In the bustling city of Charlotte, North Carolina, the atmosphere inside Elevation Church was electric. The worship music pulsed through the air, and the congregation was focused on Pastor Steven Furtick, who was passionately delivering his sermon. Among the sea of faces, one stood out—Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur known for his groundbreaking work in technology and space exploration. Dressed casually in jeans and a black T-shirt, he slipped into a seat at the back, unnoticed at first.
As Pastor Furtick spoke about finding purpose beyond success, whispers began to ripple through the crowd. When he caught sight of Musk, he paused momentarily, recognizing the tech mogul. Instead of drawing attention to him, Furtick smiled and continued his message, emphasizing that true value comes not from what one achieves but from who one is.
Elon listened intently, absorbing the words that resonated with him. He had built a life defined by success, yet he often felt a void that wealth and power could not fill. After the service, instead of leaving quietly, he approached Pastor Furtick, extending his hand. “I’ve been following your work for years. Your approach to community building is fascinating,” he said.
Furtick, surprised but composed, replied, “Thank you. I’ve admired your ventures as well. Would you like to grab coffee tomorrow?”
The next morning, they met at a quiet café. The conversation began awkwardly, two men from vastly different worlds unsure of where to start. “What brought you to Elevation yesterday?” Furtick asked.
“Curiosity,” Elon admitted. “I’ve been thinking a lot about influence and the responsibility that comes with it.” He paused, then added, “You’ve built a community that genuinely cares for each other.”
“That’s the goal,” Furtick replied. “But it’s not about me. It’s about something greater.”
Elon leaned in, intrigued yet skeptical. “You base everything on ancient texts and invisible beings. As someone dedicated to reason, I find that challenging.”
Furtick took a moment to respond. “What if faith and reason aren’t enemies? What if they’re just different approaches to truth?”
The conversation deepened, touching on the origins of the universe, the nature of consciousness, and the historical evidence for Jesus. Elon expressed admiration for Jesus as a moral teacher but struggled with the supernatural claims surrounding him. “Strip away the miracles, and you still have a remarkable philosopher,” he said.
“But Jesus didn’t just present himself as a wise teacher,” Furtick countered. “He made claims that were either true or made him a dangerous lunatic. There’s no middle ground.”
As their discussion continued, Elon found himself challenged in ways he hadn’t anticipated. He admired Furtick’s comfort with uncertainty and his willingness to engage in difficult conversations. “Faith isn’t the absence of doubt,” Furtick explained. “It’s the decision to trust despite the doubt.”
After their coffee meeting, Elon felt a shift within himself. He texted Furtick, thanking him for the conversation and asking why so many Christians fail to live up to their teachings. Furtick’s response was quick: “Great question. Short answer: because we’re human.”
The following day, Furtick invited Elon to see faith in action at one of Elevation’s community outreach centers. As they toured the facility, which provided food, education, and medical care to those in need, Elon was struck by the genuine care of the volunteers. “They’re not doing this for show,” he observed. “They actually believe this stuff affects how they should live.”
“That’s authentic faith,” Furtick replied. “Not perfect people, but people trying to love others because they’ve experienced love themselves.”
Before they parted, Furtick handed Elon a book, *Mere Christianity* by C.S. Lewis. “This might help explain why Christians often fail to live up to Jesus’ teachings,” he said.
Elon took the book, promising to read it. As he drove away, he realized he was beginning to see substance in the faith he had previously dismissed. That night, instead of working, he opened the book and began to read.
Weeks passed, and Elon found himself posting on social media about his discussions with Furtick, sparking a media frenzy. Speculation about his potential conversion to Christianity spread like wildfire. “This is getting out of control,” he told Furtick during a phone call. “I just wanted to share my thoughts.”
To address the speculation, they decided to hold a public conversation at Elevation Church, live-streamed for transparency. The event drew a massive crowd, and as they took their seats, Furtick emphasized that this was not a debate but a respectful dialogue.
For two hours, they discussed everything from science to faith, often disagreeing but always with respect. When an audience member asked Elon if he believed in God, he took a moment to respond. “I still have significant intellectual obstacles to faith,” he admitted. “But I’ve gained tremendous respect for thoughtful Christians who have examined their beliefs.”
After the event, the respectful dialogue they had modeled inspired conversations across the internet about faith and doubt. A month later, Elon announced a partnership between his companies and Elevation Church to create tech education centers in underserved communities. “This partnership makes practical sense,” he explained. “Elevation has proven their commitment to these communities.”
As the first center opened, Elon and Furtick stood together, united by a common vision of practical impact. “Sometimes the most powerful innovations come not from new technology but from new collaborations,” Elon said, unaware of how true those words would prove to be.
