'Teach kids discernment:' Local children's pastor weighs in on Kanye West's pitch for Christian Tik Tok

Kanye West has a new idea for a Christian social media network, but one local youth pastor has his doubts.

West recently discovered the social media app Tik Tok with his daughter. This experience, he says, inspired a new idea based on some problems he observed.

On Aug. 17, Kanye West tweeted out, "A vision just came to me ... Jesus Tok.

"I was watching Tik Tok with my daughter and as a Christian father, I was disturbed by a lot of the content but I completely loved the technology."

A VISION JUST CAME TO ME... JESUS TOK I WAS WATCHING TIK TOK WITH MY DAUGHTER AND AS A CHRISTIAN FATHER I WAS DISTURBED BY A LOT OF THE CONTENT BUT I COMPLETELY LOVED THE TECHNOLOGY

— ye (@kanyewest) August 17, 2020

In a second tweet posted the same day, West prays: "We pray we can collaborate with Tik Tok to make a Christian-monitored version that feels safe for young children and the world."

WE PRAY WE CAN COLLABORATE WITH TIK TOK TO MAKE A CHRISTIAN MONITORED VERSION THAT FEELS SAFE FOR YOUNG CHILDREN AND THE WORLD IN JESUS NAME AMEN

— ye (@kanyewest) August 17, 2020

Andre Vanderstoep, a children's ministry pastor at Soul Sanctuary, says he thinks Jesus Tok would be "untenable and divisive."

He explains.

"Untenable in that social media platforms require huge swaths of resources to police their platforms for inappropriate material and an expressly Christian platform would be prime breeding ground for trolls; divisive in that there is no way to create a 'Christian' image."

Vanderstoep says differences in how Christians approach their faith on various issues would not be well-addressed on a Christian-based social media platform.

"To some, dancing is a sin. We have vastly different definitions of modesty and what is appropriate and meme culture that people are bound to be triggered.

"This insular community of people who are supposed to be salt and light are at each other's throats about trivial things."

Instead of "Jesus Tok," Vanderstoep has a few other ideas.

"Teach kids discernment," he says. "Better yet, give your child a flip phone. Kids don't need social media platforms like SnapChat, Tik Tok, Instagram, or otherwise."