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Does God Tell Us To Twerk It?

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patrick jane

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Dance in worship - what does the Bible say?​


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Dance in worship - what does the Bible say? | GotQuestions.org

Dance in worship - what does the Bible say? Does the Bible mention dancing in connection with worship?
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Dance is mentioned on many occasions in Scripture. The first appearance of God’s people dancing as an act of worship is found in Exodus 15:20: “Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing.” This joyful dance to the Lord, led by Miriam, followed Israel’s crossing of the Red Sea and celebrated Israel’s newfound freedom from slavery.

However, dancing is not always presented in a positive light in the Bible. Soon after Miriam’s dance of praise, the Israelites were found dancing before a golden calf in worship. “When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain” (Exodus 32:19). On this occasion dancing was part of a wicked, idolatrous carousal. Thus, dancing is a mode of expression that can be used for good or for evil.

Other instances of dancing in the Bible include 2 Samuel 6:16, which has David “leaping and dancing before the LORD.” Also, the Amalekites danced in celebration after plundering Judah and Philistia (1 Samuel 30:16); theirs was a short-lived dance, however, as David and his men soon defeated them (verses 17-20).

The Psalms offer a unique look at dance as an act of worship. In Psalm 30:11, the psalmist says, “You turned my wailing into dancing.” Psalm 149:3 encourages the use of dancing to worship God: “Let them praise his name with dancing!” Likewise, Psalm 150:4 urges, “Praise him with tambourine and dancing!” just like Miriam.

Some have argued that dance is an Old Testament form of expression. Since dance is not mentioned as a method of worship in the New Testament, Christians should not worship in this manner. However, this is an argument from silence and is not based on clear biblical teaching. Most early Christians were Jewish and likely would have incorporated Jewish forms of worship in their praise to the risen Messiah.

Another concern has been the association of dance with sinful activities. The idea is that, if dance is used in worship, it could be seen as approving dance in other situations that do not honor God. However, this is not necessarily the case. The Amalekites’ dancing in 1 Samuel did not prevent David from dancing in 2 Samuel. Christians can and should utilize dance as they do any other art form such as music, painting, drama, or filmmaking. As long as dance is worshipful, God-focused, and praiseworthy, it can have a proper place in worship. Worship dance is a far cry from the seductive dance of the daughter of Herodias (Mark 6:17-28).

Finally, it is important to understand that dance in the context of worship is not simply self-expression. It should be done in a way that is helpful to the entire congregation. Paul noted that “everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way” in the church (1 Corinthians 14:40). “Everything” would include the use of dance in worship. Anything during a worship gathering that distracts from a focus on Christ should be left out. Each congregation bears the responsibility to structure its worship service in a way that honors God and encourages those within their group.

Dance is used as an act of worship in Scripture and can continue to be used in that way today. However, churches should take care to avoid dance that leads others to temptation or sin, and the focus must remain on worshiping God rather than drawing attention to self. When practiced in this way, dance is a beautiful art form that can communicate truth, bringing glory to God and edifying others.
 
Mr E said:
The Acts of John?
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Yes, part of the Great Courses "The Apocryphal Jesus" series! I don't know if it was the Acts of John, but in one of the early ones a form of worship was for the Christians to hold hands in a circle and dance around a leader in the center. As the leader would offer praise to God, those dancing in the circle would shout "Amen!"
 
O'Darby III said:
Yes, part of the Great Courses "The Apocryphal Jesus" series! I don't know if it was the Acts of John, but in one of the early ones a form of worship was for the Christians to hold hands in a circle and dance around a leader in the center. As the leader would offer praise to God, those dancing in the circle would shout "Amen!"
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Sounds hokie.

That's what it's all about.
 
Mr E said:
Sounds hokie.

That's what it's all about.
Click to expand...
My wife and I sometimes hold hands and form a circle with me in the center and shout "Amen!" in unison as I say profound things to God. We use a Twister board just to keep things interesting. Sometimes the neighbors have to come over and untangle us. Once we had to dial 911.
 
O'Darby III said:
My wife and I sometimes hold hands and form a circle with me in the center and shout "Amen!" in unison as I say profound things to God. We use a Twister board just to keep things interesting. Sometimes the neighbors have to come over and untangle us. Once we had to dial 911.
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Theological Twister is a game played in churches everywhere. I'm glad you found a way to enjoy the home version.
 

The Acts of John

The Acts of John. Part of a library of materials dealing with Gnosis and Gnosticism, both ancient and modern. The site includes the Gnostic Library, with the complete Nag Hammadi Library and a large collection of other primary Gnostic scriptures and documents.
gnosis.org
 
They danced but I don't believe they were twerking. Holding hands while going in cicles, one could twerk out of their sandals and fall.
 
Mattathias said:

The Acts of John

The Acts of John. Part of a library of materials dealing with Gnosis and Gnosticism, both ancient and modern. The site includes the Gnostic Library, with the complete Nag Hammadi Library and a large collection of other primary Gnostic scriptures and documents.
gnosis.org
Click to expand...

I think I've stayed at that same hotel. v60.
 
Mattathias said:

The Acts of John

The Acts of John. Part of a library of materials dealing with Gnosis and Gnosticism, both ancient and modern. The site includes the Gnostic Library, with the complete Nag Hammadi Library and a large collection of other primary Gnostic scriptures and documents.
gnosis.org
Click to expand...

I meant to come back to this, since I was surprised when you referenced it. I was unfamiliar with it, and actually thought you were referring to one of the Nag Hammadi gnostic manuscripts-- the Apocryphon of John (Secret Book of John). But no--- the Acts of John, while gnostic it wasn't among those lost manuscripts that only came to surface at Qumran or Nag Hammadi- we've had it the whole time. It was just one of the many manuscripts that were black listed by early councils and labeled as gnostic-- that is, not orthodox.

There were the Acts of Andrew, John, Paul, Peter and Thomas... some of which were not gnostic in the slightest. Mostly these 'books of Acts' were viewed as early forms of a new kind of Jewish Christianity.... But-- though ancient-- and perhaps even as ancient as any manuscripts we adopted, these were not. Instead we are left with one single book-- The Book of Acts. -or the Acts of the Apostles, which became essentially a collection of stories, quite similar to these other books that were rejected.
 
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