Christian dancing: What readers think

David danced before the Lord expressing his joy following the return of the Ark of the Lord back to Israel, some readers of this column asked how David danced. Others questioned if there were any verses that guide believers in dance. If the truth be told, the Bible does not directly address how believers should dance but it provides many useful guidelines on Christians’ conduct and how they should relate among themselves.
Although many of these verses can be interpreted differently to apply in other contexts, they give principled advice on dancing and many other social aspects of people’s lives.
In 1 Corinthians 6:19 of the New Testament, the Bible explains that the human soul belongs to God alone.
It also means when believers dance during worship or other non-religious festivities, they should be mindful of their dances to avoid making sexual gestures which may lead to promotion of casual sex or adultery.
Reading on, 2 Timothy 2:22 tackles the need for righteousness among believers while 1 Thessalonians 5:22 advises believers to abstain any appearance of evil, which also includes many dances which appear clean to many but carry suggestions of evil.
Below are some of the comments that came through from readers of this column who gave mixed reactions to the subject of dancing among Christians.

We need to present ourselves as God’s temples in and out of season including the way we dance and worship. Yes, we may dance but we need to continue asking ourselves whether or not we will be able to continue with our dancing if Christ were to come down on earth. — Pastor Toggy Chivaviro.

I think when it comes to some comments about dancing they come from non-believers who do not understand the word of God.
In our church we have all the music — traditional, hip-hop, jazz and so on. Every instance of dancing was done in worship or praise of God.
Here are some more principles to keep in mind in considering dancing: Ecclesiastes 3:4, Psalm 149:3, 150:4, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.
Our bodies belong to God, and are the temple of the Holy Spirit, so everything we do must be to honour him.
In the end there is a lot of dancing which is inappropriate for believers who should be seeking to glorify God with their lives and especially with their bodies.
The Bible acknowledges that we can dance in a way that does not temp others and ourselves, but should instead bring honour to God. — Edmore Muzavazi.

I have been reading your article and found it interesting. I think the problem lies with the so-called self-styled churches and prophets. As a way of luring people they are now inviting secular musicians into their churches. — Simbarashe Mutimbe.

There is nothing wrong with dancing museve, Borrowdale and “Zora Butter” in churches because there is nothing sexually enticing about these dances.
These dances originated from men who are created in God’s image. If we drop these dances because they originated from beerhalls as you wrote then we might have to rethink things like clapping hands and instruments in a musical band.
God creates everything that we use on this earth but the devil is there to pervert God’s creation. All those dances are God’s creation but the perversion comes in sexually explicit dances. — Sky Energy Zimbabwe.

l Feedback: [email protected]