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). 

Are New Testament Prophets Always Positive?

As we drove to the Church that morning, my interpreter, a precious young lady named Joy, turned to me with tears in her eyes. "May I ask you about something," Joy said. "There are many prophecies about terrible destructions and judgment coming on Korea. I am so afraid for my family and myself in light of what prophets are saying. What do you think?"

I replied, "That spirit is not the Holy Spirit. God is not a terrorist."

...In addition to terrorizing the innocent and unlearned, words of warning and impending judgment also have an ability to energize the enemy and add fuel to the fire of destruction he plans against people everywhere. There is a certain naive arrogance that has seeped into the tenor of much of what is being received today as prophecy. Judgment will come when Christ appears. Until that day, our commission is the good news of salvation, deliverance, healing, repentance and forgiveness. Let's make that adjustment in our thinking and our message, especially prophecy.  

                                                                   - Bonnie Chavda 

The New Covenant brings with it many changes for the better. Is the content of prophecy one of those changes? Since we live in the age of grace perhaps God is no longer sending prophets with messages of doom and gloom. That’s what some contend. 

Positive prophecy is really nothing new. In ancient Israel there were positive prophets among the people. These prophets gave the majority report, whereas the true prophets of God often gave bad news and minority reports (such as Micaiah in 1 Chronicles 18; Jeremiah 14:13-15; 23:9, 16-17, 21, 25, 30; 28:1-17; Micah 3:5; Ezekiel 13:10-16; Lamentations 2:14; Ezekiel 22:25). Noah preached a maligned and ignored message of judgment against the whole world – and he was right. Elijah once believed that he was the only true prophet left (1 Kings 18). Many true prophets were killed while false prophets were celebrated. Jesus said, “Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets” (Luke 6:26).

You may have heard it said that New Testament prophets are unlike Old Testament prophets because they always proclaim a positive message. Does such a claim stand the test of Scripture?

Judgment in the New Testament

On the day of Pentecost thousands were saved. As the fire spread, the Christian community grew fast. In no time the first example of judgment is given. A man and his wife sold a property and then claimed that they were giving all of the proceeds to the church. Peter prophetically discerned their lies.  He even foretold the judgment that would follow. They both died as a consequence of their actions (Acts 5:1-12).

King Herod gave a speech. Some of the crowd said that his voice was not that of a man but of a god. Since Herod did not reject this praise, God sent an angel to judge Herod. Herod died a  sudden and ugly death (Acts 12:21-23).

The church at Corinth had its faults. One of the more serious problems was their abuse of the Lord’s Supper. Paul prophetically pronounced that their so-called Lord’s Supper was the cause for many sicknesses and deaths in the congregation (1 Corinthians 11:29-30).

From the earliest days of Christianity there were false teachers. These teachers were not ignored. Rather, they were confronted (Titus 1:13; Romans 16:17; 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14; 2 John 1:10). God used Paul to bring judgment to false prophets by delivering them over to Satan (1 Timothy 1:20; 1 Corinthians 5:3-5)

Since God continues to bring judgment in this age we should expect true prophets to warn about the coming judgments when fitting. There is simply no Scriptural basis for believing that God has stopped punishing sin.

New Testament Prophecies

Much of what the New Testament has to say concerning the future is about the final judgment. The greatest of all prophets, Jesus, warned that, for most people, the Day of Judgment will be bad news (Matthew 7:14; 20:16; Luke 13:23-30). Christ’s return is good news for some but bad news for most (Matthew 16:27; Revelation 22:12).

Another New Testament prophet shows up in the book of Acts. His name was Agabus.  His first recorded prophecy was that there would be a severe famine (Acts 11:28). He later prophesied that Paul would be arrested (Acts 21:10-11). Argabus was not an exclusively positive prophet. 

Paul was not always positive in his prophecy. When he prepared to leave the Ephesian church he gave a prophetic word. He warned the church that wolves were going to enter the flock and draw some away (Acts 20:28-31). Such a tragic prophecy cannot be characterized as positive.

Jesus continued to prophesy after his resurrection. Revelation chapters 1-3 contain some of these precious prophecies. There are some wonderful words of assurance and hope in those prophecies. But it would not be honest to call them exclusively positive (Revelation 2:4-5, 10, 16, 22-23; 3:1-5; 15-17).

Multiple New Testament prophecies warn us that the last days will not be glorious. These days will be marked by an increase in wickedness (2 Timothy 3:1-9; Jude 1:18; 2 Peter 3:3-7). Jesus compares the days leading up to his return to the situations just prior to the global flood and the judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah (Luke 17:26-30). The New Testament prophecies about the end of time (prior to the Second Advent) cannot be described as positive.

Conclusion

The fear of the Lord should be cultivated. Not that we, his children, are afraid of God. But we do need to develop and cherish a healthy reverence for God and his judgments (Matthew 10:28). God still corrects his children when they misbehave (1 Corinthians 11:32; Hebrews 12:17). His goal is to make sure we will  be saved from eternal punishment.

True men and women of God may not always tell you what you want to hear, but they will tell you what you need to hear. Beware of false teachers. Many claim to be prophets and are not. So be careful who’s teaching you heed (2 Timothy 4:3).  True prophets may hurt  you to heal you – just like the Great Physician.



P.S. No true prophet can "adjust" prophecies.
Let's make that adjustment in our thinking and our message, especially prophecy. - Chavda 

^NAS 2 Peter 1:21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. 2:1 ¶ But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. ² And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; ³ and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. ⁴ ¶ For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; ⁵ and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; ⁶ and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly thereafter...