Some Thoughts About Dancing…
The Dreaded “D” Word
Defining Dancing…
Dancing is a natural physical response to music and rhythm.
Throughout history all cultures have used dancing in a variety of
ways. There are four basic purposes for dancing that are a
universal phenomena…
Four Types of Dancing:
1. ADORATION – Dancing as an expression of worship.
2. CELEBRATION – Dancing as an expression of thankfulness
or joy because of a specific blessing.
3. PROCLAMATION – Dancing as a means to communicate a
message.
4. RECREATION – Dancing as a means of physical exercise and
fun.
Prepared by Bruxy Cavey, Teaching Pastor
WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS...
Old Testament:
• Psalm 149:3 and Psalm 150:4 – Dancing was a commanded
form of worship for God's people.
Question: Why should this have changed?
• Psalm 30:11 – “You turned my wailing into dancing…”
• Ecclesiastes 3:4 – To everything there is a season... "a time
to mourn and a time to dance…” – Dancing is contrasted with
mourning as the appropriate expression of joy.
• Exodus 15:19-21 – Miriam the prophetess led in dancing as a
celebration for the victory God had given them.
• 1 Samuel 18:6-7 (also 21:11 and 29:5) – The women danced
in the streets and sang to celebrate Israel's victory at battle.
• 2 Samuel 6:14-16 – David danced in public celebration (also
in 1 Chronicles 15:29, David was "dancing and celebrating”).
• Jeremiah 31:4, 13 - God prophesies that Israel will dance as
an expression of their joy.
New Testament:
• Matthew 22:1-10 and Luke 14:15-24 – Jesus likened the
Kingdom of God to a wedding feast. While dancing is not
mentioned specifically, to the Jewish mind this meant a time
for eating, drinking, and dancing in joyful celebration.
• Luke 15:25 – The Parable of the Lost Son – When the
prodigal son returns home how does his father celebrate? A
feast with music and dancing (vs. 23-25). God the Father
encourages celebration with music and dancing!
HISTORICAL COMMENTS
RESPONDING TO OBJECTIONS...
The Complete Library of Christian Worship, Volume 1: "Dance is a
regular feature of Israel's festive worship and is viewed as an act
of obedience to the Lord, for his praise and glory. References to
dancing abound in the Old Testament…Psalm 150:4 commands
us to praise God in dance."
Objection 1: “But isn't all dancing just a form of seduction?”
“All” dancing cannot be seductive, for God's word encourages it.
Yes, as with any good thing abuses exist, but that gives Christians
no license to abandon a gift of God.
Debbie Robens, Rejoice: A Biblical Study of the Dance: "Anytime
Israel would gather together, dance could be found in her midst.
She was a dancing nation. A whole city would take part. The
young and old were found dancing together…The dance was
highly respected in Israel…Kings were dancing, prophets were
dancing, armies were dancing, everyone danced!"
By the time of Christ, Hebraic worship had changed. It had
become institutionalized. Dance, spontaneity, and joyful worship
had degenerated into ritual thanks to the legalistic rule of the
Pharisees and the Sadducees.
But God's remnant have always been a people of dance.
The Complete Library of Christian Worship, Volume 1: "Church
leaders who oppose dancing in worship frequently say dancing is
not mentioned in the New Testament. Such a statement reflects
little understanding of the Greek text.” …Goes on to point out that
words used to describe dancing in Greek literature are used 43
times in the New Testament usually translated “rejoice” or “leap”
or “leap for joy”.
Most church historians agree that dance of some form continued
to be a part of early Christian worship up to the time of
Constantine (313 AD). Unfortunately, the banning of dance in the
Church simply promoted dance outside the church.
Today, danceless worship is more a product of the Pharisees than
the Scriptures, and more a product of Constantine than Christ.
It is also interesting to note that it was the heresy of Gnosticism
that elevated the spiritual to the point of making the body a
disgraceful thing. Today, those who oppose dancing as being 'of
the flesh' may be more influenced by Gnostic attitudes than
Christian theology.
Objection 2: “Even if the Bible encourages dance, that was at a
time when dancing was pure. Today things have changed –
modern dancing is seductive and ungodly.”
Seductive dance is nothing new. The world has always produced
sinful alternatives to godly gifts. In Old Testament days, Israel was
surrounded by pagan nations who used dance in seductive and
sinful ways – but that didn't stop Israel from setting the example of
righteous dancing. In the New Testament we see that the
daughter of Herodius (Salome) dances to seduce Herod into
granting her John the Baptist's head (Matthew 14:6-7). But that
didn't stop the Father of the prodigal son from encouraging dance
as a form of celebration in his house.
The biblical response to abuses is never to abandon what is good,
but to set a right example.
In Exodus 32:19, we see that Israel actually adopted the pagan
ways of the Egyptians and used dancing to celebrate sin and
worship the golden calf. The lesson for us is two-fold.
a) Dancing, like other good gifts from above, can be perverted.
b) Even knowing that risk and having seen it happen to his
people in the past, God still commands dancing for his people
later in Scripture (Psalm 149 and 150). For God, the risk is
obviously worth it! According to Scripture, God's people have
never had a problem with dancing. Even Jesus compares the
nature of his ministry to one playing a flute to encourage
others to join in the dance (Matthew 11:17 and Luke 7:32).
Let's not be like the Pharisees who allowed religion to keep
them from celebrating life God's way.
CONCLUSION
I hope this hodgepodge of information is helpful. In my personal
life and at organized church dances (e.g., Cavey's Cave) I seek to
use the God-given gift of dance as a pure form of celebration,
recreation, and even worship. Christian music sets the pace and
individuals dance before the Lord with all their might. I invite you,
the reader, to push past tradition and comfort to join us in the
dance!