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Re: Secular "Shouting"
Being confined between church pews and in a crowded room will naturally cause people to move in certain patterns predetermined by the confines of the environment. When the music starts and it's "time to move" predictable things will happen no matter what the motivation of the crowd is.
In Judaism, the method of dancing by simply jumping up and down is called "Yemeni" because, due to severe anti-Semitism, the Jews in Yemen could not dance anywhere in public and had to do their celebrations and worship within the narrow confines of their homes.
I think this pattern of movement reflects on a sense of oppression on the part of the one so dancing. Whether they are "oppressed" simply by a crowded space or feeling shackled in their hearts for some reason, it is often painful to watch. You know that there is an impules there to really "cut loose," but due to some sort of fear they hold back.
I once advised a church to remove several rows of pews from their sanctuary and to open up the area in front of the platform. They were stunned. "We need those pews for all the people we're going to win..." Long story short, due to the other oppressive and confining conditions they inflicted upon their people the church was run into the ground. Recently I did notice that a new pastor and a new congregation had moved in - and they moved the pews out.
Let's not mince our words or our style. If we really want folks to be expressive in their worship then let's facilitate that. If we want to keep them bundled up in tight rows - then we could always move to Yemen.
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