Source: Reverend Howard Finster
- Priest has no problem worshipping God and Elvis
(Yahoo! News / Reuters, October 16, 2007)
Romanian-born Antonio Petrescu believes you can worship God and Elvis at the same time: as a Catholic priest and Elvis Presley impersonator, he finds his spiritual inspiration in the late rock legend.
"People ask me 'How can you reconcile Elvis impersonations with your choice of professional work?"' said Petrescu, who puts on his glittery suits and swivels his hips when not working as a parish priest in the Italian town of Avezzano. Interviewed by Reuters on a church visit to the tiny town of Sorbo -- population, 52 -- in southern Italy, the priest said he believes Elvis is an appropriate inspiration for Christian worship because he sang of "love in general."
The 34-year-old's Web site (www.antoniupetrescu.com) has two separate entries -- one for the priest, another for the artist, which talks about his "fiery voice" and discography including the singles "Lovin' Arms" and "Reach out to Jesus."
The pop doesn't stop at Elvis: Petrescu also incorporates the lyrics of singers like Celine Dion into his sermons. Petrescu feels his responsibility as a priest is to "walk this Earth in love for Jesus Christ," a task in which he is inspired by Elvis's "search for spirituality in his own life."
- The Gospel: Book explores spiritual side of Elvis
By Michelle Bearden
(Winston-Salem Journal, August 18, 2007)
Thursday marked the 30th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley at his home in Graceland. Many knew him as The King. For all his loyal followers, here's a tricky question. How many Grammys did Elvis Presley win?
Answer: 3.
Now, for extra points, name the categories of those Grammys.
If you said rock, soul or blues, sound the buzzer. All wrong! The only three Grammy Awards Elvis won were for - drumroll, please - gospel music.
Although he's one of the most written about, listened to and imitated entertainers in modern times, "there's a lot about Elvis Presley people don't know," says Joe Moscheo, a member of the Imperials, a Southern gospel quartet.
Moscheo has broken a 30-year silence and written a book about his friend Elvis, who died in 1977 at age 42. This book, he promises, delves into new territory. It's about an Elvis only close friends and family knew. After more than 1,000 books about the man who became a legend, what could be different?
"Most people only want to know about the show-business side of Elvis - the sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll," Moscheo said in a phone interview from his home in Nashville, Tenn. "That's the flashy stuff. But the inner circle saw something else in the man." That included late-night jam sessions around the piano, singing the gospel standards Elvis was raised with growing up in Tupelo, Miss., the only son of Vernon and Gladys Presley.
On his third and final appearance on the immensely popular The Ed Sullivan Show, where he was famously dubbed "Elvis the Pelvis," he insisted on singing "Peace in the Valley," his mother's favorite song. The network balked; Elvis won.
Moscheo's book, The Gospel Side of Elvis (Center Street, $19.99), enlightens fans about Elvis and his faith. Although his public persona certainly didn't highlight his spiritual inclinations, Elvis "certainly was a Christian who loved the Lord."
In fact, Moscheo goes so far as to suggest that Elvis was in some way "anointed" and his work continues to impact people 30 years after his death, much like a ministry.
"He had his faults, particularly in the later years. He wasn't a saint by any means," Moscheo says. "But he was a generous man with a loving spirit who loved his mama, his God and his gospel music. I felt it was time people knew there was so much more to him."
Moscheo worked as a producer on the 2001 documentary He Touched Me: The Gospel Music of Elvis Presley, which aired on PBS and is still used in fundraising campaigns for the network. Writing the book wasn't especially difficult, Moscheo said, because he had done so much research for the film. He also produced a DVD called Elvis Lives: The 25th Anniversary Concert.
Moscheo's insights come from his vantage point as a member of the Imperials, who sang backup at Elvis' Las Vegas shows for four years. The two men formed a friendship that continued until Elvis died, even though they did not see each other in the last two years of Elvis' life.
Although he's 70, Moscheo still performs with the Southern gospel group at Elvis Presley fan events around the world. Coming up is a 12-city, 40-date tour in Europe this fall. "They love him over there," he says. "He wasn't part of their scene when he was alive, so anything remotely connected to Elvis is a huge draw overseas. They can't get enough."
