What's Wrong With the Harlem Shake in Church?

There’s a new fad passing through. Perhaps you’ve heard of the “Harlem Shake.” Like the Macarena, Crocs, The Davinci Code, pet rocks, and planking, it came out of nowhere and will surely head back where it came from quite soon. It took surprisingly little time for this craze to make its way into Christian churches. In fact, many churches are posting videos of themselves doing the “Harlem Shake.” You can read more about it and see some of the videos here.

A friend asked the sincere and excellent question, “What parts of the video/song/dancing are inappropriate according to Scripture?” I want to try to answer that question here.

What I’m not saying

I’m not saying that I think the people who are doing the “Harlem Shake” think they’re doing anything wrong. I think they’re just trying to have fun. Even the adults who bear the responsibility of shepherding the youth of the church probably haven’t thought deeply about what they’re doing. They too are just doing something they see as harmless and funny silliness.

I’m not saying that discipleship requires or even permits a dour and grim existence. I’m not some sort of sour and dour Christian. I’m not someone who wants to suck the joy out of life. Neither is God (Acts 14:17; 1 Tim 6:17). After all, Jesus’ first miracle was turning water into wine at a wedding party! I find great delight in fellowship with God and his people. I enjoy times of laughter and celebration with the family of God. It’s because I am so wildly pro joy that I want to warn people to be careful to keep the joy God gives. We must not accept any substitutes.

Reverence or Familiarity                                                                                                                                        

God takes the sanctity of his house very seriously. Jesus violently cast people out of the Temple area for defiling it by buying and selling animals and currency within its grounds (perhaps even in the court of the Gentiles). As he cleansed the Temple he quoted the prophet, “My house shall be called a house of prayer” (Mat 21:13; Isa 56:7). Buyers and sellers were creating a distraction from the true purpose of the Temple and thereby robbing God of the worship that was his due and God’s people of their space for prayer. The problem wasn’t buying and selling. There’s nothing wrong with buying and selling. What angered Jesus was where the transactions were happening. They were taking place within a holy place.

There’s a time and season for everything. Pardon the crude image, but, some families get a big kick out of breaking wind as loudly as possible within their own homes. That’s their business, right? But if it were done in the sanctuary to entertain those who had gathered to worship it would be another story completely. Reverence for God requires that we behave in a fitting way at the times and places where his people gather for worship.

Would Jesus be angry if he saw people dancing the “Harlem Shake” in the house of prayer? I believe he would be. I believe he is. "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in their midst" (Mat 18:20). 

Transformed or Conformed   

God has called us to be transformed. That means we can no longer conform to the perverse ways of our broken environment (Rom 12:1-2). We should stand out. We have been changed! Unfortunately, Christian churches often offer cheap and bland imitations of broken subcultures. We have something much better than that to offer. We have the Gospel. We have wholeness. We offer a radically different way of life – a beautiful counter-culture of healing, forgiveness, and new life in Christ.

Chastity or Lewdness

In the beginning God created us male and female. From the start we were different but equal – made for each other. Sex is a powerful part of the beautiful connection between husband and wife – part of how we’re made for each other. We were designed to be satisfied with one spouse. Any sexual activity outside of the marriage relationship is always destructive and always wrong.

Not only are extramarital sex acts out of bounds, but the lustful thoughts and feelings that lead up to those acts are forbidden as well (1 Thess 4:3-5; Col 3:5; Eph 5:3). Jesus even went so far as to equate lustful looks with adultery (Mat 5:28).

Knowing the gravity of the situation it should be obvious that men and women (especially young men and women) should take every reasonable precaution to avoid stirring up lustful passions in the opposite sex. I believe it’s pretty likely that the “Harlem Shake” could inspire sinful desires – likely enough that we shouldn’t encourage or even allow it in Christian youth meetings.  

Sobriety or Foolishness

Life on earth is a funny thing. But it’s not a silly thing. The Bible teaches that life is a very serious thing – especially when it comes to religious matters. Eternal destinies are at stake. And every moment counts. We are called to use our time wisely (Eph 5:15-16). After all, people are learning from our words and actions what we really believe (1 Thes 1:8; 2 Cor 3:2).

Christian leaders are expected to be sensible and wise (1 Tim 3:2; Titus 1:7-8). All disciples are called to a certain level of seriousness (Titus 2:6; 1 Pet 1:13; 4:7). We will all soon stand before God and be judged for what we did in this life (Mat 16:27; Rev 20:12-13). It’s a sobering reminder.

Foolishness is nowhere extolled in the Bible. Silly and foolish talk gets condemned right along with dirty jokes (Eph 5:4). At some point foolishness is more than harmless fun. The Bible calls it sin (Pro 24:9). I doubt anyone would describe the “Harlem Shake” as wise behavior. But the folly of this practice is amplified when we consider the sacredness of God’s house.

Discernment

We have a responsibility to listen to and learn from the Spirit. The Holy Spirit teaches us things that we never could have known before receiving him (1 Cor 2:14). He helps us discern right from wrong (1 John 2:27; John 16:13).

It can be easy to forget how to be quiet. We’re busy people. When we’re not busy working we’re busy being entertained. Screens are on our walls, on our desks, in our pockets, and in our hearts. In this environment it’s easy to neglect the teaching of the Spirit. But our duty has not changed. We are called to become people of discernment (Heb 5:14). We are called to listen for God's voice.

Conclusion

You are free to disagree with me about the “Harlem Shake.” But, as a Christian, you are not free to act thoughtlessly. We must give serious thought to our actions so that we can obey the command to “do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor 10:31).

I do not believe we can do the “Harlem Shake” in the house of the Lord in a way that honors God. That puts me in a difficult position. I'm forced to stand up for my conviction no matter what. You may be called to stand up with me. It may cost you something. People may make fun of you or shun you. That's okay. It's a small price to pay to hear Jesus say, "Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master" (Mat 25:23).