But It Is the Biggest Event of the School Year!

by Greg Litmer
in That Ye May Grow Thereby

It comes every year. You walk through the mall and see that J.C. Penney's, Sears, and Macy's have rack after rack of formals for sale, and the tuxedo rental shops are advertising special deals. Before too long a lot of young Christians across the land are going to have to answer what is, for many of them, a very difficult question: "Should I go to the Prom?" Please allow me to suggest a few things that might help you if you are faced with that question and that might help parents assist their teenagers in making the right decision.

First of all, a prom is a glorified dance. I know this because I went to several of them before I learned the truth. Sure, everybody gets dressed up, trips to the beauty salon are made, flowers are given, and special pictures are taken. But before too long those expensive shoes come off the feet of the girls, and the cummerbunds will be off of the guys, along with those formal bow ties and rented coats, and it will be just like any other dance.

I hope you are not, but at this point, some might be saying, "So what? What's wrong with going to a dance?" I've never seen clogging at a prom, and I don't think they square dance there, so let's admit that we are talking about modern dancing. In Galatians 5:19 Paul mentions several "works of the flesh." He wrote, "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness..." There are several definitions of the word "lasciviousness" -- lewd, wanton, unchaste bodily movements, unchaste handling. Take your pick; any one of them fits modern dancing. Indeed, any one of them may very well be the point of modern dancing.

Someone may be saying now, "Well, I won't dance." This little article is being written by one of the all-time non-dancers. But you know what? you will not have your eyes closed. You will be watching. Let's be honest, especially you guys. The ones you will be watching will be the best dancers, and the best dancers are generally the ones who are dancing in the most provocative way. Please, don't sin through lasciviousness or through lustful gazing. Don't put yourself in that position.

Secondly, while I haven't read about it in the newspaper or heard about it in the evening news, there must be a worldwide shortage of material. How else can we explain all the formals that do not cover the shoulder (not even the little bitty straps), the majority of the chest, or a major portion of the thighs? If we admit that there is no shortage of material, aren't we also admitting that those formals are designed the way they are to attract attention? Maybe you wouldn't wear that kind of dress, but I guarantee you that the majority of the girls at the prom will be wearing just that kind of dress. Whatever happened to shamefacedness, or the ability to blush? Why would any young woman go out in public with half her chest, all of her shoulders, and a large portion of her thighs exposed, if not to attract attention? Now tell me, what good can possibly be said about that?

There is one more thing I want to mention. The prom had a problem attached to it that the other dances didn't seem to have to the same extent. Almost all of the guys had a Five-Step Preparatory Program that they went through for the prom. It went like this: a. Get a date. b. Rent a tux. c. Buy flowers. d. Make dinner reservations. e. Make sure you have access to something alcoholic to drink.

Now I'm sure you wouldn't do that. And hopefully, your date wouldn't do that. But a whole lot of the people driving to and from that prom will have done it. As I read the paper every year and read of another prom night accident, I can see that it hasn't changed one iota. It is exactly the same. What a silly waste of time, energy, and potential! Young Christians, don't take part in something that is just not good.

Paul made an interesting statement in Romans 6:21: "What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death." Maybe the Prom seems big to you now, but don't take part in something that you are just going to be ashamed of having done later on.