A pastor denounced an America’s Got Talent sword-swallower as a ‘Jezebel’ trying to ‘seduce men’ after her reckless performance at a megachurch men’s convention.
Alex Magala performed his daring act at the Strongest Men Conference in Missouri on April 11, riding a motorcycle onto the stage, ripping off his shirt, swallowing a sword and sliding down a 40-foot pole as flames erupted behind him .
But not everyone in the congregation enjoyed the America’s Got Talent star’s act, and a later speaker, Pastor Mark Driscoll, denounced it as demonic.
Addressing the crowd, Driscoll said Magala had “the Jezebel spirit to seduce men” and “ripped off her shirt like a woman does in front of a pole in a strip club.”
Host James River Church pastor John Lindell intervened and ordered Driscoll off stage, telling him he was “out of line” and defending Magala as a married family man.
Magala performed his daredevil act on stage at the Strongest Men Conference on April 11.
He rode a motorcycle onto the stage, ripped off his shirt, swallowed a sword and slid down a 40-foot pole as flames erupted behind him.
Pastor Mark Driscoll denounced him as demonic and called him ‘Jezebel’
Alex Magala was invited to perform at the Strongest Men Conference, which “exists to empower and motivate men to live God’s vision of masculinity,” on April 11 alongside well-known religious figures and acts.
His performance went smoothly: the daredevil rode onto the stage on a motorcycle, then pulled a sword from a microphone stand and swallowed it with a flick of his wrist.
He then proceeded to scale a 40-foot pole and slide down headfirst at high speed, all with the sword still at his throat, stopping just inches from the ground. He stopped, arms outstretched in a crossed position, as flame machines exploded behind him.
The act earned him international recognition on both Britain’s and America’s Got Talent, where he reached the final and quarter-finals respectively, but some in the crowd at the James River megachurch were harder to convince.
One of the next speakers at the conference, Pastor Mark Driscoll of Trinity Church in Arizona, took the stage and denounced their performance, saying: ‘Before the word of God was opened, there was a platform. It was a high place.
‘On it was a pole, an Asherah. The same thing used in a strip club for women who have the Jezebel spirit to seduce men. In front of him was a man who tore off his shirt like a woman does in front of a pole in a strip club.’
The organizer, Pastor Lindell, called Driscoll off stage and told him he was “out of line” for criticizing Magala.
Lindell later posted a full rebuke of Driscoll, saying: ‘We ask that you publicly repent for refusing to stop the spread of lies about Alex Magala, a Christian brother.
‘Yes, Alex, like many Christians, has a past, but he has been made a new creation. He has been made a new creation through his faith in Jesus Christ.’
Pastor John Lindell of the megachurch that hosted the conference pulled Driscoll off the stage and apologized to Magala.
He said that Magala is a ‘family man’ and a ‘Christian brother’
After a video of her performance and subsequent reaction was shared online, her fans flocked to Magala.
In his onstage speech, Driscoll was referring in part to Magala’s previous period working in strip clubs.
Magala grew up poor in Moldova and moved to the United States in search of a better life.
He told DailyMail.com in 2016: ‘My childhood dream was to get a bike and I never got it. Everything I achieved, I achieved by myself and without any help.’
When he arrived in the United States, he could not find a job and began working to make ends meet. He said: “I’m here performing for the people and I think it’s totally legitimate.” I have an impeccable reputation. I never drink, I’m never late. I work 100 percent, hard.’
After a video of her performance and the resulting backlash was shared online, her fans flocked to Magala.
One wrote on Instagram: “I’m sorry you were thrust into the center of something that should have been handled with more respect and grace on both sides.”
Another said: “I’m not sure it’s appropriate for a church setting, but if they invited you, that’s up to them.”
After the conference, Magala took to social media to defend herself and criticized Driscoll for criticizing his previous work as a dancer in strip clubs.
He said: ‘I wanted to offer Pastor Mark Driscoll to move to a country on the other side of the planet, like China or Russia, where he had never been before, where he has almost no knowledge of the language, no friends, no family. and 60 dollars in his pocket and we’ll see how he’s going to make it.’
And he added: ‘I know that my way of expressing my faith is different. And let me explain real quick…that’s how I see it.
‘When I perform, I swallow a sword and attempt a death-defying trick, climbing to the top of the pole and then turning upside down.
‘The moment I fell, that for me, is when I gave my life to God. And the moment I stopped an inch short of hitting the ground, that’s the moment God saves me.’