This is the first time I have ever been in this section. I just read Steve Brooks Stick Topic about Gospel Magicians. I am thinking about printing it out and carrying it with me. I am a Christian but do not claim to be a Gospel performer. I coin myself as a family entertainer. I have only had this issue come up two maybe three times in my 18 year career of performing. All three times in a restaurant where I performed. The last time was earlier this year. There was a family that would always refuse to see me do magic at there table. I never thought to much about it. I just made a point to always skip their table after being shot down three or four times. Finally the mother came to me and said we do not want to hurt your feelings but we are Christians and do not want anything to do with magic. She then handed me some literature from their church. I thanked her for dining at the restaurant and that was it. I have not seen them since. My current policy is NOT to discuss race, religion or politics in the restaurants I perform. I was actually kind of frustrated considering I am a Christian. My question is what would be the best way to respond to this in the future as a professional and a Christian.

Respect their views even if you do not agree with it. It's best to not try to convince them of any different, and your attempt may also become a stumbling block for them. My best advice is to respect their wishes. You don't know where they are in their walk with Christ.

Most Christians know the difference between what magicians do and what God condems, but they also believe that magic, although for entertainment purposes is also something they should not play with, even if it's just for entertainment purposes. We, on the other hand, are somewhat biased on the subject because we perform magic. The reason why I perform magic is to entertain. If someone does not enjoy magic for any reason, I don't think it's professional to engage into a conversation where you try to convince them of your beliefs on something that is minor. Your job is to entertain, and not everyone likes magic. Even some non Christians don't like magic.

Great advice! Respecting other people and their wishes is tantamount to maintaining good relationships with people. One of my best friends is Muslim, and we agree on some things and don't on others. We concentrate on what we agree on and avoid conflict. Rafiq and his wife are some of the best human beings in this world. War happens when we violate others' wishes and beliefs, and force our own opinions on them.

Doug

Maybe I am wrong here BUT
first yes respect their wishes although I would have told them right away that I was also a believer and was excited to meet them. maybe even talk with them and see if they had any questions. and if some one ask you not to perform you do respect that and move on.

now "your job is to entertain" yes and no
and doug you said you don't want to violate your Muslim friends beliefs

now I realize I don't now you from the man on the moon but I have some problems with all of this.

first I take your statement of not wanting to violate your friends beliefs as "nice guy, good friend, enjoy his friendship, bummer he is going to die and go to Hell but hey great human being and glad I did not offend him by sharing the truth of gods love with him"

there are a lot of great human beings that will end up in a very warm place one day! some even think they are believers!

again I don't know you and I don't know if you witness to him I am just basing my thoughts off what I am reading here.

as for the comment about we are just to entertain well NO not really we are called to go into all the world and unleash the truth of Gods love. and yes that means even in secular situations.

now first things first. YOU really need to pray and ask the Holy Spirit what you are supposed to do! as some times yes He may say just entertain but there will be many times I am sure that He will lead you to Plant a seed. to make a comment to get them thinking.

I want to be clear here I am not trying to put any one down or belittle any one or say that you are some kind of monster.

just felt that what I read was kind of a wimpy view of what God wants for his children.

my goal when I entertain is to get their attention have a great time and hope that the see the difference in me and I am always looking for that moment that the Holy Spirit provides for me to plant that seed,

if you have any specific questions about Gospel magic let me know I would love to help you out as you get started.

sam

When I'm working, the boss is paying me for output, not evangelism. This is of course flexible depending on the job and the boss -- different for waitresses, drill instructors, boxers, etc.

Can God make an opening? Oh, yeah! And does He make a specific pointed call towards a specific individual - "That one -- now!!"? Most definitely.

But when I'm on someone else's clock and dime, and that customer affects the boss more than me, there are a lot more issues at hand than the general undercurrent of witnessing. Unless I feel very comfortable looking for another job, that is. (Which isn't hard when you're a completely self-employed entertainer.)

There are people who are very nice, and do not want to hear a single word about my God. There are good Christians who believe that a card trick has the appearance of evil and they will not align with it. And there are Christians who will have to get to Heaven before they completely understand how to get along with others.

My personal opinion, Countage (and worth half as much as the paper it's written on) is that if you're paid entertainment and working for the restaurant, you have a very narrow window of opportunity and options if you choose on your own to engage them. Perhaps hand them a special separate business card with the FCM logo prominent and the URL of a statement of faith, and ask them to comment and help improve your approach so they might feel more comfortable.

Or smile and say "Thanks for coming in - the restaurant really appreciates your business. I'm usually here only on Tuesdays. Can I give you a coupon to use on any other night?"

If you're there for free, you have a lot of other options available. But unless the owner is into the witness, you mighg not be allowed back.

And if God says "That one - now!!", I'd go - now! And let Him deal with the results.

