Pete McCahon – escapologist, evangelist, illusionist, TV star, Bible college graduate, comedian and former Crusader – seems like a pretty normal guy. Hardly surprising, except that as I am chatting with him in his living room, I’m surrounded by his own machine gun and items from his handcuff collection!

McCahon, who is based in Luton, tours round the country doing escapology and illusions for both evangelistic events and for pure entertainment shows. He can also be seen on Channel 5 in shows like ‘Monkey Magic’ and ‘Greatest Magic Tricks Ever’. He is fully involved in the Magic Circle (and in fact, edits their in-house magazine) but sees himself, first and foremost, as an evangelist.

Pete was brought up in Surrey and attended Guildford Crusaders for 3 years as an Inter. Despite the relatively short time period, Crusaders and it’s leaders had a profound effect on his life

“Crusaders was a life-changing time of my life. It was formative even though it wasn’t actually that long. I came from a Christian family, went to church and had made a commitment but being a slightly rebellious, unruly teenager, I needed somewhere I could express my faith outside the confines of the church.

My Dad suggested Crusaders and I agreed, reluctantly – I didn’t want to spend Sunday afternoons singing with a bunch of boys! But when I got there I was stunned at the roar of voices – you see, the method of singing was loud, fast and not especially tuneful and it was unlike anything I had experienced in Christian circles before!

We always did great activities – lots of camps and loads of unusual things like sleeping out under the stars and building very unstable rafts for racing on the river. The Easter camp especially, was just a headlong dash of activities! It was action packed and the ‘Key Nights’ were also really engaging – we even did things like car mechanics. We didn’t want to wash cars, we wanted to take them apart, see how they work and then maybe even drive them afterwards. That sort of thing is ‘on the edge’ and it was just what we were after. The thing about Crusaders was it was an excellent combination of being a boy, a man and a Christian – it wasn’t soft like some Christian activities seemed to be.”

Pete acknowledges the huge influence that the Crusader leaders had on his development as a Christian and a young man.

“There was one guy that simply never swore – it was a total fascination to us. Even in pain or frustration, he just appeared to have chosen not to do it. It was a pivotal moment when we realised the example he was setting to us. There was another bloke who had white hair and was as old as time itself – but he was very funny and very caring. He always had time to sit down and listen to you, no matter what you were going through”

So it would seem strange that, despite there being a Seniors section, Pete left the Group before he was 16

One of the most significant moments was the day they said ‘Goodbye’. It wasn’t like they tried to hang on to me ‘til the bitter end. Instead they released me back to my church and youth group. They told me ‘the church needs you’ and I went back empowered to be an active member of the church and the community. I was involved in leadership, not just allowed to run the tuck shop.

At first I was upset as I thought Crusaders were trying to push me out – but the leaders took me aside and explained. They told me that it was a responsibility to be sent out from them and I was like an ambassador dispatched from Crusaders”

The empowerment that was offered him by his leaders had a significant ripple effect as Pete decided to throw himself into mission.

“One of the first things I did was go off to summer missions with YWAM and London City Mission. It was so different from going to a Christian holiday ‘cos we were putting our faith into action in a very real and practical way and we came back with experiences that our friends could only dream of. They went to the Algarve and sat on the beach but I spent my time sitting in a cardboard box talking about God with homeless people on Oxford Street or handing out coffee at 4am to people in Covent Garden. I came back enthused and empowered for mission.

Fortunately, my youth leaders recognised the importance of that action and didn’t try to stifle it. They gave responsibilities and if you failed, that didn’t matter ‘cos they would pick you up and start again. Eventually, it led to me joining a mission team for a whole year”

Pete connected with Steve Flashman, who planned to buy a bus, convert it into a youth club and take it round the country to different churches. Pete headed up the drama team and travelled all over Europe with Steve. He soon wanted to join a larger organisation, but his church leaders wanted him to go to Bible College.

“I wanted to be an evangelist for young people, not go to Bible College with a load of old dead people! However, it turned out to be the best three years of my life, in terms of Christian training”

So, reluctantly, Pete went to Moorlands Bible College, where he wrestled with his faith considerably but ultimately, where he started to use his childhood interest in magic, to give him an effective tool for evangelism

“Pete Green came and did a course called ‘Magic For Children’s Talks’ and I thought that was a great idea. So I learned those 12 tricks, thinking that was all I’d ever need. However, by the time I left college, people were already referring to me as ‘Pete the magician’ and I’d pick up many more illusions!”

Pete initially went back to Steve Flashman to work for Soapbox, before joining YWAM to do a ‘Discipleship Training Scheme’ course. On it’s completion, he became a full-time evangelist with YWAM and stayed there for 4 or 5 years. Next Pete joined Oasis as one of their national evangelists until after a further 4 years, he broke away to set up as an independent evangelist

“It didn’t really make a huge difference to me. People seemed not to book me because I was ‘Pete from Oasis’ but rather because I was ‘Pete the magician’. However, Oasis were really great and assisted me getting started on my own”

Pete McCahon is not what most people would visualise when they picture an evangelist – I doubt he even owns a big black Bible! However, he is passionate about seeing people come to know Jesus Christ.

