Cornerstone University lifts dance ban

Eccl. 3:4, "A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance."

When I was in Europe there were many restaurants that had dancing. I saw kids dancing with their parents and grandparents. They were surprised I knew little about dancing. Over there it was a cultural thing.

 

Personally, I enjoy dancing with my wife, and we even took a few ball room lessons in our younger years. We haven't danced since the kids came along (almost 18 years ago), and I know that I would not feel comfortable in most secular music dance environments; however, is it ever acceptable to dance? How about at a wedding having a string quartet, playing basically waltzes, and the father dances the first dance with his daughter?

 

Eccl 3:4 is used constantly to suggest that a no dance policy is unscriptural. What a shame that the leadership of these schools have so little discernment.
In certain situations, dancing seems harmless. Have you been in the public arena at all lately?
And a man holding anothers wife or potential wife, come up with a reasonable excuse for that!!

 

I personally would not want any man pawing on my unmarried daugthers, nor my wife. I would also never dance with anyone other than my wife, or my daughters on their wedding day. I received a letter in the mail the other day advertising a 'Christian' dance. Evidently, the teens will be dancing to 'Christian' music, which seemed to justify calling it a 'Christian' dance. Coming from this environment, you can see why Christian colleges that take a stand are having a difficult time with enrollments, although I think some are experiencing increases. The world is wrong, but we insist upon dressing Christianity up to smell, look and act like the world. Thankfully, I believe we have only a very short time remaining.

 

Some of the best times is when I saw my grandparents have a great time in their living room doing some of those fast dances. They were big hams and we loved it. It was great to see such old folks in love and enjoying life.

My grandmother died recently at the age of 97. About 15 years ago she told me she hated being around old people. She told me they gripe too much and talk about all their pains.

We ought to rejoice and have fun in the fact that we live in a free country and can enjoy all that God has given. Why look like we ate sour grapes?

Now don't get me wrong I am not talking about lewd behavior at all and doing things that do not honor God. Christians ought to be the people who enjoy life the most because we know our God and have eteral hope of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord. But some look like they ate a huge dose of rotten grapes. Often the worst advertisment for Christianity is the average Christian.

One of the greatest times I had in college is when one of the parents of a student invited a bunch of us to the country to square dance. It was a very small town of about 50. In that town they had square dancing from time to time. Those old folks could dance and have a great time. They liked having us college students there and we liked seeing the old folks have fun.

Why is that so often Christians cannot teach the proper limits on things? So instead they say,"No." People must be taught the proper use of things and the limits they need to set.

A Christian would not say don't drive a car because it may be lethal but they say "NO" to other things that don't even compare. So instead you teach the proepr use of a car. Many own guns. In some parts of the U.S. that is considered being stupid and to hunt is considered barbaric. I have seen Chrsitian men almost get high on killing a deer. If they ever got that high on Jesus they might look drunk.

You can put gasoline in a car to drive to church or you can use it to disfigure or kill someone. The choice is ours. But we don't stop buying gas.

I think the point of Eccl. 3 is there is a proper use of things given to us.

Didn't David dance before God?

 

Yeah, but I don't think he was any good at it. Michal despised him for it. Of course, when the kids laugh at my victory dance (after my favorite football teams have won), I warn them about what befell Michal.

 

Certainly that is true is so many cases. Christianity has not been dressed up but rather spoiled to smell like rotten eggs. The worst advertisement is the average Christian. The average Christian lives like a practicing atheist. They do not share their faith and do not disciple anyone. I had been in business long enough to know that the world sees the liars and cheaters who go to FBC somewhere, teach Sunday School, help out with the youth and beat their wife. When I pastored I had a deacon like that, but the other deacons would not stand with me against him. But the community knew it. Even non-believers told me about him. I asked him to resign and he would not. He had an altercation with a youth and again I asked him to remove hiumself and he would not.
How many leaders in the local Baptist church you attend are currently discipling people. If they are not then they don't qualify to be any leader of any congregation. How any of the adults are helping those young people to grow and share their faith. All the sermons in the world will do little compared to the example and help the adults give. The problem is not in the sermons or kids but the problem lies in the adults who are their example. Form what I have seen in my daughter and her friends they would put most adults to shame. Those kids are not afraid to make their faith known. How many adults do you know share their faith? The average for most evangelical church is that at most ten percent can even give reasons for their faith.

Everyone of those leaders in the early church were discipling people. How many leaders in the local Baptist Church are doing that?

One of my former neighbors was a lawyer and just take a guess where most of the divorcing Christrians came from? What kind of churches are hiding spousal abusers? The marriage counselors can easily tell you.

 

The problem gb is that the churches are good at attracting them in, which is why this university is changing it policy; however, when it comes time to disciple them (from the bible), then they disappear. Churches would rather see the numbers more than the disciples. It is a shame that no one would stand with you, but it goes to show the lack of watchmen today.

 

I don't think the square dancing and fast dancing of the past is anything like is being done today. The old joke about Baptist's not letting people have sex standing up because someone might think they are dancing was not totally without merit. The popular kind of dancing done today in dance clubs and the like involves bodily contact and movement that is completely inappropriate for an unmarried couple and should not be done by a married couple if anyone is around.

This is not surprising from Cornerstone. A number of years ago as a youth pastor, I had a Cornerstone rep in my office trying to get me to support the school. I had to say no, since I didn't believe that students going into Cornerstone were going to be as solid coming out because of hte changes in philosophy that were taking place. I have to say that my opinion hasn't changed on that.

 

Baptist students are going to dance, whether it is on campus or off campus.

 

When I read the title of this thread I assumed Cornerstone University had recently banned dancing in it's lifts, that sounded like a wise idea.

Blanket bans on dancing on the other hand are the sort of manmade tradition that fit in nicely alongside never washing yourself for purely Christian reasons....

 

So you think that the sexualized dancing, the close body contact, and the atmosphere of dance clubs are conducive for spiritual growth in young people?

 

Dr. Bob,

What do you think of formerly GARB-approved Northwest Baptist Seminary in Tacoma? They are on the short list of schools I am looking at for the Th.M., but it is hard to tell from the outside what sort of changes are going on in GARB institutions. They recently sent out a flyer for a D.Min. intensive course featuring an instructor from TEDS who is a major force in the egaliatarian movement. I am concerned that there may be a subtle shift that escapes attention as Northwest is not accountable to a local church.

Thanks,

Dave