A parish priest on Amager has passed one million views on TikTok with humorous videos about Christianity, including dancing the sign of the cross and turning water into an energy drink.
According to reporting by DR, Rasmus Peytz Stephansen has posted comedic videos about Christianity since January. He works as parish priest at Skelgårdskirken in Kastrup and posts under the profile name Pastor Peytz.
His videos have together gathered more than one million views, and the profile has close to 200,000 likes. Stephansen says he is glad so many people find the videos entertaining. He adds that he hopes they show that the Folkekirke is not an old and dusty institution.
Behind the humor is a stated purpose. Stephansen says he wants to introduce young Danes to Danish theology and Danish Christianity, which he says they have not previously been able to find online. He says many young people spend a lot of time online seeking advice on religious, existential and spiritual questions.
Folkekirken also on the platform
Stephansen is not alone in that effort. The Folkekirke has created an official TikTok profile with videos about Danish Christianity. On its own website, Folkekirkens intranet reports 700,000 views in two weeks.
The reason given there is that young Danes mainly encounter Christian content from American megachurches, Russian Orthodox priests and other faith communities when they scroll for answers to life’s big questions. Stephansen says priests in the Danish state church therefore need to be present online.
Energy drinks and criticism
One of the more contested elements in his videos is a white Monster energy drink, which appears repeatedly. Stephansen says energy drinks are normal for many young people. He says a priest making silly dance videos with one in hand makes the church feel more alive and relatable.
The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, Fødevarestyrelsen, advises that children under 15 do not drink energy drinks. It recommends that 15 to 17 year olds limit intake to 0.5 liters per week. Adults are advised to stay under 400 mg of caffeine daily, roughly two 500 ml cans.
Asked by DR whether it is acceptable to use energy drinks to draw children and young people to church, Stephansen said promoting them to children is not defensible. He said children are not his target group, and that his viewers are mainly aged 20 to 35. He has added a written notice to some videos stating that Sundhedsstyrelsen does not recommend energy drinks for anyone under 18.
Stephansen says his private inbox contains many messages from young people. They ask about his videos and seek guidance on how to practice their faith. He says he has not seen more young people attending services at Skelgårdskirken, and that he would confiscate any energy drink a confirmand brought into the church.
