Dancing in the church?

Happy children so easily dance. Couples in love so easily dance. Filled with joy, I can easily dance, but in my home when no one is watching. If joy is expressed in dancing or at least twirling around to music real or imagined, why do most congregations frown on it?

My question is stirred by Tozer’s thoughts on what it means to be filled with the Spirit of God. He says, “The Spirit will make the believing child of God generous, but He will never make him foolish! He will make him happy, but He will never make him silly! The Spirit will warm the inner life of the Christian’s being, but he will never lead him to do the things that would cause him to hang his head in shame afterward.”

When I mentioned dancing as worship, my husband reminded me that David did it. His wife rebuked him for it, perhaps because his garments flew up and exposed him, but David said, “It was before the Lord, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the Lord—and I will celebrate before the Lord.” (2 Samuel 6:21)

The New Testament passage for today describes some expected results of being filled with the Spirit:

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5:15–21)

Tozer says we must display the “loftiest fruits of the Spirit of God with the Spirit Himself in control of our emotions and our affections” and that our emotional life ought to be in His control. Reading this put all sorts of things in my mind. I’m a conservative worshiper and might raise my hands or tap my toes, but I think of African churches, Pentecostal worshipers, others who are more demonstrative. If it seems they are merely ‘attention-getting’ that is one thing, but even in our church of mostly conservative worshipers, some seem wholly devoted to God with more emotional movement than most others. It raises the question: who decides what is appropriate?

To say our “reason is sanctified” and some are “swept from their mooring in the Word of God” by their worship style can be totally subjective. Who can determine “mental poise” or “common sense” from an “hypnotic influence”? Do any of us address one another in psalms and hymns? That might be considered abnormal too?

Bible study reveals that dance was a common feature of Old Testament religion. The psalmist even says, “Let them praise his name with dancing.” (Psalm 149:3) However, there is little said in the New Testament. Jesus referred to dancing when celebrating the return of the prodigal but there is no dancing in worship. Some Jewish sects demonstrated devotion with dancing or swaying, but all the early church writers condemned it. This was probably because of the current culture where dancing had become a debauched pastime and was practiced by heretical groups.

This changed during the Middle Ages. While the Reformers did not favor it and Pietism thought it sinful, the Puritans allowed it if done to the glory of God or for edification or as a recuperation from labor. In the Russian Orthodox Church, dance demonstrated ecstatic experiences in worship.

Historic churches viewed charismatic congregations as either a way to contain those enthusiastic in worship, or a threat that would draw these people away. I’ve been in a few of those charismatic congregations and my sense of it is that some are deeply involved in worship and their expression of it, and some are merely drawing attention to themselves by their movements. Again, this is highly subjective.

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Jesus, I realize I cannot know the hearts of Your people like You do. What I observe could be 180 degrees from what is actual. For me, the answer is not to judge, but to know the voice of Your Spirit and follow it. Others may be doing the same, or they may not, but as Your Word says, if they belong to You, then it is Your responsibility to bring them to where You want them to be. Their attitudes and actions of worship might not seem reasonable to me but any judgment I make must be according to Your grace and the illumination of Your Spirit, not about personal preference. Keep my heart and my worship yielded to Your will.