the basic message #E238

1/15/04

Is there anyone who hasn't heard of Elvis?  Elvis was probably the first celebrity who only needed to be known by their first name.  I remember the day JFK died and the day that Elvis died, and I would imagine that Elvis probably had more mourners than President Kennedy had.  Elvis meant many things to many people.  To the middle-aged women he left behind in 1977 he was a sex-symbol.  To the music industry he was a legendary voice.  To most men in the world, he was the definition of "cool".  When Gladys Presley was still living, he was just her precious little boy.  Elvis represented many things to me, but in the past few years I've come to think of him as "Brother Elvis". 

It was probably 4 years ago that I happened to catch a documentary about Elvis' love of Gospel music.  I don't remember the name of the program, but there were many film clips of Elvis and his band and friends singing Gospel music, and it was clear to me that he loved songs about the Lord more than any of the other songs he sang.  My wife gave me the CD set for Christmas about 3 years ago, and I still enjoy listening to it.  Some folks might think Elvis was a fake Christian since his lifestyle was so wild and legendary, but I really believe that Elvis was a tormented man that never felt peace in the final years of his life. 

I'd like to run a survey and ask Christians a simple question: "Is Elvis Presley in Heaven or Hell?"  Loyal fans will vote for Heaven without even thinking, but most folks might think about his alleged drug abuse and womanizing.  Some folks seem to think Elvis ended his life intentionally with a drug overdose, but who knows for sure?  I think Brother Elvis should be elected the poster boy for Christianity in America.  He was a man who loved the Lord, yet struggled with his own lack of discipline.  Sound familiar?  Oh, I know you never participated in orgies like the King, but what sort of perversion have you enjoyed that no one is aware of?  Maybe you never got zonked-out on prescription drugs like the E-man, but maybe you go loco on Budweiser.  The severity of the crime should be considered, but the crime is still on the books with the Lord.  I think Elvis really represented the Christian community well.  He embodied the struggle that we have in wanting to please God, yet still rejecting the rules God conveyed to him.  Brother Elvis illustrated how seductive and destructive fame is, yet once we get any taste of it we can't walk away from it.

Each of us is a little bit like Elvis- we want to please the Lord, yet we struggle with fulfilling our commitments to the cause.  Elvis associated with people who very likely contributed to his anti-Christian habits- so do we.  Elvis put his job ahead of his relationship with the Lord- many of us do to.  Elvis was often weak in his resolve- like many of us.  I think if you really consider who Elvis really was, you'll have to agree that all of Christianity shares at least a couple of the characteristics of Elvis' Christian walk.  I think there is only one "King" in Heaven, but if I make it through those gates myself, I won't be surprised to see a man named Elvis there too.