Text: Romans 6:1-2 <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I. Dancing covers a broad range of action<\/p>\n
A. It can be rhythmic movement in time to music<\/p>\n
B. It can be movement that expresses feelings, such as joy or enthusiasm<\/p>\n
C. It can be complex movements designed to create emotions in another person<\/p>\n
II. Dancing in the Bible<\/p>\n A. We can find approved examples of dancing in the Bible, but each is an expression\nof joy or religious enthusiasm.\n 1. After the defeat of the Egyptian army, Miriam led the women in a dance –\nExodus 15:20.\n 2. Jepthah’s daughter greeted her father with a dance when he returned from\nwar – Judges 11:34\n 3. David danced before the ark of the Lord as it was brought into Jerusalem –\nII Samuel 6:14\n B. But since dances express thoughts in movement, it can also summon images that\nare not good.\n
1. The people worshiped the golden calf – Exodus 32:6, 18-19<\/p>\n a. The exact nature of the dances are not mentioned, but by its\nreference, it was not proper.\n 2. The daughter of Herodias’ dance so appealed to Herod that he promised\nher anything, up to half his kingdom – Matthew 14:6-7\n
III. Modern dances and the Bible<\/p>\n
A. What makes some dances acceptable and others not?<\/p>\n B. As we said, dance express human emotions, thus where people are involved we\ncan expect dances which express sexual thoughts.\n
1. Christians are not to be involved in lustful passion – I Thessalonians 4:3-5<\/p>\n
2. Passion is to be put to death – Colossians 3:5<\/p>\n
3. Such thoughts are not to be associated with Christians – Ephesians 5:3<\/p>\n
C. We also must consider the associated activities<\/p>\n
1. Israel’s dance at the foot of Sinai was a part of idolatry<\/p>\n 2. “One of the many things that parents need to be concerned about is what\ntheir teenagers do on high school prom night. Kids will be kids, yes, but\nthat philosophy won’t necessarily bode well if something outrageous\nhappens. Parents, if you are clueless, listen up! What do you think a lot of\nteenagers do on a Friday or Saturday night, especially if it’s Prom? For\nsome, Prom is just another reason to get wasted with their friends. …. For\nother teenagers, Prom night may mean experiencing sex for the first time\nbecause they want the night to be special and they want to do it with ‘the\nright one,’ whatever that means.” [Keeping Your Teen Safe]\n 3. Principle Kenneth Hoagland of Kellenberg High School recently canceled\nthe spring prom at his school. Why? “It is not primarily the sex \/ booze \/\ndrugs that surround this event, as problematic as they might be; it is rather\nthe flaunting of affluence, assuming exaggerated expenses, a pursuit of\nvanity for vanity’s sake – in a word, financial decadence.” [Family\nResearch Council, Issue #22, 3\/16\/2007]\n 4. 74 percent of teens surveyed report pressure to drink. [Teens Report\nPressure to Engage in High-Risk Behaviors on Prom and Graduation\nNights]\n 5. “45 percent report pressure to drink and drive or ride with someone who\nhas been drinking.” [Teens Report Pressure to Engage in High-Risk\nBehaviors on Prom and Graduation Nights]\n 6. 49 percent of teens report pressure to use drugs [Teens Report Pressure to\nEngage in High-Risk Behaviors on Prom and Graduation Nights]\n 7. “Prom and sex are too often linked in the minds of young people seeking\nindependence and maturity in adult behavior. Along with this rite of\npassage can come significant pressure for both boys and girls to engage in\nactivities they may not really want and may not be ready for.” [Stephen\nWallace, chairman and chief executive officer of SADD]\n D. We have to realize that dancing can be dangerous just by the side issues revolving\naround it.\n
1. Avoid the appearance of evil – I Thessalonians 5:21-22<\/p>\n
2. Avoid evil companions – I Corinthians 15:33<\/p>\n
3. Instead of sharing, expose them for what they are – Ephesians 5:11-16<\/p>\n
IV. Questions to ask before attending a dance:<\/p>\n A. Can you attend or participate in the dance and keep yourself pure in conversation,\nconduct, and thought? – I Timothy 5:22\n B. Will your attendance or participation in the dance increase or decrease your\ninfluence as a Christian on others? – Matthew 5:13-16\n C. Will the atmosphere, actions, language, clothing, and activities at the dance\npromote or reduce opportunities for lust?\n
V. Reasons given for dancing and their answers<\/p>\n
A. “Dancing is fun”<\/p>\n
1. Yes, but many sins are fun – Hebrews 11:25<\/p>\n
2. Fun doesn’t determine right or wrong<\/p>\n
B. “Dancing isn’t sexual to me”<\/p>\n
1. Then why don’t boys dance with boys?<\/p>\n
2. Abstain from fleshly lusts – I Peter 2:11<\/p>\n
C. “Dancing doesn’t affect me in that way; I’m able to handle it”<\/p>\n
1. But dancing does affect others “that way”<\/p>\n
2. We are responsible for our affect on others – Romans 14:15<\/p>\n
D. “Boys will have those thoughts anyway”<\/p>\n 1. Perhaps, but do you throw matches at dynamite just because it will explode\nanyway?\n
2. Isn’t the idea reduce sin and not to encourage it?<\/p>\n
E. “I won’t fit in if I stay away. Everyone else is going”<\/p>\n 1. The way to heaven is not found by searching for the popular path –\nMatthew 7:13-14\n