“Recently, there seems to have been a move away from evangelism in the church and people seem more keen to hold prayer events and praise parties. While there is no denying that the single most important thing about being a Christian is to know God and have a relationship with Him, it can’t just stop there. What about those who have absolutely no contact with the church? They’re not going to come to a praise party!

We need to build relationships with people – with the husbands who’s wives come to church; with the kids standing on street corners – and we need to realise that successful evangelism isn’t limited to the number of people who sign up that day! People wonder why, when you hand out leaflets on the street for an afternoon, people don’t all suddenly become Christians – it’s hardly surprising when you consider the many years of conditioning people have inside them.

Part of building relationship comes from being relaxed around non-Christians and I believe that’s where I come in. I’m like a ‘pre-evangelist’ and show people that just because we’re Christians, it doesn’t mean that we’re lunatics or cult members, wearing permanent grins. We do love God but we’re actually just like them.”

Pete, like most Christian illusionists has experienced criticism from people equating his shows with the occult. He includes full details about the issue on his website (www.mccahon.co.uk) but doesn’t really find it so much of a problem any more.

“I used to send out leaflets with all this stuff on, to explain the lack of connection between stage magic and the occult, but I don’t now. I felt it actually drew attention to the debate and that was unnecessary. After all, who would actually book me and then complain about my methods – that doesn’t make any sense. The sort of people who have a problem with what I do, probably wouldn’t cross my path anyway.”

Looking back at his evangelistic credentials, Pete sometimes finds the Christian world to be a little short-sighted in the way it classifies Christians in the public eye.

“Sometimes I look at others who are asked to write articles and give their opinions about youth work and wonder whether others look at me and write me off as ‘just a magician’. That can be a little depressing but then if people were always chasing me for assignments, then I probably wouldn’t enjoy that either. Most people wouldn’t know that I studied at Bible college and probably wouldn’t realise the training I have had. But then how useful can the original Greek derivations of Scripture be to a comedy-magician evangelist?!

With Pete’s recent appearances on ‘Monkey Magic’ and other magic-related TV shows, his profile has been furthered raised but it’s not exactly something that has been a life-long ambition.

“I’m almost 40 and my ambition to be on TV is limited to the fact that I enjoy doing it but I have no designs on being a celebrity. I like the sort of live work I do now and the TV world is not the sort of place that is welcoming to a guy like me. Let’s face it, I’m an older, bald, big guy and I don’t need people telling me that I’m the ‘wrong type of person’ for television.

Having said that, I’m sure that my distinctive image had something to do with my getting the job on ‘Monkey Magic’ – I’m sure they thought I was funny and talented but there’s no denying my look helped me get a foot in the door. When I auditioned, I needed a tape of my work and the only thing I had was some of my evangelistic show where I was preaching. I was worried that they would think I was a big freak but then, I guess I am, and I have never been one to hide my beliefs!

The rest of the team are a little disturbed by my work outside the TV show but they do accept me and seem to appreciate me as a person. It’s weird though, that sometimes they tell me stuff that they wouldn’t tell others but they also end their conversations too when I’m around. Like they’ve decided that I wouldn’t enjoy whatever it was they were talking about”

There are, of course, major advantages to being on TV – both as a magician and as an evangelist.

“It’s really fun and I get to do things that ordinary magicians just wouldn’t get to do. Magicians are basically just big kids and we get to play with toys. Being on TV means you get to play with even bigger toys!

However, the main reason why I do the show is so that more people will want to come to my live show where I get to share the Gospel. If people feel more confident coming along or bringing their friends after seeing me on TV, then it’s been worth it. It’s perhaps sad that the world is like that and being on TV makes you more desirable than another similar magician but if more people get a chance to experience something of the Gospel story, then I’m happy to use the TV show as such a tool. Whether Channel 5 see themselves as the first stage of evangelism, is another question I guess!”

Coming full circle, Pete is quick to commend the current Crusader leaders and encourage them in their individual roles

“The Crusader leader’s role is a vital one. Who knows what effect you’ll be having on someone? Who knows when the slightest thing or the smallest word will make a difference? And who knows which of your group will be the one to go on to do amazing things in the future?

If it hadn’t been for those leaders taking the time to put up with me and all my teenage angst – all that anger and frustration I had inside and not knowing how to express my faith and still be a rebel – well, I don’t think I would have been doing the things I do now.”

Paul Windo

Media Co-ordinator

This article was written in August 2004, following an extensive interview during the summer of 2004. Sadly, Pete McCahon passed away on December 15th 2004, following a heart attack, aged only 39. This has come as a great shock to us all as Pete was a fantastic guy, full of energy and life and as a great friend and supporter of Crusaders, he had performed at numerous events in the last few years. We thank God for his life and that he is now with the Lord but also remember his family in our prayers at this difficult time.

We continue to include this article as a tribute to the wonderful person and ministry that God blessed us with, through the life of Pete McCahon

Matt Summerfield, Executive Director - 16 December 2004