Ed

PS - Personally, I'd rather hang out with nice "sinners" than grouchy saints! Yes, Jesus will come up, probably more than once. But when that's been settled and no minds will be changed, I have to love and let God open doors and minds.

We had have discussions about Yeshua (Jesus), and Rafiq has no problem with any of it. I do believe the seed has been planted, and we had some very enlightening discussions before he went to Syria.



I never make such judgements. Only God knows a person's heart. We need to get off this business of people going to Hell, and begin educating people on how to get along with each other! 1: Faith & full trust in God, and 2: treating other people respectfully.

What people don't realize (or even think about) is there are those on this planet that appear human in every way, but are not, and NEVER HAVE been human! Not even CLOSE! I do not believe I am qualified to tell you how I know this. It is a FACT, however. Security clearances aside, we are going to find out soon enough what the story is...and they will lie to us!


I understand. I am very careful who I tell. And how much. If the interest is there, I can give him everything he needs to pursue it further, but I will NOT shove it down his throat, desperately trying to "save" him.

And Sam, basing our thoughts about what we believe as Christians is only based what we have read in The Bible. Keep an open mind...there is MUCH more truth out there than The Bible even touches upon. So many books were left out of The Bible - "The Book Of Enoch" being just one...(Google that one!)

We have to cut out the chaff. A lot of details simply do not matter in the long run. Music, style of dressing, types of smoking materials, magic tricks, food (pork/no pork), etc...What IS important, is where God is in your life, and HOW do you treat your fellow human? Really, really think hard about that. Who have you STILL not forgiven?

Before rushing out to "save" others, we need our own life in FOCUS, and guided by The Spirit, and forgive ALL who have harmed us in any way. Tough to do, lemme tell ya!

Doug

Wow,
ok I am going to have to pray about this one before I answer here Doug.

there are some serious issues at hand that need to be addressed and I want to make sure my words are not my own.

I am very concerned by some of what you say.

I hope to have some thoughts together later tonight or tomorrow to answer you.

Doug,

You bring up many points. One thing I am curious about however is that you mention the "What IS important, is where God is in your life, and HOW do you treat your fellow human?" This is very true, and I just want to add that as a Christian, I firmly believe this is Jesus Christ and belief in Him leads us to salvation. After all, John 14:6 says, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." He is an integral part of our belief as Christians. I say this because I know many pastors who have been asked to give invocations and omit the names Christ and Jesus, but give a more general "God" instead. I know many who have politely declined because of this. It is down this road that many new age thinkers believe that the word "God" can cover everyone from Buddha to Jesus. They believe faith is like the center of a wheel. There are many spokes that lead to the center and any of these paths will lead to salvation.

As a Christian, I can't believe that. If I did, that would negate part of the scripture and you can't pick and choose parts of the bible to believe. I'm not sure what your beliefs are, I was just wanting to mention mine in that. The attempt to not have me mention Jesus by name has happened to me several times in the past and has always bothered me.

You mention the book of Enoch. There are hundreds of books that were written and not included in the scripture. I believe the books that were included in the bible were included because those were the books that the Holy Spirit guided to be included in the Holy Bible. I do believe, that what is written in the Bible is not only man-written but God-inspired. This goes from the writing to the compilation. Do I believe that a person can be fully saved by Jesus Christ by simply reading, believing, and implementing what is in the Bible? With my entire heart...

We are 100% in agreement!

I do not believe you become a Christian by joining a church, adopting a creed, or by believing in God. There are lots of false churches, false creeds, and even the devil believes in God. Becoming a Christian means you need to understand what the real issues are.

The gospel is that Jesus died for sinners on the cross, was buried, and rose from the dead (1 Cor. 15:1-4). His death was a sacrifice that turns away the wrath of God (1 John 2:2). This is the only way to be saved.

Jesus is the one who died for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2). He is the only way to the God the Father (John 14:6). He alone reveals God (Matt. 11:27). He has all authority in heaven and earth (Matt. 28:18). It is only through Him that you can be saved from God's wrath (Eph. 2:3). He can forgive you of your sin (Luke 5:20; Matt. 9:2). He can remove the guilt that is upon your soul. Jesus can set you free from the bondage of sin that blinds your eyes, weakens your soul, and brings you to despair. He can do this because He bore sin in His body on the cross (1 Peter. 2:24) that those who trust in Him would be saved.

We cannot save ourselves by being good, or by reading, or by believing, no less save ourselves by implementing what is in the Bible. I thought the Bible already made it clear how someone becomes saved.

From my memory, I don't ever remember Jesus going after those who believed in another God and telling them they were wrong and worshipped false Gods. Neither did Paul or the rest of the Apostles do that. I do recall Jesus going after the religious leaders who did believe in the same God but had their theology wrong.

Thanks for the input guys. I have recently become more spiritual and my relationship with God comes first in my life. It is really great that the performance art of magic can be great to be a witness to Christ.