M.I.A. is a well-known British rapper and singer who has been no stranger to controversial political and social issues over the last several decades.
Born Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, M.I.A. is a child of Sri-Lankan immigrants who had to flee their home country for Britain.
As a public figure and artist, M.I.A. has held many positions that would be seen as radical. M.I.A. was actually banned from the United States in 2006 because she was seen as a terrorist sympathizer.
That didn't stop her career. As a matter of fact, her biggest hits came AFTER her support of militant groups.
But through all of her scandalous opinions, she's never faced hate and opposition like she has since she came out publicly as a born-again Christian.
You see, M.I.A. became a Christian a few years back, and then this summer boldly proclaimed that "Jesus is real."
Popular mainstream artist M.I.A. says she became a born-again Christian after having a vision of Jesus Christ, and it's something she's proud of even if it may cost her her career.
In a conversation with Zane Lowe on Apple Music, M.I.A., born Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, revealed that a vision of Jesus Christ in 2017 turned her world upside down.
The vision of Jesus convinced the "Paper Planes" singer to become a Christian despite years of pushing back against tradition.
"Since then, my head has been in a totally different place. Being a Tamil and being a Hindu, I was very comfortable that I'd arrived finding myself. Which is, I think, going to be weird for America to process," she told Lowe of her divine vision. "But I had a vision and I saw the vision of Jesus Christ..."
"If I'm coming back now saying ‘Jesus is real,' there's a point," the singer declared.
"Basically, all of my fans might turn against me because they are all progressives who hate people that believe in Jesus Christ in this country," she added.
She knew this summer that people in the US hate people who unapologetically believe in Jesus.
Here's what the rapper said this Wednesday:
M.I.A. was outspoken in opposing the Covid vaccine. She was banned from the US for political reasons. She's been in and out of the public eye for decades now.
But it was her conversion to Christianity that brought her the most hate.
Of course, as Christians, we know that this makes perfect sense.
The United States is no longer a Christian country. Being a Christian is seen as being a low-information simpleton by a majority of Americans, and converting to Christianity as an adult is seen as a complete oddity.
Jesus told us it would be like this.
Here's what Christ said in Matthew 10:22:
You will be hated by everyone because of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.
And Jesus also said this in the Gospel of John, chapter 15:
If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.
In our world, you can praise terrorists, be outspoken in all sorts of politics, and you can be a part of any religion you want and people will let you be.
But the minute you tell the world that you are a Christian and believe in Jesus Christ? That's when you'll face real opposition.
That opposition proves Jesus' parable of the sower correct in one way or another. When it comes to celebrities, however, they unfortunately do not often become the good seed that grows to be healthy and fruitful. Instead, they are often the seed that is withered or choked out by thorns (look at Kanye for a recent example).
Celebrities often don't make it through this stage. They don't grow roots.
When a celebrity suffers backlash for the name of Christ, we need to stand with them and pray they find the discipleship they needs to grow in the faith. If they grow deep roots, they will be unstoppable.
In the meantime, to all you non-celebrities out there: Let this be an example of encouragement for those of you who have suffered for His name and a moment of reflection for those of you who can't remember that last time you had such backlash.
