"Liturgical Dance? Really?"

[scott8]

Ooh.  Perhaps the beach volleyball outfit for women would be fine for the divine service.  After all, it is in the Olympics...

[[Though interestingly, the men, who have the exact same need for freedom of movement, wear something different.  Could it be that freedom of movement is not a major factor here?  Hmmm....]]

[Terry W Culler]

I was doing some door to door evangelism this morning and met a young man who owns a tattoo parlor and likes to display his art on himself.  He attends a AOG congregation at a local theater and said he likes that he can dress as he wants for church.  I acknowledged that I've become much looser about what is appropriate attire for a worship.  But even I have limits (I've people remove their baseball caps (worn backwards of course) and I've had people turn their t-shirts inside out because of the message).  God calls us where we are and who we are, but we in turn owe some level of respect in how we dress as we come before Him in worship. 

[SomeoneWrites]

Freedom of movement is a factor.  But how much of a factor depends on the space, community, etc. 

I wouldn't suggest a men's swimming outfit for that particular dance for a variety of reasons.  And at the same time I recognize that I see Jesus' skivvies and nipples more than I've seen anyone else's. 

[DCharlton]

Ooh.  Perhaps the beach volleyball outfit for women would be fine for the divine service.  After all, it is in the Olympics...

[[Though interestingly, the men, who have the exact same need for freedom of movement, wear something different.  Could it be that freedom of movement is not a major factor here?  Hmmm....]]

It is odd.  I've asked my sister-in-law, who was a collegiate runner and still runs, why women don't wear pants in Track and Field.  After all, if not wearing pants was such an advantage, the men wouldn't wear pants either.  She claims it does allow for more range of motion.  On the other hand, in swimming it is the men who wear the least amount of clothing.  So who knows?

Let's just hope that it doesn't become fashionable for preachers not to wear pants.

[Satis Est]

Let's just hope that it doesn't become fashionable for preachers not to wear pants.

You just might want to rethink that last comment.   

[DCharlton]

Let's just hope that it doesn't become fashionable for preachers not to wear pants.

You just might want to rethink that last comment.   

Oy!  Please add, "or skirts."    Or, in honor of my friend Ken Blyth, we should also add, "or kilts."

[Matt Hummel]

Let's just hope that it doesn't become fashionable for preachers not to wear pants.

You just might want to rethink that last comment.   

Pr. Wolf- are you accusing David of a microagression? 

[J. Thomas Shelley]

Let's just hope that it doesn't become fashionable for preachers not to wear pants.

I know of a UMC pastor who used to wear only his swimming trunks beneath his Geneva gown in the summertime.

He would sometimes mention scoping out all the "attractions" ot Times Square allegedly looking for "sermon illustrations".

Years later he was arrested for soliciting prostitution.

[Charles Austin]

 Thanks Scott, we needed that.

[Brian Stoffregen]

For all those who got the vapors over what the dancer wore at the MNYS assembly, it was pretty much what you would see any young man wearing while doing a gymnastics floor exercise, though no flips or tumbles were involved.  Anyone scandalized during the Olympics?

Was there a worship service at the Olympics that I missed?

FWIW, I would also say that the female gymnastics outfit isn't appropriate for a worship service.

Do you agree?

It would be appropriate if she was doing some gymnastics as part of the worship service. I doubt that the dancer sat in the pew in the dance outfit for the rest of the worship service.

[mariemeyer]

I  have experienced liturgical dance three times; each time the dance was done by a woman of the congregation with some professional training (two different churches, three different women).  The women wore "modest" attire that allowed them to move reverently and smoothly while expressing a biblical message. IOW, attention was not drawn to the dancer, but the message being conveyed.

Although we do not know the context of the liturgical dance in question, the photos I viewed suggest to me that the dancer' s attire was simply not in good taste. Explanations that suggest otherwise have not persuaded me otherwise. 

Marie Meyer

 

[Dan Fienen]

If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, perhaps also is proper attire for liturgical dance.  To apply the Justice Potter Stewart for pornography, "I know it when I see it," people know improper attire when they see it.

This naturally makes it difficult when planning such events since the test for what is proper is subjective.  One needs to have a good sense of the intended assembly, and still some may be offended.  In Bible class this morning we began to work our way through Romans 14 and the giving and taking of offense.  Keeping that in mind, as planners need to keep in mind the sensibilities of those assembled, those assembled need to keep in mind the needs of those who do the dance (for reference review what Pr. Wolf posted), and not be too quick to judge.