2. Christians stand out from the crowd, they do not blend into the crowd.<\/p>\n
F. “I’ll be laughed at if I don’t go”<\/p>\n
1. Probably so – Matthew 5:11-12<\/p>\n
2. It is not a shame to suffer as a Christian – I Peter 4:16<\/p>\n
G. “There will be chaperones there”<\/p>\n
1. If dancing is sin, then it will be chaperoned sin.<\/p>\n
2. Chaperones can’t control your thoughts or others.<\/p>\n
H. “I’m just going to watch”<\/p>\n
1. If it is wrong to dance, then why would it be proper to watch others sin?<\/p>\n 2. Imagine telling your parents, “Sure there is a steamy sex scene in that\nmovie, but I’m just going to watch.” – Matthew 5:28\nVI. You know, perhaps it would be better to find something more conducive to acting like a\nchild of God.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Text: Romans 6:1-2 I. Dancing covers a broad range of action A. It can be rhythmic movement in time to music B. It can be movement that expresses feelings, such as joy or enthusiasm C. It can be complex movements designed to create emotions in another person II. Dancing in the Bible A. We can find approved examples of dancing…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[155],"class_list":["post-9085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermon","tag-dancing"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":737,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/dancing-in-the-bible\/","url_meta":{"origin":9085,"position":0},"title":"Dancing in the Bible","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 11, 2003","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton We will divide the discussion of dancing in the Bible into two sections. The first section will include those Scriptures where dancing is spoken of in a favorable setting. The second section is where dancing is associated with wickedness. We will note the things that are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":53933,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-moral-danger-of-the-modern-dance\/","url_meta":{"origin":9085,"position":1},"title":"The Moral Danger of the Modern Dance","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 20, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"by Frank Walton Biblical Insights, Vol. 6, No. 6, June 2006. \"Dancing\" can be defined simply as \"the rhythmic movement of the body to music\" (II Samuel 6:16; Luke 15:25; Ecclesiastes 3:4). The\u00a0Ryrie Study Bible\u00a0notes on religious dancing in Psalms 149:3: \"In the Old Testament, whirling motion done by a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/ModernDancing.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8246,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/which-women-were-considered-liturgical-dancers\/","url_meta":{"origin":9085,"position":2},"title":"Which women were considered liturgical dancers?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 21, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Concerning liturgical dancing, who were the women in the Bible that were considered the dancers? Answer: The word \"dancer\" does not appear in the Bible. There are occasional mentions of women dancing, but there is no indication that it had any fixed part of worship. The article Dancing in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":12676,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-a-sin-for-church-members-to-watch-tv-shows-like-dancing-with-the-stars\/","url_meta":{"origin":9085,"position":3},"title":"Is it a sin for church members to watch TV shows like “Dancing with the Stars?”","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 3, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Is it a sin for church members to watch tv shows like \"Dancing with the Stars?\" Answer: I have never seen the show referenced, but then I rarely watch television, so I'll address the problem of watching dancing. One of the problems with many dances is that they are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":88309,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/dancing-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":9085,"position":4},"title":"Dancing (Pickford)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 1, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"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\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":53931,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/my-daughters-school-is-insisting-that-she-take-a-class-that-includes-provocative-dancing\/","url_meta":{"origin":9085,"position":5},"title":"My daughter’s school is insisting that she take a class that includes provocative dancing","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 20, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Brother Hamilton, I pray you and your family are well. I have a concern about a class my daughter is taking in high school. There is provocative dancing that I don't think it's appropriate for her and our Christian beliefs. I addressed my concerns to the counselor in order\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9085","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9085"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9085\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}