In the end, what began as a chance encounter transformed into a movement of civil dialogue, bridging gaps between faith and reason, inspiring millions to engage in meaningful conversations about purpose and belief.
Interesting things about technology genius Elon Musk
At the end of the US election, Republican candidate Donald Trump declared victory. In his victory speech, he called out Elon Musk and praised the Tesla CEO as a special genius who needed to be protected.
Dream of Mars
Elon Musk started his PhD in 1995, but dropped out after 2 days and decided to devote himself to the booming Internet industry at that time. Musk believed that starting an Internet business could have a big impact on the world, so he created “Zip2”.
In 1999, Musk sold “Zip2” to Compaq for $307 million. That same year, he founded “X.com,” America’s first online bank, which later merged with Confinity to become PayPal and was acquired by eBay in 2002 for $1.5 billion. In 2017, Musk bought the domain name “X.com” from PayPal for an undisclosed sum. He has always had ideas that were ahead of their time, and those startups laid the foundation for his later success in the fields of rocket technology and automobiles…
Musk’s “Mars dream” is not only a technological challenge but also reflects a profound thinking about the future of humanity. He hopes to send about 1 million people to Mars by 2050 and build a sustainable city so that human civilization can survive in case of a disaster on Earth. In 2002, Musk invested 100 million USD to establish the space exploration company SpaceX, then successfully developed a number of rockets, including Falcon-1 and Falcon-9, to focus on the goal of sending humans to Mars.
SpaceX’s “Starship” is a reusable spacecraft designed to transport humans and cargo to Mars. Musk plans to launch five test drones in 2026. If successful, the first human mission would begin in 2028.
Three times the richest man in the world
Before becoming CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk was an early investor and board member. In 2008, Tesla launched its first electric car, the Roadster.
At a time when gasoline cars were the dominant force, everyone predicted that this project would fail. However, Elon Musk developed cars into technological products, simplified the sales process, and put the user experience above all else. In addition to trying to reduce the total cost of ownership over the life of the car, Tesla also pioneered the brand association with environmental protection and climate change.
The Model S was launched in 2012 to rave reviews. It received a near-perfect score of 99/100 from Consumer Reports in 2013. Sales hit a record high of 10,030 units in the first quarter of 2015, and remains a leader in the electric vehicle market.
Tesla then continued to focus on manufacturing electric vehicles, components, and electric vehicle (EV) powertrains. By 2024, Tesla would have provided more than 50,000 fast charging stations worldwide.
Musk currently owns nearly 13% of Tesla shares, worth approximately $73 billion. In addition, he also holds shares in SpaceX worth approximately $71 billion. Combined with shares in many other businesses, in November 2024, Elon Musk became the world’s richest person for the third time with a net worth of approximately $285.6 billion.
Two official wives and three lovers
Elon Musk and his first wife, Justine Wilson, met in college. Wilson was a groundbreaking science fiction writer. A year after their marriage, Wilson gave birth to a son who died of sudden infant death syndrome at 10 weeks old.
Wilson then failed to conceive naturally. The couple had five children through in vitro fertilization in 2004 and 2006. However, Wilson later suffered from depression. They separated and divorced in 2008.
His second wife, Talulah Riley, is a British actress. Musk got engaged to Riley in 2008, six weeks after separating from Wilson. They married in 2010 and divorced in 2012. After a year apart, they remarried and divorced again in 2016. The couple were together for a total of eight years but had no children.
Musk never married again, but had three relationships, including a passionate one with Hollywood star Amber Heard. They broke up several times during their relationship. Musk tried to coax Amber back, but her heart grew farther and farther away, and they finally broke up in 2018.
Has 12 children, 8 of whom were conceived in vitro
Elon Musk is a man who likes to have many children. He has repeatedly promoted having children on social media: “The birth rate in the US has been too low for 50 consecutive years!”, “I am contributing to solving the population crisis”. He proudly expressed: “The richer people are, the less likely they are to have children. I am a rare exception”.
Many people are concerned that Musk is not in a romantic relationship with Shivon Zilis, his Neuralink executive. So why did they have a child? Musk, for his part, is interested in the genes of this woman of Indian and Canadian descent. Zilis is not only the top student at Yale University, but also the goalie of the ice hockey team, plays drums and guitar, and is very beautiful.
When Musk saw Zilis, the first thing that came to his mind was not to flirt or possess her, but to have children to inherit his and her good genes. According to the media, Musk had twins with Zilis in November 2021. In June 2024, Musk announced that Zilis had given birth to a third child, his 12th child.
In October 2024, Musk reportedly spent $35 million to buy a mansion in Austin, Texas, that could accommodate his large family. The 53-year-old billionaire did this to make it easier to schedule meetings with his young children. In addition, Musk also wanted them to be a part of each other’s lives.