Should Christians dance? When I went to college, we had to sign “the pledge” which (among other things) required students to refrain from alcohol and dancing. It wasn’t an especially conservative college at the time (and has gotten so liberal since my time there that I would not recommend it today). Yet today, some believers even from conservative Christian colleges endorse many forms of dancing. When looking into the topic of “dancing”, you can not find a chapter and verse that forbids it. Some form of the word “dance” is mentioned 27 times in the Bible. We see positive biblical accounts of dancing, such as when David danced before the Lord. Jewish weddings generally had dancing and Jesus attended one of those at Cana. These are the arguments we hear when Christians try to justify an exercise of their liberty in choosing to dance. So, if it is not called out as sin and perhaps even Jesus did it, why is this even an issue?

Dancing was a mixed bag in the Bible just as it is today. Yes, it was sometimes used to celebrate and give praise to the Lord (Exodus 15:20; 2 Samuel 6:12-16; Psalm 149:3; 150:4; Luke 15:25), but at other times it was provocative and sensual (Matthew 14:5-6) and was associated with revelry and immorality (Exodus 32). We are told there is an appropriate time to dance and NOT to dance (Ecclesiastes 3:4) which means that discernment is necessary. The question of dancing for believers, then, must be evaluated based on the type of dancing, its purpose, its associations with our culture, and its impact on others.

Let's limit our discussion here to the dancing which occurs between a man and a woman (such as is displayed at school dances, clubs, and weddings). Are there any positive biblical examples of dancing that are similar to this? No. Jewish weddings were usually filled with dancing, but it typically involved large circles of men with men and women with women dancing around a newly married couple. David was primarily dancing alone to celebrate the Lord's goodness as he processed with the ark into Jerusalem. In contrast, modern dancing between a man and a woman is often an intimate act where there is touching, gyrating, and sensuality that only belongs within the context of a marriage. Believers should recognize that intimate behavior between a married couple should not be exhibited in public.

Dancing is something that is closely associated with our culture. TV shows like “Dancing with the Stars” have glamorized and normalized it today. My wife and I didn’t have dancing at our wedding and some guests found that to be strange. We used other activities at our reception to keep our guests engaged and entertained and many of those same people commented on the refreshing nature of our reception. The Bible tells us to be separate from the world because it is a means to stand out from the crowd and shine the light of Christ more clearly from our lives and actions. The early Christians viewed the type of dancing in their culture as inappropriate for believers. As such, dancing was opposed throughout the first 5 centuries of church history because dancing was an integral part of the pagan Roman world. Early theologians such as Tertullian and Augustine believed the dancing of their culture incited idolatry, immodesty and lust.

Not that long ago, the majority of bible-believing Christians would have held the conviction that dancing was wrong. They may not have had a chapter and verse and may have been legalistic in how they presented this belief, but it was a generally agreed upon conviction. The numbers of believers opposed to dancing may have dwindled in recent times, but there are still quite a number of conservative believers who continue to hold this conviction. When you engage in dancing despite knowing someone’s conviction against it, you can be a stumbling block to them and your testimony before them and the church can be affected.

There is so much more that could be said (and I feel that I have only scratched the surface of this difficult topic). But, if you are struggling with the question of “Should I Dance?” - Ask yourself these questions about the nature, purpose and implications of making the choice to participate in dancing:

• Are you bringing attention to yourself or your body through dancing? If a dance inappropriately displays your body or includes movements unbecoming to a Christian, it is a shameful activity before the Lord.
• Could your dancing promote feelings of lust or temptation within you, your partner, or in those who are watching you? (1 Corinthians 7:1-3; Matthew 18:6)
• Is the music used for dancing appropriate for a believer who is truly seeking to follow the Lord? (most music that people use for dancing has suggestive or explicit lyrics and/or uses a style which is indistinguishable from the world)
• Would other Christians find your dancing to be a stumbling-block for them? Would it hurt your testimony in their eyes? (1 John 2:10)
• Would a non-believer be able to distinguish between your “dancing for the Lord” from any other secular dancing that they would witness? (1 Thessalonians 5:22)
• Are you able to keep a clear conscience and do it for the glory of God? (1 Corinthians 10:31)

There are probably some forms of dancing that may be appropriate at certain times and seasons (the Bible says so!). But before using shallow and self-centered arguments to justify your use of Christian liberty in this area, take a hard look at the impact it can have on your life, your witness, your testimony before others, and your walk with the Lord.

Resources for further study*
https://m.biblestudyguide.org/articles/dancing/shall-we-dance.htm
https://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-dance.html
https://gbntv.org/the-truth-about-dancing/

*Note that these articles have some insightful information about the topic of dancing for Christians. It does not mean that I endorse all content from these sites or their authors.