By Katie Ginn
My parents grew up on Elvis. Therefore, so did I. My mom had a dream about marrying the King at only 6 years old. When I was around that age, Dad frequently sang the first few lines of “Heartbreak Hotel” around the house, just for fun.
I listened to Mom and Dad’s “Elvis Presley: The Number One Hits” CD so much that today, if I hear “All Shook Up,” I expect “Teddy Bear” to play next.
I’ve seen both of Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis films, including this year’s “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert,” which lived up to the title. Show me the best concert you’ve ever seen, and I’ll show you five minutes of Elvis doing “Suspicious Minds” in Vegas.
As both a fan and someone fascinated by Elvis the man, I recently read his biography. Specifically, Peter Guralnick’s two-volume version, undergirded by countless hours of interviews and research. I read part one, waited a year or two, took a deep breath, and opened part two.
The biography confirmed what I already suspected: I don’t think Elvis ever had real faith in the gospel lyrics he often sang. He performed those songs with passion and yearning – but based on what I read, I don’t think he ever followed that yearning to its Source.
I believe it’s in Rick Bragg’s biography of Jerry Lee Lewis where Jerry Lee asks Elvis in their early careers, “Do you think we’re going to hell for singing rock ’n roll?” And a flustered Elvis says, “Don’t you ever ask me that again.”
Elvis gave tens of millions of dollars to charity; experienced emotional highs that he attributed to his idea of “God”; and read book after book on religion(s), philosophy, and self help, plus a bit of the Bible.
Musically, in times of health and with the right material, he couldn’t be stopped.
But off mic and offstage, Elvis was rudderless. He relied on his momma (who died young), his friends on the payroll, his kept women, and his own ever-changing hobbies and whims, which never seemed to satisfy. Unless Guralnick left something out, Elvis never relied on the Savior.
Instead, Elvis liked to play savior himself. He gave away Cadillacs, paid for people’s surgeries, and amped up his Vegas shows (entrance music, capes, vocals) to seemingly divine levels. In some ways, he thought he was a god.
Growing up in church, Elvis had surely heard about the cross. But while I would love to be proven wrong, it doesn’t appear that he ever trusted Jesus personally.
If he had? Lord knows the eternal impact Elvis might’ve made. I’m not joking when I say he could’ve become a rock ’n roll Billy Graham.
The world could’ve richly benefited from an Elvis who trusted the God he sang about. And the world still needs Christian artists today.
People engage with the arts constantly, maybe music most of all. If we want to fulfill the Great Commission, we need musical artists who love and follow Jesus.
I don’t just mean “Christian” artists that you’d hear on KLOV, though I listen to them. If the only music ever produced by Christians is explicitly “Christian” music for a “Christian” audience … most unbelievers will never listen.
We need Christians who make beautiful art for everybody. Because good art attracts good questions. And if the artist is honest, all those questions lead to one ultimate Answer.
PS: Fittingly, it was my Elvis-loving dad who introduced me to The Red Clay Strays a year or two ago. They’re a “secular” band with rockabilly and classic country vibes, whose lead singer looks like a young Elvis.
The group sings about love and angst and human foibles, often in front of a rowdy audience. They sing about Jesus, too, with no apologies. Go look up a live performance of their rousing gospel number “On My Knees.” I dare you not to clap.
New MCL columns
You might notice two new columns in this edition of MCL: The Next Chapter, and Living Truth (which actually launched last month with a wonderful column by Brian Crawford about biblical hospitality). I hope you enjoy both!
- In The Next Chapter, running in the “odd” months (July, September, etc.), Dr. Teena Welborn and Shay Greenwood will provide practical encouragement and spiritual inspiration specifically for middle-aged women.
- In Living Truth, a pastor or other ministry leader will share a biblical explanation or example of each month’s editorial theme (in this case, the arts and creativity).