LET’S TALK ABOUT OVER-DANCING IN CHURCH
This is by far the most referenced Bible passage in conversation about dancing during church gatherings. Believers are often encouraged to “dance for the Lord, just as David also danced until there was a complaint from his wife.” So, that is our topic of interest today. Can there ever be something called "too much dancing”? I mean, are there no limits at all; is there ever a point where it becomes extreme and inappropriate for a believer?
Do you know that there are churches that have completely banned any dancing practices in their assemblies? Their argument is that such a behaviour does not align with the dignified, holy character of Christ's sheep. Others, however, are at the opposite end of the discussion. They sincerely believe that God's people should be free to express themselves with their bodily movements in praise to God. To kill themselves on the dance floor. After all, "Didn't David dance for the Lord?" they ask. They go on to argue that the people of the world are able to fully express themselves in their wild parties. Why not the people of God?
In my humble opinion, these are both extremes that must be avoided. First, dancing is definitely good for the Christian soul. At best, it is commanded in Scripture (Psalms 150:4). We should be at liberty to serve the Lord with everything in us, including our bodily movements (1 Cor 10:31). Nevertheless, there is also a point at which those dance moves become irreverent, carnal and undignified—embarrassing is the right term. That is what I call over-dancing in church. Here is how we can discern and avoid it:
1.) When it infringes upon the Christian dignity - By the way, these were the words of David’s wife: “How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants…” (2 Sam 6:20). In my viewpoint, these were valid concerns. That is, as much as the King had good intentions of praising the Lord, He still had servants and other people who would lose that sense of respect because of his dance moves—however he was doing it. I don’t think anyone can dispute the fact that there is something godly and Christlike about a quiet, reserved and self-controlled individual. Especially in the midst of other people. It has that sense of respectability. On the other end, there is something undesirable about someone who is loud, all over the place and out of control. Therefore, I would encourage believers to dance indeed, yet not without a great deal of self-control. If your “dancing for the Lord” is at the expense of your dignity and respect that characterises the Christian spirit, then it is ungodly and, of course, wrong.
2.) When it brings more attention to the "dancers" - The very idea of a stage performance is just that: to perform and impress the audience. When something similar is adopted during a believers' gathering in the name of “dancing for Jesus”, we have a problem. Looking at David again, it says he was “leaping and dancing before the Lord.” Not before the people. It means, even if there was a crowd that was witnessing the whole spectacle (possibly impressed by it), from David’s perspective, it wasn’t for them. The Lord was the audience. Therefore, we all have to ask ourselves: those moves we do during the praise session, is it really for God, or are we just impressing one another?
3.) When it becomes the centre of a church gathering - Have you ever been to a Christian service where God’s people leave dissatisfied because the praise team sounded cold somehow? It’s because we have been conditioned to believe that for a service to reach its fulfilment, it has to be “enjoyable” in the fleshly sense. Apparently, real praise is when the music beat feels so good to the point where we all cannot help it but jump in excitement and frenzy. For that reason, that praise & dancing time has become the most prominent session in a majority of Pentecostal churches. You can be late for the prayer session, but not for praise & worship. You can doze off during preaching, as long as you were fully awake when everybody was killing it on the dancefloor. Those are misplaced priorities among the saints. The word of God (Scripture), taught and heard, is and must always be the reason we go to church.
4.) When it becomes a stumbling block to others (temptation) - The world's nightclubs have something called “exotic dancing.” That is when females dance and perform seductively to an audience of men only. We all know the end of that story. The same can happen in the house of God if we are not careful. Someone can dance in such a way as to tempt another believer. Moving your body (especially from women) can have negative implications on fellow brethren, spiritually. Someone can be led to stumble. Therefore, as much as I would encourage Christ to rejoice in the Lord through song and dance, I still believe there should be limits and boundaries to it. Otherwise, we do not want to be guilty of undoing the very thing we have so laboured to build.
5.) When it is used to attract unbelievers - The greatest question that the church has struggled with over the years is: how do we convince people to come to church? Now, guess the easiest method of them all? Entertainment. Believe me, it’s not that difficult to get a thousand people to come to our ministry. We just have to find the most gifted singers and the best keyboard player (a professional band). Some even go as far as inviting worldly celebrities, flashing lights and fog machines. Even the song lyrics fall victim: we ignore the message they are trying to convey, and remix it into a danceable tune—so that we can all dance! The ultimate hope is that unbelievers will relate and be so impressed with our music performance until they feel comfortable to stay. Wrong! As I have said it before, we do not need to look like the world to win the world to Christ. They come to the house of worship because they are already fed up with parties and nightclubs. They are seeking something unique: a gathering of the holy ones. Words from a godly man: “If you have to use carnal means to bring men to church, then you will have to keep using those carnal means to keep them coming.”
Friends, once again thank you for pondering this difficult matter with me. We must always be free to rejoice in our Lord, and glorify Him with our bodies. That is the ultimate goal. However, not at the cost of our Christian reverence. If we can no longer make a distinction between a pagan concept and a Christian sanctuary, a nightclub and a prayer session, then we have crossed a line. I take my seat.
Sinothi Ncube
Related Content...
Comments
Post a Comment