When Christian illusionists David and Kylie Knight want to quickly capture an audience’s attention, they have been known to make it “snow” inside or cause objects to disappear.
But there is a method to their madness.
By using over-the-top object lessons, the husband-and-wife team entertains audiences in a variety of settings while sharing the gospel with all ages.
With a distinctive blend of humor, illusions and stunts to teach valuable lessons, the Knights have become popular entertainers for sports award nights, children’s programs, youth events, retreats and church services.
How it began
The Knights began their ministry in 2007, and have since had opportunities to travel around the world and reach audiences with the gospel message.
“We have taken our show on international mission trips, performed in prisons, and we have worked with camps, ministries and churches all around the world,” David Knight said. “Before that, Kylie and I had been working as the backstage crew for one of the top touring secular illusion shows in the country. When we weren’t on the road with them, we were doing some local and regional shows on our own.
“One night, we were performing our own show at Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia, where we had been invited for a second year to entertain their staff at a Christmas party,” Knight recalled. “While we were backstage waiting to go on, God showed me a vision of how to use all that we had learned about performing high-quality, family-friendly shows in theaters and performing arts centers and bringing it to the church to help them draw crowds and spread God’s Word.”
Kylie grew up in Melbourne, Australia and was raised in a Christian home; but David admitted he dabbled with Christianity as a child and did not really come to faith until he was 19. At that time, he attended an event featuring Christian illusionist André Kole, who helped bring the gospel to life for him.
“André was an illusionist and an inventor of illusions,” Knight explained. “He was the creative consultant to David Copperfield for many years. However, André was also a committed Christian and evangelist who used his shows to share the gospel. It was at one of those shows that I accepted Christ. Following that show, I was privileged to travel with André and his team.”
Knight not only learned about performing illusions, but also was discipled and grew in his faith.
Lives transformed
As a result of their innovative ministry, the Knights often hear after their shows testimonies of lives being transformed for God’s glory.
“One of the testimonies we heard of life change taking place … was of a Buddhist father who was unwilling to step into a church building for fear of being converted,” Knight related. “He came to see our show to support his son at a sports awards night.
“Realizing that he was made in God’s image, he approached the pastor afterward to say, ‘What’s my next step?’”
At a student camp a teen “handed over to Kylie the razor blades she had been using to cut herself and said, ‘I don’t need these anymore.’”
“After another show, a senior citizen approached us and shared that she had been in church all her life. With tears in her eyes, she told us how much she needed to be reminded of her value as God’s image bearer,” Knight recalled. “We also heard from a lady who was widowed several months ago who told us this is the first time she had laughed since she lost her husband, and thanked us for bringing a smile to her face again.”
Hope and healing
By providing a night of hope and healing for audiences, the Knights remind them of God’s divine power, plan and purpose for their lives.
“We love that God has given us a message that everyone needs to hear,” he said. “This world is filled with conflicting ideas on our identity [so] we need to be reminded about Who created us and why He did.
“At each of our shows, we are going to share the message of our value and uniqueness as beings created in the image of God — a message that is powerful and beautiful and sets up the Church to be the face of the gospel in their community.”
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