first Sunday Service since releasing his highly anticipated second Christian album, “Donda.”
“Donda” features 27 tracks and includes guests JAY-Z, The Weeknd, Travis Scott, Pop Smoke, Roddy Ricch, and many other notable artists. Perhaps no guest is more surprising than well-known anti-Christian shock-rocker Marilyn Manson.
Who is Marilyn Manson?
Marilyn Manson, born Brian Warner, grew up attending his mother’s Episcopal church and went to a Christian school through the tenth grade. He created his stage name by combining the names of two cultural icons: Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson. Manson has released 11 studio albums and has been nominated for four Grammy Awards.
The controversial rocker is outspoken about his hatred for Christianity, and he has been seen burning Bibles at concerts. On Manson’s 2017 album “Heaven Upside Down,” his song “Say10” includes the lyric, “You Say God and I say SAY10” [Satan].
In 1994, the Church of Satan made Manson an “honorary” minister of their church for his “real world accomplishments at the time.”
Manson has also been the center of multiple sexual abuse allegations. For these reasons, some have expressed shock that West has included Manson on his latest album and at a Sunday Service concert.
Although Manson didn’t say anything during the Sunday Service, he was visibly taking the experience in. Some question whether Ye is having an influence on the Manson or if this could be an elaborate publicity stunt — something West is known for doing.
Justin Bieber Joins West and Manson
Popular pop singer Justin Bieber also joined West and Manson. This wasn’t Bieber’s first time singing at a Sunday Service, as he was seen performing at a 2020 service.
Bieber isn’t shy about his faith, and he has frequently joined Maverick City Music’s Chandler Moore to sing worship music at Churchome, a multisite church on the west coast.
Bieber, who is a two time Grammy Award winning artist, was also close friends with former Hillsong Church pastor Carl Lentz, though Bieber has recently shared concerns about how celebrity pastors may be negatively impacting the church.
Sunday Service on Halloween
In an undisclosed location on a rooftop with a handful of invited guests, West and his Sunday Service choir performed songs from his newly released “Donda” album. West announced the Sunday Service via Instagram, inviting fans to stream it. While previous Sunday Services had been free to watch, the livestream of Sunday’s event cost $9.99 to access.
