Years ago when Gina and I were first married, I passed by an art display–I use that term loosely–on the side of the road. All of the renderings were pictures on an imitation or cheap velvet. One of them that I was particularly enthralled with was the King of Rock, Elvis Presley.
Immediately I envisioned “Velvet Elvis” prominently displayed in our living room; however, when I told Gina about my rare find, she responded with a look that shouted, “Did I really marry him?” Consequently, Elvis never found lodging in our home and my first encounter with “Velvet Elvis” ended in disappointment. The message was clear; “Velvet Elvis” is not worth having. For those of you who are wondering whether I would still decorate with such works of “art”, the answer is no, I have seen the light and “Elvis has left the…”
However, once again I have encountered a “Velvet Elvis”, but this time it is not a painting but a book written by Rob Bell. This encounter with “Velvet Elvis” has not left me disappointed but appalled and alarmed.
Rob Bell’s book “Velvet Elvis” is an example of some of the dangerously unbiblical leanings and musings of the “Emergent Church”.
A friend of mine, Mark Park, has written an excellent brief theological critique of the book, which I include here so that you will not be taken in by a creative title or the musings of a postmodernist masquerading as biblical truth. The simple truth is that, “Velvet Elvis” never was nor never will be worth having.velvet-elvis-critique-by-mark-park-8-07.pdf
