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Should a Christian Do Magic or Conjuring?
Doesn't
the Bible forbid magic, fortune-telling and ventriloquism? Is it right for a
Christian to be involved in sleight of hand and illusion--aren't these
instruments dishonest and deceptive?
A Problem of Vocabulary
First,
let's get our terms defined. When the Bible (especially certain translations)
uses the term "magic" (e.g. Exodus 22:14) or "sorcery" (Deuteronomy 18:11 et
al.) or "ventriloquism" (e.g. Isaiah 8:19), it is clearly dealing with man's
involvement in the supernatural, often with the collaboration of evil spirits.
The context of the Bible prohibitions make it clear that God does not want man
to dabble in games with the devil. Today's manifestations of these forbidden
activities are such things as ouija boards, tarot cards, the occult and
horoscopes. The Christian has no business playing with these, since they open
the door to demonic influence.
Let it
be emphasized that no true Christian magician or ventriloquist is in any way
involved in the use of supernatural powers.
A
problem rises from the fact that certain words have two meanings. "Magic" has
the meaning of witchcraft or sorcery, but the word also means sleight of hand
and illusion, the surprising and fascinating modern entertainment medium.
Obviously the Bible is talking about the first of these meanings and not the
second.
Etymologically, the word "ventriloquism" means "belly-talking." As used in the
Old Testament, the word refers to fortune telling by means of reading the
entrails of slain animals, or demon possession, wherein an evil spirit spoke
through a human mouthpiece. Modern ventriloquists create the illusion that their
voices come from another source, using this to entertain. Spectators unable to
explain this skill misnamed the illusion "belly talking." Again, the Biblical
prohibition has reference to one meaning of this word, but not the animation of
puppets as is done in the modern entertainment medium. The first thing we must
be sure of when dealing with Biblical prohibitions is that we understand what
the Bible is in fact saying, so that we do not misapply the truth because of a
confusion in vocabulary.
One
could raise the objection that it is wrong for the Christian to do any
performance that could so easily be misinterpreted as sinful by someone who
doesn't know. Doesn't the Bible warn us to "avoid all appearance of evil"? (I
Thessalonians 5:22) Couldn't innocent parlor magic or ventriloquism be easily
confused with forbidden activity?
In
fact, a better translation of I Thessalonians 5:22 is "avoid every form of evil"
or "avoid every kind of evil." In dealing with right and wrong, one must always
be careful of appearances, but it is not the appearance that makes something
right or wrong. The emphasis on appearance is the essence of hypocrisy. If the
issue were that Christians are to refrain from doing anything that looks like
sin or could be misinterpreted by someone who does not know, then we would never
be able to do anything with confidence. According to this thinking, Jesus was
correctly rebuked for eating with publicans, for forgiving prostitutes and for
touching lepers. Certainly these actions confused many people, but the Son of
God knew His mission and performed His ministry in spite of possible objections.
The
Gospel magician could easily be confused with the secular entertainer, or worse,
with the occultist, just as the Christian singer could be identified with the
acid-dropping Satanist, or the preacher could be linked with the immoral
talk-show host. Or we could insist that it is wrong for the Christian to read
any magazine or paperback book, because immoral people publish sinful books and
magazines. Do we believe that because of the sin of some broadcasters, there is
no value in the ministry of broadcasting? Part of the issue is whether a godly
performer should stop ministry he knows to be right, just because someone else
might misjudge his motives or his methods.
Some
Christians are very superstitious and assume that anything they cannot
themselves understand and explain must be supernatural. Hence they see negative
effects as being produced by demons, and every positive event must be a miracle
of God. There is, however, great room for neutral events which can be used
either for good or for evil.
Another
objection is that it is not right for the Christian to use trickery in
presenting the truth. No matter how you slice it, magic involves deceit
(illusion). Of course some "Gospel magicians" try to get around this objection
by never actually saying their hand is empty when it isn't, but they say, "my
hand looks empty." This skirts the issue, since the intent is for the audience
to believe that the hand was empty (or that the bunny materialized from thin
air, or that the red scarf actually turned white, etc.) The deceit was there,
regardless of whether the performer told a lie with his words or with his
actions.
