11-30-2007, 05:15 AM
Having done a bit of research, I've recently been very encouraged to discover that there appears to be loads of dance happening in churches in the south/latin american countries. The use of tambourines also seems to be very popular. I'd guess that many of these people are poor and don't have easy lives, but still they worship and dance with passion and great joy.
The one thing that has really struck me from this is the relationship between culture, theology, and worship. People in that part of the world are probably naturally far more physically expressive, and that is reflected in the way they worship and what happens in their churches. I very much doubt that dance in the hispanic church is a contentious issue.
I've given a lot of thought recently to the fact that we construct our theology from stuff that we bring to the bible, such as our national, cultural, or even religious backgrounds. The controversy in some circles over the acceptability of worship dance is a prime example of this. People who argue against dance generally do so because they are coming from a culture that does not dance and regards life and faith as primarily cerebral, and this colours their outlook.
Does what I'm saying make sense? Has anyone experienced what I'm talking about? Is the situation similar in spanish-speaking churches in the US?
The one thing that has really struck me from this is the relationship between culture, theology, and worship. People in that part of the world are probably naturally far more physically expressive, and that is reflected in the way they worship and what happens in their churches. I very much doubt that dance in the hispanic church is a contentious issue.
I've given a lot of thought recently to the fact that we construct our theology from stuff that we bring to the bible, such as our national, cultural, or even religious backgrounds. The controversy in some circles over the acceptability of worship dance is a prime example of this. People who argue against dance generally do so because they are coming from a culture that does not dance and regards life and faith as primarily cerebral, and this colours their outlook.
Does what I'm saying make sense? Has anyone experienced what I'm talking about? Is the situation similar in spanish-speaking churches in the US?