Foul

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0&feature=player_embedded

By now I’m sure some of you have heard of the wedding dance video linked above has received over 10 million hits since July 19, 2009 on You-Tube. If you haven’t, go ahead and have a look. Its okay, I won’t be offended that you stopped reading to watch, at least not this time. I first saw this video over the weekend when I was recovering from whatever it was I had and I thought it was both hilarious and full of joy. I got curious and went to the You-Tube page on it and started reading some of the comments people were making about it, and while I’d say 90 percent of the comments were positive, there happened to be a few people trashing the video.

Many of them were Christians who were appalled that they would do a dance down the aisle to a secular song in a church. Some of them were openly offended just by the fact that there was dancing in a church that was not devoted to God. They called it disrespectful to God’s house. Some called the entire thing sinful and inappropriate. Attacks became personal where some of these Christians were openly calling this sin and even wishing some rather bad things to happen to these people who involved. This I find offensive…and I’m crying foul.

You are allowed to disagree with the actions people take. Everyone is allowed an opinion. However, when you begin to use God as the basis for a negative opinion, you better have your ducks in a row. Let me ask a question. In the Bible, is there anything noted as being wrong with dancing in a church? I mean come on; we play Frisbee at C3 church on Sunday mornings. I kid you not, just ask our visitors as they are the targets! I can see the complaint if the dancing was relatable to the movie “Dirty Dancing” but that was not the case! Some people are calling this sin? Really? Look, Biblically we are commanded to hold each other accountable and call out sin so it can be cleaned out. But we are also have guidance in the Bible as to what God regards as sin, and I just can’t find anything in the Bible to support this being called sin. If I am wrong, please someone tell me, and by all means, come with a verse.

I believe a lot of the criticism lobbied is mired in legalism. Everything has to be within the frame of traditional rules that sometimes exist for no reason at all. If it is something a little radical, then oh my lets destroy it. “It’s not proper!” “It’s not how God would want it!” “If dancing is not unto God, then it’s a sin,” is actually what I saw one person wrote. Really? Oh my, then life is going to be boring. News flash: when I marry Jenn, I have every intention of dancing with my wife in our home to music Christian or not (as long as it’s tasteful). Go on…tell me I’m sinning. Wait, let’s go one step forward and say if my Church ever wanted to host an event at church intended to celebrate marriage where we got to dance with our loved ones. Guess what? I’m in and we’d have a blast, and it’s not sin (as long as it’s tasteful). God loves to see a healthy marriage and what better place to grow a marriage then in a church! To do something like that is radical, just like someone else I know: Jesus. Tell me what’s more radical than coming to Earth with the sole purpose of dying for the world’s sins, following through with it, and then rising from the dead. Tell me that’s not radical! Oh and guess what, Jesus dying on the cross is the single greatest example of what legalism in history.

I think what also peeves me here is that some of these comments being made about the video are just so wrong that you have to wonder how on Earth that person can actively call themselves compassionate and loving Christians. We are supposed to stand up for what’s right and holy. However, since when are we ever to do it without love and compassion? Seriously, if you get the chance to read some of the comments (provided they weren’t censored yet) you’ll understand. As Christians have we lost the ability to love? Some people were even quick to note the was done by Chris Brown, who has faced legal issues concerning domestic assault against his girlfriend, Rihanna, and were using that as a basis of judgment. What Chris Brown did was wrong and inexcusable, but that does not mean his work is immoral. The lyrics to the song are a wonderful love song and less “expressive” than what you’ll find in Song of Solomon, which is in the Bible! David is regarded as Israel’s greatest king and a man after God’s own heart, but even David had a laundry list of sin that he was held accountable to. Oh and by the way, we Christians also treasure David’s musical works.

Finally, I ask why it seems that we never hear from these folks when there are far greater things to fight for. Why aren’t these voices being heard in relation to the homeless? What about for the sick? What about for those who are not walking with the Lord? Gees, just writing these words I’m convicted to get out and do more volunteering. The church needs to be more than a group of people who pick apart people’s actions looking for sin. When we do that, we give people the right to call foul on us.