INSIDE THE FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN MAGICIANS

"Jesus is Magic" is the title of an article from the September/October 2008 issue of Mother Jones which explores the Fellowship of Christian Magicians as they gather for their annual convention at Wesleyan University. "The FCM, which boasts about 2,000 members around the world, is a nondenominational organization dedicated to "the winning of souls to Christ" using "sleight of hand, optical illusion, ventriloquism, puppets, balloons, clowning, juggling, storytelling, and other visual arts." The transformation of beguilement into belief can take many forms. A mind-reading trick may illustrate God's omniscience; an escape-artist routine reminds audiences that they can break free of sin; an illusion in which three black rings explode into color is a metaphor for what it's like to suddenly see the light. Pulling biblical lessons out of a hat may seem forced, but as the website of the ministry Seeing Is Not Believing puts it, "Many people will come to see a woman get cut in half that would never set foot in a church building otherwise."