Illusionist wows crowds

By Misty Shultz/Staff Writer

March 30, 2007 08:47 pm

— World-renowned illusionist and author Andre Kole performed illusions Tuesday and Wednesday nights at Cleburne Bible Church, attracting between 950 and 1,000 guests over the two days. Senior Pastor David denHartog, who gave his life to Jesus Christ at one of Kole’s performances when he was a freshman in college, invited Kole to the church.
“My roommate at the University of Iowa persuaded me to go to a midnight performance,” denHartog said. “I went reluctantly and trusted in Christ that night.”
Kole has been ministering through his performances for 44 years, since the time he dedicated his life to Christ. He said he graduated from college and got involved with several business endeavors at age 25, but was not happy.
“I was working 16 to 18 hour days and realized life wasn’t about money,” Kole said during his performance.
He said he met with a group of Christian businessmen who talked about their personal relationship with God.
“They had a quality of life I did not have,” Kole said. “I wanted more. I wanted a personal relationship with God.”
After he gave his life to Christ, Kole began incorporating his faith into his performances. He has done vast amounts of research about Jesus’ miracles and concluded that there are 11 reasons Jesus couldn’t have been a magician, including how Jesus did not carry with him a truckload of equipment.
A year and a half ago, the Discovery Channel asked Kole to perform an illusion where he walked on water. Kole said it took him three months and more than $30,000 to figure out how to perform the illusion.
“The Sea of Galilee is eight miles wide,” Kole said. “Jesus would have had to spend years building an underwater bridge that would allow him to walk on water.”
Kole said he has been creating illusions since he was a young child and was so ambitious he committed to creating three new illusions each day. His hard work paid off because he was recently, unanimously named Inventor of the Decade by the International Magicians Society.
Kole has created many illusions for David Copperfield, including the disappearance of the Statue of Liberty, which Kole demonstrates with a smaller replica of the statue during his shows. He has performed in 79 countries and ministered on thousands of college campuses nationwide with Campus Crusade for Christ.
Kole shared a bit of his journey Wednesday with the Times-Review.
Times-Review: How long have you been a magician?
Kole: I started with a magic set when I was a child. By age 11 I had entertained in several states, Canada and Central America.
T-R: What is the difference between magic and illusion?
Kole: In our profession, magic includes small tricks, such as making a small object disappear. Illusion includes big tricks, such as making people and large objects disappear.
T-R: How did you begin working with David Copperfield?
Kole: David came to see one of my shows in New Jersey when he was 16 years old. A few years later, he came to Phoenix, we had dinner and decided to begin working together. I have helped him with many of his TV specials.
T-R: Is it typical to serve in smaller venues?
Kole: I enjoy different venues, from small college campuses and churches to the 40,000 Chinese who came to a show in Los Angeles.
T-R: How did you become involved with Campus Crusade for Christ?
Kole: I met some people who told me about Campus Crusade for Christ, went to one of their meetings and heard a spokesperson who was a football player. He inspired the audience with his humor. I thought, “If he can lead people to Christ with his humor, I could lead them to Christ with magic.” So I began performing for several fraternities and sororities. Dr. Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, heard about my ministry and invited me to perform for 250 staff people. After the performance, the unanimous decision was made that my technique would never work because it was unscriptural and would hurt the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. However, Dr. Bright persevered and took a chance on me. Today, I am still involved with the ministry and I have performed on thousands of campuses.
T-R: What is the most rewarding part of your ministry?
Kole: Meeting folks who received Christ through my ministry in previous years, and developing a trusting relationship with unbelievers.
T-R: How do you handle critics?
Kole: I love them. I often go to atheist conventions because God loves atheists too. Most atheists are atheists because they want to be. They just haven’t investigated the other side. I develop a trusting relationship with these people in order to have an opportunity to reach them. I have a relationship with six of the most influential atheists in the world. In fact, I was writing a letter to one of them earlier today. He has recently had heart problems, and I think he is finally at a place where he wants more out of life.
T-R: What is the most difficult part of your ministry?
Kole: (He laughs.) Going to other countries and having to eat their food. I’ve had to eat cat soup, pig’s head and chicken feet. In one country, the guest of honor had to eat a duck’s head. I am a hamburger-and-hot-dog guy, so needless to say I’ve developed a few tricks to make other foods disappear without having to eat them.
T-R: What are your future goals and aspirations?
Kole: I am looking forward to continued campus ministry. This year we will be on 60 new campuses with Campus Crusade for Christ.
T-R: What is it that you most want to share with people?
Kole: It is often through actions, not words, that Christians share their faith. I want to illustrate Jesus’ story to those who attend my performances by communicating as concisely as possible that everyone is loved by God.
During Kole’s two performances at Cleburne Bible Church, 157 people gave their lives to Jesus Christ, said Don Hunt, the church’s evangelism and student ministries pastor.
“It was our hope that Andre’s performances would change lives, and give hope and direction,” Hunt said. “A real relationship with Christ is what changes lives.”
Hunt said Cleburne Bible Church wanted a way to reach out to people who are often not sought out in the community. He said the church definitely reached its goal through the performances of Kole.
“Andre, you have no idea how much you’ve blessed us,” Hunt said. “We are so thankful.”

Misty Shultz can be reached at 817-645-2441, ext. 2336,
or reporter2@trcle.com.

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