Kanye West’s ‘Gospel Album’ Features Kirk Franklin Praying in ‘Ultra Light Beam’

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Kanye West’s ‘Gospel Album’ Features Kirk Franklin Praying in ‘Ultra Light Beam’

Kirk Franklin (Photo: Reuters/Lucy Nicholson)

Christian Post Report – Gospel artist Kirk Franklin holds his awards for Best Gospel Album and Best Gospel Song “Hello Fear” at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California, February 12, 2012.

Weeks after appearing in a studio with Kanye West, the rap mogul is revealing that gospel artist Kirk Franklin is indeed featured on his new album, The Life Of Pablo.

West, 38, played songs from his new album Thursday at New York City’s Madison Square Garden arena. The event served as both a listening party and fashion show, where West’s Yeezy Season 3 clothing collaboration with Adidas was also previewed.

According to The New York Times review of the record, the first song on the album “Ultria Light Beams” features the gospel music artist, producer and songwriter praying.

“Indeed, the opening track, ‘Ultra Light Beam,’ features the gospel singer Kirk Franklin, along with Mr. West’s fellow Chicago M.C. Chance the Rapper. ‘This is a god dream,” Mr. West raps, adding later: ‘Pray for Paris/pray for the parents,”‘ the Times reports.

Rolling Stone wrote about the gospel music veteran’s feature on West’s album, describing it as, “a preacherly invocation by Kirk Franklin.”

The show appeared live on the Tidal streaming service that West partially owns along with a number of other entertainers including Jay-Z, Beyonce, Rihanna and Madonna.

“You know this album is really a gospel album and the first song ‘Ultra Light Beams’ said ‘this is a God dream’ — and this is something, like all y’all 20,000 people here right now, that couldn’t happen without God really holding me down,” West told the Madison Square Garden audience, E! News reports. “I’ll forever appreciate Jay-Z for that, I’ll forever appreciate Adidas for that, and I’ll forever appreciate my wife and her family for supporting me.”

When he was finished presenting the new album and clothing collection, Us Weekly reported
that West made sure to thank Franklin in front of his audience.

“Kanye says he has to hand the iPod over and go backstage with his wife and kids. He thanks us for letting him ‘spill his gut out. Kanye also thanks Kirk Franklin, Rihanna and others on the album. He says he’s going to be mad if he goes backstage and forgets any names,” according to Us Weekly.

Last week, the rapper said he and Franklin, 46, were discussing West’s eighth studio album. And West explained why he was referring to it as a gospel record.

“When I was sitting in the studio with Kirk, Kirk Franklin, and we’re just going through it, I said this is a gospel album, with a whole lot of cursing on it, but it’s still a gospel album,” West said in an interview on Big Boy Radio. “The gospel according to Ye. It’s not exactly what happened in the Bible, but it’s this story idea of Mary Magdalene becoming Mary.”

Source : Christian Post

Church Leaders Reject UN’s Call to Increase Abortions to Combat Zika Virus

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Church Leaders Reject UN’s Call to Increase Abortions to Combat Zika Virus

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  • Zika virus(Photo: Reuters/Mariana Bazo)
A health worker gives information during a preventive campaign against the Zika virus and other mosquito-borne diseases, at the cemetery of Presbitero Maestro in Lima, Peru, February Christian Post Report – 12, 20Christian Post Report – 16.
  • Zika virus(Photo: Reuters/Mariana Bazo)
    • A health worker fumigates as part of preventive measures against the Zika virus and other mosquito-borne diseases, at the cemetery of Presbitero Maestro in Lima, Peru, February Christian Post Report – 12, 20Christian Post Report – 16.
  • Zika virus(Photo: Reuters/Map)
    • Map showing countries affected by the Zika virus, January 20Christian Post Report – 16.

    Roman Catholic Church leaders in Latin American countries dealing with the outbreak of the Zika virus are pushing back against groups that are promoting abortion for women who are pregnant.

    The Zika virus, which is transmitted through the bite of infected Aedes mosquitos, was once confined to parts of Africa and Asia, but has now spread to 2Christian Post Report – 1 countries in the Americas and the Caribbean. Symptoms from the virus are suspected to cause neurological birth defects such as microcephaly, a brain deformity, but medical researchers have yet to confirm the link.

    Auxiliary Bishop Leonardo Ulrich Steiner of the Catholic Church in Brazil, a nation with hundreds of confirmed cases of Zika, denounced a recent call from the United Nations to loosen abortion restrictions to allow women who’ve contracted the virus to abort their pregnancies in the first, second or third trimesters.

    In comments given to the Estado de Sao Paulo newspaper that were published Wednesday, Steiner stated that “Abortion leads to eugenics, the practice of selecting perfect people.”

    “Microcephaly has been occurring in Brazil for years. They are taking advantage of this moment to reintroduce the abortion topic,” continued Steiner.

    Peruvian Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani also condemned the U.N’s call to abortion babies as a means of combatting microcephaly and other Zika symptoms.

    “Today we are surrounded by Herods, but Herods with neckties, public posts and budgets,” said Cipriani, alluding to the New Testament king who ordered that all of the babies of Bethlehem be killed in order to stop Jesus from growing up.

    “The United Nations, in the face of this Zika mosquito virus, has decreed that we should approve abortion everywhere so as to kill the children.”

    U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, stated last week that nations which strictly regulate or ban abortion should allow the procedure in light of the spread of the Zika virus.

    “In Zika-affected countries that have restrictive laws governing [abortion], the situation facing women and girls is particularly stark on a number of levels,” said Al Hussien.

    “Upholding human rights is essential to an effective public health response and this requires that governments ensure women, men and adolescents have access to comprehensive and affordable quality sexual and reproductive health services and information, without discrimination.”


    Contact: [email protected]; follow me on Twitter @leoblair

    Source : Christian Post