Dance and Worship

If you have travelled to a European country you will notice that worship in any Zambian church is more "active" than in that Church's denominational counterparts in Europe.In thinking about this difference I have been greatly helped by Edmond P. Clowney's book "The Church" from the Contours of Christian Theology Series published by IVP.

I this book professor Clowney discusses spontaneous dance in the context of worship services. In his analysis he uses the concepts of "element" (aspects of worship and church governance that God explicitly commands in his word) and "circumstance" (aspects of worship and church governance should be ordered in the 'light of nature, and Christian prudence, according to the general rules of the Word').

"May dance also function as a circumstance, rather than an element of worship? We can not fault an individual worshipper who beats on his breast as the publican did in the temple. So long as good order is maintained in Congregational worship, there should be no objection to spontaneous movements of individuals in their natural responses of grief and praise. Like the running and leaping of the lame man in the temple, there may be impulsive piroutettes of joy on the part of worshipers. Again, the customs of a culture help determine the boundaries of good order. There are cultures where joyful singing is normally accompanied by rhythmic or ecstatic body movements." P 128

Now I know that this can be a hot button topic in some circles, if you are tempted to brand either the professor or myself as a heretic remembers the words "spontaneity" and "circumstance".