Moscheo finds it ironic that through Elvis' influence, his group is playing spiritual songs in an increasingly secular part of the world. Without his ties to Elvis, "we wouldn't have this kind of in with Europeans. So he still has a hand in changing lives for the Lord."
What most people don't know is that it had been Elvis' lifelong dream to become a gospel singer. In 1954, he auditioned with a gospel group called The Songfellows. But after his first recording with Sun Records, his solo career took off and the rest is rock history.
Elvis never forgot his inspiration, and he was honored posthumously with induction into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1999, Moscheo says.
Moscheo writes of two particular spiritual experiences involving Elvis. When a band member got cancer, Elvis gathered everyone in his entourage and asked them to pray for her. The next day, "the doctors could find no sign of the malignancy," Moscheo recalls.
A second story involved Elvis' favorite minister, the Rev. Rex Humbard, who visited Elvis at a 1975 performance in Alabama. After the two prayed together, Elvis seemed to have been touched by the Holy Spirit, transformed with a glow and a grateful new outlook.
The book gets an endorsement from the woman who won Elvis' heart, Priscilla, his former wife and mother of his only child, Lisa Marie. In a foreword, she writes that she always felt the gospel side of Elvis was never full explored: "It was truly the foundation of his style, his spirit and his passion."
- The church of Elvis: TV Land explores the myths surrounding a rockin' religious icon
By Dean Robbins
(Isthmus, August 17, 2007)
Yes, Elvis is still alive.
Elvis Presley isn't just the king of rock 'n' roll. He's also a religious figure, inspiring Jesus-level awe and reverence. So it's no surprise that myths would spring up around his life and death, and that gullible acolytes would buy them wholesale.
Marking the 30th anniversary of Presley's death, TV Land's Myths and Legends (Friday, 6:30 p.m.) delves into the apocrypha. Some of it is easily verified or disproved. Did Ed Sullivan really censor Elvis by filming him from the waist up? Yes. Did President Nixon really make Elvis an agent of the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs? No. He merely stroked the King's vanity by handing him an honorary badge.
Other myths are harder to pin down, being of the supernatural variety. Did Elvis draw his otherworldly talent from his stillborn twin brother, whose spirit gave him the power of two men? And is Elvis still with us, living in a witness protection program after having testified against the Mafia 30 years ago?
Now it can be told: Elvis is still alive. I know because he told me so himself (in a vision, but still).
Source: Elvis Gospel
Source: Elvis Gospel
- Gospel recordings worthy of praise
By Mark Marymont
(news-press.com, May 17, 2007)
Elvis Presley may have sold millions of records during his reign as the "King of Rock 'n' Roll," but it took years for that singular achievement to be recognized by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, aka the folks who give out the Grammy Awards. That finally changed in 1967 when Presley won the first of three Grammys, all in the "Best Sacred Performance" category. Two went to essentially the same album, "How Great Thou Art," first as a studio LP, then as a live recording.
While it may be ironic that none of his other great records were cited by the Grammy voters, anybody who knew much about Presley was likely aware of his deep, abiding affection for gospel music. It wasn't a reach to sound convincing when he recorded that material.
Presley often spent hours of precious studio time warming up for a recording session doing old church favorites with his background singers - often powerful gospel groups like the Jordaniares - and even sold a half-million copies of "Peace In The Valley," a four-song extended-play single, at the height of his rock 'n' roll fame in 1957.
The best of his work is featured on the 25-song "Elvis: Ultimate Gospel" (RCA). His deeply religious pal, Johnny Cash, is represented by "Cash: Ultimate Gospel" (Columbia/ Legacy), a 24-song collection dating back to his days with Sun Records in the '50s and including eight tracks with the gospel legends the Carter Family.
Both men grew up in the South, regularly attending church and learning all the old gospel classics. Both never forgot that legacy and would enjoy hits that harkened back to those days. Presley had a Top 5 pop single in 1965 with "Crying In The Chapel" while Cash did well with the church-influenced "Daddy Sang Bass" in 1968.
It's clear from the sincerity of the performances that sales weren't as much an issue when it came to songs like "Amazing Grace," "(There'll Be) Peace In The Valley (For Me)" or "Take My Hand Precious Lord" as it was to share their roots in those great old songs.
- Latter-day Elvis?
