There’s been a running debate in our family since 1977: is Elvis Presley in heaven?

Although none of us knew him personally, thankfully God knew him and knows him still. And in deciding who goes to heaven and who doesn’t, he never makes a mistake. He made the decision about Elvis 33 years ago today.

Whichever way it went, several family members do agree Elvis made heavenly music here on earth. Nate absolutely loved the music and owned every recording Elvis ever made, including the “rare” ones and the re-makes. He played them so much, they actually wore out and had to be repurchased again and again.

Nate, tone-deaf himself, used to ask me, “Does Elvis have a really good voice? I mean, by musical standards, is he a good singer?”

With the high expectations of his question and the raised eyebrows of hope, the only acceptable answer was, “He’s the best.”

Mom thought Elvis was a worldly influence devoid of Christian thinking, and Nate gently chided her about this, citing the many gospel recordings he’d made. They agreed to disagree, and Nate just laughed when she’d say, “I don’t know what you see in that guy.”

What Nate saw was a down-home person who recorded singable music and never lost his country charm. Elvis produced huge volumes of music and was, Nate claimed, the best-ever in many categories. Having a mind for numbers, he was always ready with statistics: Grammy nominations and awards, #1 recordings, earned income, posthumous income and anything else that set Elvis apart. He knew the biography of every person he ever employed and had a full repertoire of Elvis quotes. Although Nate knew the words to every Elvis song, his singing was only in-the-shower acceptable. He did do some fine speaking impressions, though.

Despite the fact that Elvis’ home, Graceland, is the second most visited house in the nation (after the White House), Nate had never been there. A couple of years ago our boys surprised him with a guys-only trip to the mansion and surrounding sites. Although Nate already owned quite a few pieces of Elvis memorabilia, he came home with even more, a copy of his driver’s license and death certificate included.

I remember the evening several years ago, long after Elvis had died, when Nate and I watched a TV special that tried to define Elvis’ spirituality. No one could confirm his beliefs one way or the other, but Nate knew of his childhood days in an Assembly of God church and was sure his heart was devoted to God. Nate also mentioned that Elvis had recorded most of his gospel songs after he’d said, “I never sing a song I don’t believe in.”

Nate had taken that statement at face value, saying, “Elvis sang ‘rock and soul’ music.”

After watching the TV special during which former band members and a hair dresser described Elvis’ continual search for spiritual truth, Nate felt sure the King of Rock and Roll was dwelling with the King of Kings.

Either way, Nate now knows the bottom line… unless of course Elvis is spotted tomorrow at the local Burger King.

“When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.” (Titus 3:4-5)