Dancing
by Michael Pickford
There is considerable confusion and even some debate over the idea of dancing. Some believe dancing is a sin simply because it is dancing. However, the Bible does not condemn dancing in itself. It never says, “Thou shalt not dance.” To the contrary, the Bible says that there is “a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:4). The problem comes when the type of dance being done involves indecent bodily movements. God does condemn certain types of dancing by way of principle.
I was reading an article in the paper about rules and regulations that certain schools had imposed on their proms. Some of the rules were printed in the article, and the wording was rather descriptive. The reality, however, was that the rules were only describing exactly what was taking place on the dance floor. Any dance in which the “sex act” was simulated was forbidden. The fact is, most of our modern dances involve movements of the body that can serve to trigger sexual thoughts in the minds of the viewers and the participants. The multi-million dollar business of strippers, lap dancers, private dancers, etc., is based solely on this premise. Any dance in which two people closely move their bodies against one another, especially in which the hands are used to caress and “pet,” is forbidden. These school rules would never have become so explicit if such things weren’t already happening.
The Bible is even more restrictive than the rules that I read in the paper. One of the works of the flesh in Galatians 5:19 is “lewdness.” This Greek word is translated into several different English words. KJV: “lasciviousness.” NKJV: “lewdness.” NIV: “debauchery.” NRSV: “licentiousness.” The Greek word is aselgeia, which Thayer defines as “wanton (acts or) manners, as filthy words, indecent bodily movements, unchaste handling of males and females.” Notice the mention of “indecent bodily movements” and “unchaste handling of males and females.” This is precisely what takes place on the dance floors of our modern-day proms and other public dances. It’s the same kind of ungodly activity that precedes sexual immorality in the back seats of our teens' cars. Putting this sin to music on a dance floor under the supervision of “chaperones” does not make it acceptable. Whether there is music and organization or not, it is still lewdness, lasciviousness, debauchery, and licentiousness. It is still sin, and those who practice it will still “not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:21).
Young people, stay away from modern dances. Parents, you are not robbing your children of the right to “be young” by forbidding them from going to these dances; you’re helping them to avoid sin and to avoid the temptation of being involved in sexual immorality. Just because everyone else is doing it doesn’t make it all right.