(Memphis Flyer, October 6, 2006)
At the time of his death, was Elvis Presley contemplating becoming a Mormon? Had he set a baptism date? And is a copy of the Book of Mormon now housed in the archives of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City the very Book of Mormon reputed to have been in Presley's bedroom the night he died?
Yes on all three counts, according Rob Diamond, director, screenwriter, and co-producer of Tears of a King, a film now in production in Utah and set to be released on the 30th anniversary of Presley's death next August.
And yes, if you can believe a story that recently appeared in the Deseret Morning News. Consider yourself warned: The complicated story involves Alan Osmond (of the Osmond Family); a Mormon missionary (Cricket Butler); Presley's father (Vernon); and Presley's karate coach and bodyguard (Ed Parker).
According to Alan Osmond, "I did give the book to the LDS Church ... . This was for safety's sake, to protect Elvis' privacy and to preserve the sacredness of this book! Several people that knew I had it were too anxious to see it and touch it. So I put it in a very safe place ‹ The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [archives]."
Diamond, for his part, says Tears of a King will be "entertaining and enlightening for all."
- Heart of 19th-century French saint coming to U.S. for first time
By Frank Eltman
(Boston Globe / Associated Press, October 5, 2006)
In life, St. John Vianney was a revered 19th-century French clergyman who was said to be blessed with the ability to read the hearts of worshippers. In death, his own heart has became an object of worship.
For reasons unknown, Vianney's body never decayed after death, and his heart and body have been encased in separate glass reliquaries in France for more than a century. The heart is being brought to the United States for the first time this weekend in what the pastor of the Long Island church hosting the relic calls a "historical moment for our country, our diocese, our church." The Rev. Charles Mangano of Long Island's Cure of Ars church said pastors from some of the Roman Catholic parishes around the country that bear Vianney's name are flying in for the occasion, and thousands of worshippers are also expected. ... "We bring him to Boston in the hope that his life and deeds will be an inspiration to our parish priests and an inspiration to others to consider whether they are being called to serve as priests in our parishes," Cardinal Sean O'Malley told The Boston Globe.
... Mangano says there's a long-standing tradition in the Catholic church of venerating relics such as the heart of Vianney, the patron saint of priests. But for the uninitiated, he said think of Elvis Presley.
"People get on eBay and they'll try to get belongings or artifacts from like Elvis Presley, like people that they idolized, they admired," the priest explained. "Because having something of that person, you know, makes you feel close to them." He said for Catholics, "having a relic in our presence, it inspires us because this relic is from the body of a person whose body and soul was for God."
Actually, in a way, Vianney may have been an "Elvis" of his time. It is said that upwards of 50,000 people a year would travel to Ars to see him. A rail link had to be built from Lyon to Ars just to accommodate the worshippers. ... Venerating the remains of saints and martyrs goes back to the earliest days of the Catholic church, said the Rev. Jean-Paul Ruiz, a professor of theology at St. John's University. "When we venerate the relics of saints, it puts us in touch with those persons who we believe are still alive beyond the death of their bodies." ...
Mangano said he first saw the heart last year while on a retreat to Ars -- inspired because he is pastor
- How Elvis is still reaching out and rocking souls
By Christine Miles
(SBC Baptist Press August 4, 2006)
At Truro Cathedral this weekend, an Elvis tribute artist will use his gospel songs to help worshippers connect with God. But he's not the only one engaging with the spiritual side of Elvis.
WHEN Truro Cathedral holds a special evening service this Sunday, worshippers will be falling over themselves to get in. As well as the prayers, the reading, and the sermon, there will be 50 minutes of Elvis's gospel music, performed by Johnny Cowling, a well-known entertainer on the Cornish pub scene, and runner-up of GMTV's "Search for Elvis" competition in 2001. During the service, Mr Cowling, who worships in St Merryn, near Padstow, will perform gospel greats, such as "Peace in the valley", "If I can dream", "His hand in mine", and "Swing low, sweet chariot".
Such has been the media interest that the Cathedral is bracing itself for crowds. "We've had calls from all over the country. There are even people coming from as far as Birmingham," says Colin Reid, communications officer at the Cathedral. Canon Perran Gay, the Precentor, responsible for worship, also has high expectations: "I wouldn't be at all surprised if we fill the Cathedral for this event," he says.
