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Chance the Rapper Points to Jesus When Ellen Asks About His Motivation for Charity Work

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Chance the Rapper appeared on “The Ellen Show” this week, where he told host Ellen DeGeneres that it’s his parents and Jesus who inspire him to serve the people around him with his time and treasure.

The rapper, whose given name is Johnathan Bennett, opened up about his faith just days after announcing via Instagram he is postponing his tour dates for his latest album, “The Big Day,” to spend more time with his wife Kirsten, daughter Kensli, and their newborn Marli.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I thought it over for the past week and I’ve decided to push back my tour. This year has been one of the greatest of my life; Marriage, new baby, first album etc. But with it being so eventful it has also been very strenuous having to divide my time and energy between family and work. When Kensli was born, I went on tour 2 weeks later and missed some of the most important milestones in her life, but more importantly I was absent when her mother needed me the most. At this point as a husband and father of two I realize that I can’t make that mistake again. I need to be as helpful and available as possible to my wife in these early months of raising Kensli and Marli. I apologize because I know how many people were counting on seeing me soon, but I hope you’ll understand and forgive me in time. Tour kicks off Jan. 15th and you can still get tix or your refund if you are unavailable at chanceraps.com & a few of the shows are still being rescheduled as well so stay tuned. I love you guys AND LITERALLY CANT WAIT FOR U TO WITNESS THIS SHOW SIDENOTE: 9/28 CHICAGO AT UNITED CENTER IS STILL ON AS WELL AS “LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL FEST” “IHEART MUSIC FEST” & “MIAMI BEACH POP FEST”!

A post shared by Chance The Rapper Owbum (@chancetherapper) on

Chance shared details about his faith after DeGeneres pointed out that the popular rapper has given millions of dollars to charity and — after the audience erupted in applause — asked, “Why is it important for you to give back?”

After a little hesitation, the 26-year-old entertainer said: “So, my understanding of a lot of stuff is based on Jesus. Jesus teaches to be, like, you know, to care for your neighbor, care for people who aren’t necessarily your blood but still a part of your body, because we’re all humans.”

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He also credited his parents for instilling in him the value of caring for and giving to those in need.

“So I guess it’s a mixture of my parents and Jesus,” he said.

Chance has been open about his faith in the past.

In December of last year, he announced he was taking a brief sabbatical to spend time poring over Scripture.

“We all quote Scripture and tell each other what God likes and doesn’t like, but how much time do we spend as followers of Jesus to really just read and KNOW his Word?” he said at the time. “I’m definitely guilty of not devoting time to it. So I’m off to read and learn because the next generation of Bennett is here.”

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About The Author

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Tré
Goins-Phillips

Tré Goins-Phillips serves as a host and content creator for CBN News. He hosts the weekly “Faith vs. Culture” show and co-hosts “Quick Start,” a news podcast released every weekday morning. Born and raised in Virginia, Tré now lives along the Blue Ridge Mountains, where he has built his career, often traveling to meet and interview fascinating cultural influencers and entertainers. After working with brands like TheBlaze and Independent Journal Review, Tré began his career at CBN News in 2018 and has a particular passion for bridging the chasm between the secular world and the church