Charlie Kirk says rapper Lecrae shouldn't be allowed to perform in churches after Warnock support
Charlie Kirk, founder of the conservative student group Turning Point USA, said prominent Christian entertainer Lecrae "should never be allowed" to perform in Christian churches after he campaigned for Raphael Warnock, a pro-choice Democrat.
Kirk, author of The MAGA Doctrine, made the comments at Pastor Jack Hibbs’ Calvary Chapel Chino church the week of the inauguration of President Joe Biden.
Lecrae was a featured performer at a December 2020 event in Atlanta called "Get Out the Early Vote Rally & Concert," which was hosted by Democrats Warnock and Jon Ossoff before Georgia's runoff elections. While there, the artist stressed the importance of one’s freedom to vote.
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Both Warnock and Ossoff won a U.S. Senate seat.
Following the event, The Reach Records founder and his involvement raised eyebrows from some conservatives online because both of the politicians are pro-choice. Also weighing in, Kirk called for churches to ban Lecrae altogether.
“There's an honest assessment that needs to be done ... If every church was as prayerful and alert, as involved as this church, especially in this last election, things will look a lot differently,” Kirk, an avid Donald Trump supporter, said.
"Especially look at the State of Georgia where you have pastors that are coming out, and they are saying, 'We don't like the whole culture war Christianity thing. We're not going to get involved in this election' when we know the stakes. And now all of a sudden you see the stakes of what happened."
Kirk then singled out Lecrae, who often shares his social views online. Lecrae maintains that he is neither right or left-leaning but instead, his thoughts are based on being a follower of Christ.
“You have the Christian rapper, Lecrae, who comes out and campaigns for Raphael Warnock, the pro-abortion advocate,” Kirk commented as Pastor Hibbs sighed.
“That's the guy who we’re listening to on K-LOVE, who we're supposed to look up to, who, in my personal opinion, should never be allowed to perform at another church after advocating for Raphael Warnock,” he declared.
Trump advocate Charlie Kirk tells pastor Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel Chino church that rapper Lecrae "should never be allowed" to perform at a Christian church again because he campaigned for pro-choice Dem Sen. Raphael Warnock. pic.twitter.com/OTNNmWMMm2
— Nicola (@namenzie) January 24, 2021
Kirk went on to argue, “Lecrae, who's a Christian rapper, he wanted to be loved and accepted by the Democratic power establishment more than standing up for truth, the pro-abortion Raphael Warnock.”
The Christian Post reached out to Kirk for further clarity on his claims that a Christian should be banned from church for his or her political affiliation.
"While I hold no personal animosity toward Lecrae—and would be happy to discuss the issue with him privately—the scriptures are incredibly clear that we are 'fearfully and wonderfully made' and that God 'formed us in our inmost being' and 'knit us together in our mother’s womb,'" Kirk told CP.
"Senator Warnock calls himself a 'pro-choice pastor' and that makes him complicit in the genocide of nearly 400,000 black babies that are killed every year in America alone. Lecrae nevertheless decided to publicly campaign for this man and I find that morally incompatible with our Christian faith. I stand by what I said."
Lecrae did not respond to a request for comment by press time. But the artist has used his Twitter platform following the political event to address evangelical Christians.
“For the record, you don’t have to be what evangelicalism/religious right says you have to be to love the Lord,” Lecrae tweeted on Jan. 2. “I’m no the leftist or Marxist they fear me being & I’m not the right wing conservative they demand I be. I’m a Christ follower.”
Lecrae has been open about his past and has expressed deep regret for encouraging his ex-girlfriend to have an abortion.
In November 2020, he also shared a message to Christians concerning their political views and being pro-life.
“What if the Christians who want to reduce the number of abortions, supported funding health care for women, dealt with the systemic racism that creates poverty for women of color, and addressed the income gap between White people and people of color,” he wrote on Twitter.
Before winning his seat in the Senate, Warnock, senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, spoke briefly about his stance on abortion during a debate on Dec. 6.
"I have a profound reverence for life and an abiding respect for choice,” Warnock said. “The question is: whose decision is it? And I happen to think that a patient's room is too small a place for a woman, her doctor and the U.S. government. I think there's too many people in the room.
"But those who are concerned about life, and I certainly am, ought to be focused on the incredibly high rates of infant mortality and maternal mortality in our country, when compared to other developed nations. That's something that government could work on. And I've been working on it my entire career."