Truro Cathedral may have never known so many people wanting to hear the gospel - albeit Elvis-style. But the service forms just one part of a programme of exploration of alternative styles of worship, which has already seen both jazz and country-and-western-style worship take place in the Cathedral. The hope is that the service will be partly like an Elvis gig, and partly like an act of worship, says Canon Gay. "I am genuinely excited by the challenge of engaging with people who wouldn't normally come to the Cathedral. We believe that God gives us many ways in which to worship him; this is just one of many alternatives."
More than one billion Elvis Presley records have been sold worldwide, but it was Elvis¹s gospel music that attracted the highest accolades during his lifetime. He won Grammy awards for it in 1967, 1972, and 1974. "Elvis came from the deep South in America, where religion and singing gospel were deeply ingrained. He might be known as the King of Rock 'n' Roll, but his great love was always gospel music. It was his great inspiration; it's what he returned to when things got tough," says Mr Cowling, whose own commitment to his church choir as a boy was partly inspired by Elvis's childhood involvement in the Church. "If you sit and listen to his gospel music, it's hard not to be moved. It's pretty uplifting stuff," he says.
Nevertheless, news of the service has caused some to accuse the Cathedral of blasphemy. "There have been comments like: 'If this is what cathedrals are trying to do to get people through the doors, then you might as well do bingo.' But I don't think they really understand what we are doing," says Mr Cowling, who sees the Elvis service as another opportunity to sing songs about God in church. The congregation at Truro Cathedral on Sunday is expected to include many who are worshipping for the first time, and that is a positive thing, he says. "That's what church is about - it's not a closed shop." ...
- FIRST-PERSON: A funny Gospel?
By Jim Elliff
(SBC Baptist Press July 27, 2006)
I watched a portion of a video designed for the purpose of telling Bible stories and presenting the Gospel to children. The entertainer was dressed like an angelic Elvis Presley, complete with wings. The clothes and movements of the entertainer's body were an overstatement of the real Elvis.
My friend touted the act as "soooooo funny." It was. I mean, he was so funny that I could not help but laugh. What should we think about this approach?
Some thoughts:
1) The combination of the Gospel (which is dead serious) and staged humor make strange bedfellows. I am not speaking of occasional situational humor that often is acceptable. And I certainly do not mean that we should never laugh. We appreciate both humor and the Gospel, but do they work well together? Is a comedic presentation the appropriate tool for such a weighty subject? One has to ask the question, "What is soooooo funny about the Gospel?"
In this video, Elvis was said to be "sent from God." But are angelic majesties funny? Is the truth about the cross funny? Are sin, heaven, hell, Christ, salvation or even the stories of redemptive history funny? What does God think about this? Should I listen to the Gospel from a man in a winged Elvis suit?
2) The medium of humor is a poor instrument of conviction. Children, and everybody else for that matter, are brought to the need for repentance through the conviction of the Spirit. Does laughter get us there? Does that which is designed to trivialize also cause us to agonize?
3) The use of such means may deaden the child's ability and appetite to receive truth in a more conventional spoken or written form. In other words, entertainment becomes to the listener the preferred medium of receiving his information about God. The undiscerning listener (and that's what all children are by nature until trained) may become unable to receive truth any other way. And this addiction to entertainment as the conveyor of information may last into adulthood.
4) Generally speaking, making truth entertaining means that the nuances and complexities are removed and only a simple or direct transferable idea is useable. Most entertainment does not have the ability to give the child anything substantive, but rather only a greatly reduced or simplistic concept.
5) Quite often, God's name is taken in vain. For instance, to say that God sent an angelic Elvis is really to desecrate God's character and name. Humor about God is almost always an "empty" or "vain" way of speaking about the God of the universe. We wouldn't be able to put on such a performance in front of God's throne in heaven.
6) Depending on the level of intensity of the entertainment, the truth may be totally drowned in the humor. In other words, what the child remembers may not be truth about God at all, but the funny situation depicted. At the end of the day, the child may come away from the entertaining religious experience having learned nothing at all.
Thankfully, our children will forgive us for our mistakes in teaching them. God has always condescended to our weaknesses in getting His work done. But we must not work against their salvation by teaching in a way that removes conviction. Those in churches who faithfully teach children need not feel they are short of help in reaching this objective. We have the Spirit and the Word. The Bible and its stories have been interesting to children throughout the ages. Presented lovingly and patiently, it is sufficient to save.
Go to earlier articles
|
