Elvis Presley And God
Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin ArticlesOn Saturday, January 8, 2011, millions of people around the world will remember and celebrate the birthday and life of Elvis Aaron Presley, an American music icon, who would have been 76 years old had he lived (see death of Elvis site and this article).
Despite his sometimes questionable music and bodily gyrations on stage, Elvis Presley did express a belief in God and had deep religious roots.
As Thunderstruck writer Steve Beard points out in this article:
As a young man, Presley was raised in poverty and southern Pentecostalism. He attended a conservative Assemblies of God church, but would often sneak off in the middle of the service to listen to the preaching and singing at a black church less than a mile away. Elvis loved gospel music and dreamed of singing it professionally before his own career took off in the mid 1950s.
“When all night gospel sings became the rage – with crowds of fifteen hundred filling downtown’s Ellis Auditorium – Elvis was there. He .…gloried in the gospel sings sponsored by Memphis’s First Assembly of God church,” write Peter Harry Brown and Pat H. Broeske in their book Down at the End of Lonely Street.
Elvis’s devoutness extended far beyond his love of gospel music. “We used to read the Bible every night, if you can believe that – he used to read aloud to me and then talk about it,” testifies Dottie Harmony, who dated Elvis in 1956. “He was very religious – there was nothing phony about that at all.”
After a 1958 Easter service, Elvis told a First Assembly of God “pastor”:
“Pastor, I’m the most miserable young man you’ve ever seen. I’ve got all the money I’ll ever need to spend. I’ve got millions of fans. I’ve got friends. But I’m doing what you taught me not to do, and I’m not doing the things you taught me to do.”
The article goes on to talk about a 24-year-old hairdresser named Larry Geller (see Gary James’ interview) who often cut Elvis’ hair, and ended up becoming a spiritual guru to Elvis. In their many conversations together regarding the purpose and issues of life, Elvis once told Geller:
“I swear to God no one knows how lonely I get. And how empty I really feel,” Elvis confessed to Geller’s amazement.
There’s no question that Elvis Presley was a torn man. Torn between fame, fortune, and a desire to follow the Lord. And there is no question that Elvis was a very lonely individual, earnestly wanting to fill the deep spiritual void that he experienced in his life, but didn’t know how to fill it.
At his funeral, Brother C.W. Bradley, minister of the Wooddale Church of Christ in Memphis gave the eulogy.
Again quoting from Steve Beard’s article:
He spoke of Elvis’s determination, decency, and his love of family. Bradley also acknowledged that Elvis was a “frail human being” and that “he would be the first to admit his weakness. Perhaps because of his rapid rise to fame and fortune he was thrown into temptations that some never experience. Elvis would not want anyone to think that he had no flaws or faults. But now that he’s gone, I find it more helpful to remember his good qualities, and I hope you do too.”
In ending his article, Mr. Beard states:
The way in which a person dies is not always the best way to remember the contribution he or she made while they lived. All of us have seasons of our lives that we would sooner forget – whether we were on drugs, in prison, or living the life of a prodigal. It is a worthwhile endeavor to work on extending a little more mercy to others in the same way that we trust the good Lord will extend it to us. We could all use a little trip to “graceland,” even when we are remembering Elvis.
Dear reader, if you are in need to render obedience to the saving gospel of Christ, please do so today (2 Corinthians 6:1-2). Don’t come to the end of your life as Elvis Presley did; a man who was very rich in the eyes of the world, but very poor deep down in his soul.
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