Pastor gets death threats after pole dancing show in French church

A pastor in eastern France says he received death threats after his church hosted a pole dancing show.

Daniel Boessenbacher filed a complaint with the police on Monday (April 3).

Last week, an association called Passions croisées (Crossing passions) rented his Saint Guillaume Protestant church in Strasbourg for two nights to put on a show that mixed lyrical song, dancing and pole dancing.

The 1,000 tickets for the shows sold out, with local news outlet Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace (DNA) saying the place was packed “to the last folding chair”.

The DNA described the show by European pole dancing champion Vincent Grobelny as “virtuous, athletic, gracious, impertinent and according to some sexy”.

Letters were found on Saturday (April 1) pushed under the church door. One called for parish members to be “decapitated” saying “this is not a church, it is a cabaret”, reported DNA.

Mr Boessenbacher said flyers for the show were also found pushed under the door with “death” or “to hell” written on them.

“Didn't plan on spending time at the police station on the first day of Holy Week,” wrote Mr Boessenbacher on Facebook. “But oh well... my open-mindedness stops when pseudo-Christians drop anonymous mails at the parish.

“I write pseudo-Christians because I don't know where, in the Gospels, Jesus asks to send death threats.

“Of course, a complaint was filed.”

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