Shall We Dance? - Part 6
By Allan E. McNabb

During our study on dancing, we outlined four basic principles we use to determine whether an activity, such as dancing, is sinful.

  • We are to glorify God in our bodies, and exalt Christ (1 Cor. 6:19-20; Phil. 1:20).
  • We are to do things that are honorable and respectable in the sight of all men (Rom. 12:17; Phil. 4:8), obeying God in everything we do (Acts 4:19; 5:29).
  • We shouldn't engage in lustful and licentious (sensual) behaviors (Rom. 6:12; 1 Jn. 2:16; 2 Cor. 12:20-21; Jude 1:4).
  • We shouldn't engage in questionable behaviors (Rom. 14:23; 1 Th. 5:21-22).

In this article, we explore school dances.

School Dances
Most middle school and high school age children anticipate going to a school dance.  The peer pressure is so great, it can be one of the most difficult decisions a young Christian makes.

Recently, though, some school dances have become so vulgar, many students are turned off.  One student vented her frustration after attending a homecoming dance. “Anyways the point is that dancing has continually gotten worse over the years.  It started with girls just shaking their hips and Elvis making pelvic thrusts and has moved to full on sex on the dance floors (at least they've kept on their clothes, so far).  It is really disturbing to see girls bending over for guys and afterwards saying that it was nothing, ‘just dancing’.  Come on now, its not just dancing” (http://www.progressiveu.org/173143-freak-dancing-grinding-more-like-sex-on-dance-floors).

Sexual Dance Movements Are Not New
As we’ve already seen in this study, sexual movements are in many styles of dancing, dating back hundreds of years in our culture.

In a sermon on dancing, David Banning gives three examples of the sexual components of modern dance:

  • Mick Jagger, lead singer for the Rolling Stones, said “All dancing is a replacement for sex.” (Rolling Stone Magazine, 4/19/79).
  • The Little River Band said in the chorus of their hit song, Lady, said: “Lady, you’re there on the dance floor making me want you somehow.”
  • What about this letter to Ann Landers way back in 1987, long before “Freaking” was popular.  A wife wrote complaining about her husband dancing with other women and made this observation: “I trust him, but I just don’t think God meant for a man and woman to rub their bodies together in slow dancing with anyone except their own spouses. Am I normal to feel jealous?” (Kilgore Hearld News)

Unfortunately, sexually explicit dancing in schools is worse than ever.

Grinding / Freak Dancing
The most popular dance in schools today is grinding, also called freak dancing.

This style of dancing imitates sex acts while the participants’ clothes are on, often with girls rubbing their buttox against a boys genitalia.

Now you may think I’m getting graphic with the description.  But our school age children hear about this style of dancing, and sometimes see it at school, so we need to address it.

David Banning, in her sermon says, “Put simply ‘freaking’ involves imitating sex acts on the dance floor, heterosexual and homosexual.”

  • “It looks like sex, but it’s dancing.” (Catherine Gewertz, Education Weekly)
  • “Many describe it as simulate sex with clothes on.” (Cindy Kranz, The Cincinnati Enquirer)

Grinding / Freak Dancing is Fornication
Fornication is a sin:

  • Fornication is a work of the flesh (Gal. 5:19).
  • Fornication shouldn’t  be named among the saints (Eph. 5:3 ).
  • Christians who engage in fornication defile themselves, falling short of God's grace and selling their birthright (Heb. 12:15-16).

Fornication denotes “illicit sexual intercourse” (Vine's).

  • Intercourse denotes “physical sexual contact between individuals that involves the genitalia of at least one person” (Webster).

Since grinding (freak dancing) involves contact with at least one person’s genitalia, it’s a sexually immoral act.  Personally, I believe it’s fornication, though some people disagree.

Dancing Partially Satisfies Sex Impulses
Sexual acts are involved with several types of dancing because, “Dancing is an exciting and pleasurable recreation as it affords a partial satisfaction of the sex impulse.  Dancing, in fact, is such an erotic stimuli that it even works for boys and girls as young as the age 11” (Dr. Rita Hollingsworth, cited by David Banning in his sermon “Footloose:  Is it Really Wrong to Dance?”).

Christians Shouldn’t Attend School Dances
School dances have become so vulgar that some schools are cancelling them.  Such was the case in 2006 at Aliso Niguel High School, where the principal canceled all dances because of an outbreak of freak dancing.

Christians shouldn’t attend school dances.

  • The dancing doesn’t glorify God and exalt Christ (1 Cor. 6:19-20; Phil. 1:20).
  • The dances aren’t honorable and respectable in the sight of all men (Rom. 12:17; Phil. 4:8).
  • Extremely lustful and licentious (sensual) behavior is present at the dances (Rom. 6:12; 1 Jn. 2:16; 2 Cor. 12:20-21; Jude 1:4).

Summary
As adults, we can playfully dance with children.  And we can dance in private with our spouse.  Besides this, almost every other form of dancing is sinful.

When deciding whether a particular form of dancing is sinful, remember that God’s children shouldn’t engage in questionable behaviors (Rom. 14:23; 1 Th. 5:21-22).

Don’t make your decision lightly.