2008 Woodie Awards
Vote Absentee
Magic show starts splendid, ends disappointing
Justin Shilhanek / Guest Columnist
Issue date: 4/14/08 Section: Opinion
I am writing as a very concerned student regarding Andre Kohl, the magician who was supposed to visit UNL on Tuesday.
My friend Elaine and I saw a poster promising levitation and a disappearing Statue of Liberty, and we were immediately interested. Elaine's father used to be a magician, so she has always had a soft spot for that type of fun.
I, on the other hand, anticipated a hokey little show but was hoping for some cool magic, a few laughs and of course have a fun night with one of my best friends.
We talked about this magician for days before the actual show and convinced our friend Kyle to join us at Hardin Hall for the night.
So we arrived for the show at 6:45 - early, mind you, to be sure we had good seats. Elaine was absolutely ecstatic, and we were chatting excitedly about her hopes to participate.
The first half of the show was actually good, although Andre himself was not present. His son, Tim, had to fill in.
The first trick definitely caught my attention and, while not amazing, the rest were entertaining at the least. And this is the point where the story turns from fun and laughs to disappointment and definite irritation, even anger.
Another magician came out for a segment apparently devised and performed by Andre, were he present.
But another magician came on stage and when he began, I cringed. "I understand that some of you were not aware of the spiritual aspect of this show," he began, "so if anyone might feel uncomfortable or" - he paused - "scared, please feel free to go."
I could tell from the condescending tone of his voice and sarcastic gesture he made with his hands that the next 40 minutes might be hell, but nevertheless, my friends and I sat down and listened.
This no-name magician, or dare I say preacher, then went into a rant on prophecies of the Bible and how Jesus Christ is the universal and sole savior for mankind.
I won't bore you with the details, but I will add that he included his conviction that we are in our final days and that all Indians with marks on their foreheads - regardless of their religious convictions - will burn in hell because nobody with marks on their foreheads or right hands will be permitted to enter heaven.
But remember, this magician did mention that anybody could leave if they felt uncomfortable.
I assure you, we did.
But what makes me so concerned, beyond the fact that there are still people in this world willing to spread the name of Jesus through fear and condemnation, rather than love and acceptance, is that nowhere on any advertisement for the incredible Andre Kohl was there a hint of the spiritual tirade that made up over half of this show.
Yes, there was a small blurb on the bottom of the posters that stated "Sponsored by Campus Crusade for Christ," but this was both unnoticeable and vague.
I am not adamantly opposed to religion; on the contrary, I was raised in a Catholic home and attend mass with my family whenever I go back home. I am concerned because the Crusaders on campus, in addition to Andre and his magical cohorts, were both deceitful and disappointing.
Five dollars - the cost of admission - is not a huge sum to me, but believe me, we will be pushing to get our money back.
I refuse to contribute to such a misleading, dishonest and grossly confused organization.
Justin Shilhanek is a Freshman Psychology and Spanish major.
My friend Elaine and I saw a poster promising levitation and a disappearing Statue of Liberty, and we were immediately interested. Elaine's father used to be a magician, so she has always had a soft spot for that type of fun.
I, on the other hand, anticipated a hokey little show but was hoping for some cool magic, a few laughs and of course have a fun night with one of my best friends.
We talked about this magician for days before the actual show and convinced our friend Kyle to join us at Hardin Hall for the night.
So we arrived for the show at 6:45 - early, mind you, to be sure we had good seats. Elaine was absolutely ecstatic, and we were chatting excitedly about her hopes to participate.
The first half of the show was actually good, although Andre himself was not present. His son, Tim, had to fill in.
The first trick definitely caught my attention and, while not amazing, the rest were entertaining at the least. And this is the point where the story turns from fun and laughs to disappointment and definite irritation, even anger.
Another magician came out for a segment apparently devised and performed by Andre, were he present.
