I have good news and bad news.
The good news is that Joel (Willow Boy) Osteen has decided to lift up the King.
The bad news is that the king Osteen lifts up isn’t the King of kings or the Lord of lords. It’s Elvis.
Apparently WB has been keeping an Elvis impersonator employed by having him perform at the Lakewood Arena. Yes, it’s true. Osteen has presented Elvis impersonator Ralph Elizondo to sing songs during the Lakewood service. And he has, apparently had him perform several times. Here’s a link to Elizondo’s site. Click here
Correct me if I am wrong, but Elvis wasn’t exactly the model of Christian comportment. He was, apparently, quite the womanizer; he drank a lot, and did drugs a lot. Make no mistake about it, the man could sing. I like “In the Ghetto” a bunch. I even like a number of his other songs.
And while I agree that no one is perfect, I think most of us would agree that Elvis did not exactly represent the kind of man most of us would see as a Christian role model.
Why then, would Joel bring in a singer whose primary persona is that of Elvis? Maybe I’m being somewhat extreme, but it seems that this decision is about as reasonable as a “modern” church bringing in an Eminem impersonator to sing hymns or a Fifty Cent impersonator to sing gospel music. I think it would look somewhat incongruous to see a bare-chested, do-rag wearing, thug imitator doing a thug rendition of “It’s All About You.” Sure someone might be able to pay enough attention to the words to get something out of the performance. But I doubt it. Remember: most of these pimps don’t care about you. They care only about growing their “ministries.” For those of you in Word of Faith churches that means “Cash cow.” (See the second definition when you click here.)
While I understand what Willow Boy is trying to do, couldn’t he have at least picked a person whose reputation is a little higher than Elvis’? You know, maybe someone like Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin. At least they never wore white battery powered sequined suits that flashed in the dark.
Well, this really isn’t an insignificant issue to me. Entertainment has overtaken the sacred to an appalling degree in the churches of America.
Joel will pimp Elvis……..despite the rather obvious negative connotations attendant with this decision…..yet he cannot muster the backbone to say that Jesus is the only way of salvation.
By allowing Elvis to be glorified in Lakewood, Joel has offered a stronger public defense of Presley than he ever has of Christ.
That’s an abomination.
Personally………..I like Elvis. Greatest entertainer that ever lived. But even at my delusional peak……..manning the pulpit of a WOF church……..I would never have considered doing this. What message does this send to the congregation?? Is this proper stewardship of the tithes and offerings??
Then again, perhaps this is more appropriate than we realize.
Elvis was a nominal Christian who allowed himself to be pulled free from the moorings of his Christian youth and doctrine. He flirted and teased and assimilated as much of the world as he thought he could get away with……….until, ultimately, his faith was degraded and compromised to the point that he was indistinguishable from the world. He wound up embraced by the world, and he returned that embrace with the ardor he once reserved for his embrace of God. He tried to cheat the system amd have the best of both worlds…….until he was finally deceived to the point that he could no longer discern the difference between the profane and the holy.It likely cost him his soul………
In that light, perhaps it is entirely appropriate that Lakewood honors Elvis this way……….since Lakewood seems headed down the identical path.
I violently (yet respectfully) disagree. Barry Manilow is the world’s greatest entertainer. Can you just sit still when you hear “Copa Cabana”? I think not!!
Well, I will admit to being unable to sit still whenever Barry sings Copa………….ever tried to keep still during a 3 minute dry heave??
Barry Manilow???
Are you serious?
http://www.keleka.net/blogilow/ - a special treat, just for you then.
ROTFLOL
you guys are really showing your age….i would have had to google barry manilow if j train didn’t post that article.
ok, like i really have some time on my hands and i’m reading old posts, so if u dont mind a woman chiming in (albeit at this late date) on your world’s greatest entertainer’ debate… i always felt it was a tie between englebert humpledink, um.. humperdink, (well something in that neighborhood)-and wayne newton!
as far as manilow and copa…… now THAT’S funny to me. you guys are way too much. LOL
Humperkink…Humperdink…yeah, I guess I can go for that. Him and Tom Jones. Wayne? Not until his voice settled down and he stopped looking like a man/girl. And danke schön for your inputs Mrs. Mav.
Tom Jones….. LOLLOLLOL. sure, since Liberace is dead. (what’s new pussycat? whoaoaoaoa…) yeah, i know-us “deep” analyticals can get really silly at times…..
being around children ALL day affects me this way. (smile)
thanx for humoring me
TO GARYV re: Mr. Osteen & Elvis:
AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! And again, I say AMEN!
Urgent message to Mr. Osteen: YOU NEED JESUS!!!!
Does anyone know if an appeal has been filed in the John Cherry case? http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/29/AR2006082901865_pf.html
I thought the scriptures spoke out against believers suing each others?
I Corinithians 6:1-8?
“If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, appoint as judges even men of little account in the church! I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? But instead, one brother goes to law against another–and this in front of unbelievers. The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers.”