Here we
must deal with the nature of truth. At any given time, a presentation of truth
only represents a portion of reality. I carry a photograph of my wife that
everyone claims is a very candid likeness, yet it deceives in certain ways. For
one thing, my wife is not black and white and gray; for another, she is more
than two inches tall and is not flat. But the image abstracted by this
photograph captures her expression and personality very honestly. It is an
honest--though partial--representation of the truth. The issue is whether the
Gospel magician conveys the impression that he is doing supernatural things, or
whether he honestly acknowledges its trickery.
After
all is said and done, most people acknowledge that magical entertainers do not
actually have supernatural powers. If the total presentation is an accurate
representation of Biblical truth, the audience will be impressed with the
message, and not dazzled by the possibility of humans doing superhuman feats.
It is
fine to say that doing Gospel magic is not wrong, but is it right? Is there a
Biblical justification for using magic to present Scriptural or spiritual
truths?
The
first part of the argument comes from Jesus' own use of parables--visual aids.
Matthew 13:34 indicates that in Jesus' teaching, He always used object lessons.
Sleight of hand and illusion provide a way of presenting some very powerful
spiritual messages in a visual way. When a dirty handkerchief--representing
sin--is transformed into an egg, it makes a very striking illustration of the
change God makes in a person's life when he trusts Christ. Magic tricks have
power to gain and maintain attention.
The
second part of a Biblical basis for Gospel magic is God's own use of the
spectacular as an attention-getting device. He could have dealt with people
without using the miraculous, but with Moses He chose to use a bush that burned
without being consumed, with Balaam He used a talking donkey; with Joshua He
used a destructive trumpet blast to bring down the walls of Jericho, and with
Belshazzar He wrote on the wall with a giant hand.
Many of
the prophets used spectacular attention-getting devices, such as shaving their
head, wearing a rotten garment, making a model of Jerusalem. And what a sight
Jonah must have been, bleached from the digestive juices of the great sea
monster, as he paraded through
Nineveh
proclaiming the judgment of God.
But
perhaps most spectacular of all are the descriptions of the events surrounding
the death and resurrection of Jesus. It could have happened without a lot of
fanfare, but Christ's death was accompanied by darkness and earthquake. The
resurrection was accompanied by a blast of light that left the guards stunned
and dazed.
I have
seen some very impressive and effective use of "magic" to illustrate principles
from the Scripture. When sleight of hand and illusion are harnessed for the
purpose of explaining Gospel principles, it can be very powerful from a
psychological point of view.
A
serious objection is that when people are amazed and admire the performer, this
leads to pride on his part. This is certainly a possibility, and the Christian
performer (no matter what art form) must guard against pride. This is true of
the Christian singer, actor, magician, ventriloquist--and even preacher! Let us
condemn pride in any form and in every presentation, but the possibility of
pride should not deter from the exercise of a skill that can point people to
God's truth and lead them to Christ.
Conclusion
To wind
up this brief treatment, let me make several practical suggestions about your
own attitude towards "Gospel magic;"
1.
Enjoy "magic" presentations. Don't worry about being fooled.
You don't need to understand how every trick is done in order for it to be all
right.
2.
Pray for the Christian magician. He wants to present Gospel
truths in an effective way, without violating what is proper. It is easy to give
in to the sins of pride and presumption. He needs your understanding and
support. Praise God that He has given this performer opportunities to present a
message at places where a preacher would never be able to speak.
3.
Seek God's mind. Be sympathetic and ask God to help you
understand what attitude is right to have towards forms of ministry that you do
not wholeheartedly understand or endorse. Realize that the same skill may not be
best for everyone, but God can bless it and use it for His glory.
4.
If you continue to have reservations, work them out. Talk to
your local Christian magician. He will be happy to discuss them with you!
Thanks
for being open to consider some new ideas. I hope they have helped you to gain a
new perspective. Read Acts 10:9-20 and rejoice that God opens the hearts and
minds of His children who are ready to receive His messages.
"Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks [and honor and glory] through Him to God the Father." Colossians
3:17
© 1988 by Robert H. Hill
This article may be freely copied and distributed
provided that it is done so in its entirety and without charge.
You can correspond with the author, Robert Hill,
at
100551.3573@Compuserve.com.
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