But another magician came on stage and when he began, I cringed. "I understand that some of you were not aware of the spiritual aspect of this show," he began, "so if anyone might feel uncomfortable or" - he paused - "scared, please feel free to go."
I could tell from the condescending tone of his voice and sarcastic gesture he made with his hands that the next 40 minutes might be hell, but nevertheless, my friends and I sat down and listened.
This no-name magician, or dare I say preacher, then went into a rant on prophecies of the Bible and how Jesus Christ is the universal and sole savior for mankind.
I won't bore you with the details, but I will add that he included his conviction that we are in our final days and that all Indians with marks on their foreheads - regardless of their religious convictions - will burn in hell because nobody with marks on their foreheads or right hands will be permitted to enter heaven.
But remember, this magician did mention that anybody could leave if they felt uncomfortable.
I assure you, we did.
But what makes me so concerned, beyond the fact that there are still people in this world willing to spread the name of Jesus through fear and condemnation, rather than love and acceptance, is that nowhere on any advertisement for the incredible Andre Kohl was there a hint of the spiritual tirade that made up over half of this show.
Yes, there was a small blurb on the bottom of the posters that stated "Sponsored by Campus Crusade for Christ," but this was both unnoticeable and vague.
I am not adamantly opposed to religion; on the contrary, I was raised in a Catholic home and attend mass with my family whenever I go back home. I am concerned because the Crusaders on campus, in addition to Andre and his magical cohorts, were both deceitful and disappointing.
Five dollars - the cost of admission - is not a huge sum to me, but believe me, we will be pushing to get our money back.
I refuse to contribute to such a misleading, dishonest and grossly confused organization.
Justin Shilhanek is a Freshman Psychology and Spanish major.
Viewing Comments 1 - 8 of 13
Tim
posted 4/14/08 @ 3:20 PM CST
I mean this in the nicest of ways, but welcome to the real world, Justin. Everybody has been to an event (often a movie or a presentation) where the material presented was not exactly what we expected. (Continued…)
Tobias Davis
posted 4/14/08 @ 5:37 PM CST
I myself being an unapologetic Christian, find myself frustrated by such "ministry opportunities" as these. I also saw the flier and did not notice the "Campus Crusade" mark, and I also thought the flier was saying that Andre himself would be here. (Continued…)
Campus Crusade for Christ
posted 4/14/08 @ 10:56 PM CST
"Campus Crusade's Response to Justin Mr. Shilhanek's Column in the DN"
On Monday, April 14, 2008, the Daily Nebraskan published an opinion column by Justin Shilhanek regarding a magic show we sponsored on East Campus on Tuesday, April 8. (Continued…)
Allen Ratliff
posted 4/15/08 @ 1:15 PM CST
I am quite sure that the Crusader(s) who wrote this lovely little response had all of the best intentions in mind in assaulting the opinion of a concerned student, but I must say I am uncomfortable with how they went about it. (Continued…)
Richard
posted 4/15/08 @ 11:46 PM CST
I found the poster, advertising the event, to be fairly easy to understand. By noticing who was sponsoring the event, Campus Crusade for Christ, I could deduce that there could be a possible spiritual message. (Continued…)
Brad Henderson
posted 4/16/08 @ 4:26 PM CST
I am not a Christian but I have attended Mr. Kole's show. The magic portion was quite good and there was a short intermission which allowed those not interested in the topic to follow to leave. (Continued…)
Justin Shilhanek
posted 4/17/08 @ 3:27 PM CST
Just to give a final update on how this story ends, I would like to mention that I did meet with several members of the Campus Crusade for Christ. They sent me a message that expressed a desire to ameliorate any negative feelings we had toward one another and to apologize for the outcome of the show. (Continued…)
Terry
posted 9/18/08 @ 7:41 PM CST
I really don't believe all the above story is true. Having been to an Andre Kole performance, there was only a very small portion of the program (which was just one effect) that was dedicated to sharing the Gospel which was next to the last part of the program. (Continued…)
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