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Kanawati Veteran user Australia 301 Posts |
I was baptised Greek Orthodox as an infant in Egypt, went to a Catholic school in Australia (and had my Catholic confirmation as a teenager), and was "born again" and baptised as an adult in a Baptist Church which I am still part of. Some years ago, a good friend of mine who happens to be a Catholic (and Charismatic) was appointed by his local Church parish to develop an evangelism strategy. He organized a weekend conference which included child minding. Knowing I was not Catholic, he asked me to do a show for the children and was OK with me adding a Gospel message. He caught a bit of my act and asked me on the spot if I could perform the same tricks for the adults again with a Gospel message. I recall doing a couple of tricks: a chain escape illustrating how sin binds us but how Jesus came to set us free, and a trick with a wonder box were I produced silks, each silk colour helping to explain the Gospel. My friend is not a priest (he has a theological degree), but there were priests there and I didn't receive any negative feedback. The performance was in a hall, not the actual church. At this conference I also had the opportunity to hear personal testimonies of Catholics who had discovered the grace and love of Jesus and had their lives transformed. The same powerful and inspiring testimonies that I have heard in other Protestant churches! Vlad's posts sent me on a journey to learn more about Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism, the early Christian church, and the writings of the early church fathers. It has only strengthened my respect for my sisters and brothers in Christ, irrespective of denomination. At this point in my life, I personally believe that God is much more concerned with "relationship" than with "right doctrine." The more I dig into theological and doctrinal issues (and I sometimes enjoy doing that!) the simpler the Gospel gets: I love you, you belong to Me, now go and love each other.
Vlad, I know I haven't addressed your question re: high and low churches, but the topic brought to mind my experience with Catholic evangelism and I was keen to share a bit of my journey. God bless. John |
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Vlad_77 Inner circle The Netherlands 5829 Posts |
John,
Your post is simply wonderful and I am humbled and thankful you have shared it!! +In Christ, Vlad |
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sthielman Regular user North Carolina 129 Posts |
Didn't know about those email, Gospel Dan. Gives me 2nd thoughts about recommending the book, actually.
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DelMagic Special user 719 Posts |
I don't have enough personal experience to know how what are commonly referred to as protestant denominations handle Gospel magicians. I have only witnessed one true Gospel magic show and that was just a few weeks ago. I have a pretty good idea how the performer was prescreened. Many teens from our church go to the Word of Life camp/island in Schroon Lake, NY each summer. This performer has done shows their for several years and I am fairly sure that the Pastor and other leaders in the church saw him there. After viewing his show and seeing what he taught, they felt comfortable enough with him to invite him to the church to perform in the Sunday School time.
Doctrinal differences do divide, and that isn't always a bad thing. When the division comes from style differences or secondary teaching, that can be very sad. But, when people really have substatial differences in beliefs, it makes sense to me that they separate and state plainly (without acrimony) why they separate. I grew up Roman Catholic and only began to seriously read and study the Bible in my late teen years. In many teachings and doctrinal positions I still agree with the RC church. There are many that I now disagree with and critically that includes the teaching regarding who has eternal life. However, I cringe whenever I see/hear people in churches speak uncharitably towards Roman Catholics (due to my background) and even other faiths. That insensitivity can lead to a complete shutdown in communication and may leave visitors and guests with a sour taste in their mouth regarding you/your church. We should reach out in love and kindly and faithfully present any doctrinal differences we have. There is no need to ignore them. (I am not saying anyone here said we should!) At work, I sit across from a RC friend and we often discuss differences in doctrine without any personal antagonism at all. This board isn't about ironing out our theological differences so I wouldn't want to get into such things here. There are plenty of sites around that allow that and I have done much discussion on them. Here, I am trying to learn about using magic to enable me to present God's message and love in ways I have never done before. I am very encouraged by what I read here. I am glad that doctrinal differences, which I am sure exist, don't seem to hinder communication here. Keep on talking fellow magi, John |
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Vlad_77 Inner circle The Netherlands 5829 Posts |
John,
Indeed doctrinal differences DO exist. It is a reality. That being said, as each of us are called to be as Christ-like as possible in our lives, I am again reminded of what believe in the Eastern Orthodox Church, and that is, "we know where the Church IS, but we do not know where it is not." I find that a beautiful statement and best reflects our being in Christ. Blessings, Vlad |
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David Dayton New user 5 Posts |
Good conversation,
Can anyone please help me make contact with the Catholic Magicians Guild? I would like to join/start a chapter in Sacramento. I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks, David |
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ageo New user Bogota, Colombia 72 Posts |
I am a Catholic magician, and would like to revive this thread. I just discovered it today, but am quite interested in contributing and sharing with you guys in a friendly and constructive way.
A group of Spanish magicians, under the name of Don Bosco, is getting organized. Many of them write in English, and perhaps we can join them or viceversa, to advance together. On a future post, I will provide details about the group. Alberto Lobo-Guerrero S. Bogotá, Colombia ageo(at)logemin(dot)com |
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