Baptists and Dancing...what's the deal??
Come on Baptists....get with the times...Let's go dancing!!
Why aren't Baptists allowed to dance? "Allowed" is probably the wrong word...because we all as Christians make choices every day as to the things that we will or won't do based on either Scripture or on how it will affect the people around us.
So the real question is...what does the Bible say about dancing?
Now, if your argument for dancing is that he Bible doesn't explicitly forbid it...then you are right...but with a slight caveat...
The Bible doesn't forbid it...but it does provide examples that we can learn from.
In Exodus 32, Israel's history takes a disappointing turn as they build an idol while Moses is away. ...Remember..the golden calf? ...and their Idol worship involved singing, dancing...God himself called it corrupt behavior
The contrast of this is Exodus 15:20, where Miriam dances joyfully to celebrate God's victory at the Red Sea.
Do you remember II Samuel 6:12-16 where David dances before the Lord in celebration of the Ark of the Covenant's being returned to Jerusalem.
-And David danced before the LORD with all his might;
So these examples help us to see both the potential for dancing to be used in a positive role in expressing worship and joy but also to be misused and to be part of corrupt and sensual behavior.
Ecclesiastes 3:4 reminds us that there's a time and a place for everything, including a time to dance. Psalms 149:3 and 150:4 highlight dancing as a valid and appropriate form of worship to God. All instances of dancing not explicitly condemned in the Bible are specifically connected to worship or praise of God.
But that is where we need to draw the line Biblically...because dancing that draws attention to yourself or your body...or dancing that is sensual in nature...there is clear Biblical teaching in regards to that type of dancing....and it would be considered sinful based on a few very important passages.
And I would guess that when you are confronted with dancing in culture as a choice for Christians to either participate in or to refrain from...it is probably this type of dancing that we are struggling with.
In 1 Corinthians 7:1-3
1 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. 2 Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. 3 Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.
Paul has been addressing fornication, and how sensual sins affect the body...He just said in I Corinthians 6 that we are not our own, we are bought with a price...because our bodies are the temple of God!
Paul is acknowledging the powerful nature of human sexuality and so we can understand that for certain types of dancing...when the focus is on the movement of the body, when the purpose is to excite the senses...Paul is warning us against that type of entertainment.
2 Timothy 2:22 Paul states..Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Paul is encouraging Timothy to flee from sinful desires, including desires that would arise from sensual and arousing dancing.
I would add that I Thessalonians 5:22 provides a great general guideline: if something seems potentially sinful, it's best to avoid it.
So ultimately, the Bible recognizes that dancing can be a positive expression of worship, of celebration...so long as it avoids temptation for yourself or for others and it is a dancing of celebration and rejoicing..
But the last time I checked, that type of dancing isn't what is happening down at the club!
