I call the Christian hymn unconventional because:
it is spoken/sung in the first person;
the image of God dancing is unBiblical;
its theology of the Resurrection seems unorthodox -
"...I am the Dance,
"And I still go on" -
- suggests identification with an impersonal process.
But it would fit right in with the strange theology of the Emberverse.
5 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
While the idea or image of God as dancing is not found in the Bible, we do see King David dancing before the Ark of God in 2 Samuel 6.14. It looks as tho David was overcome by a fit of ecstasy in his joy at bringing the Ark into Jerusalem.
Sean
Sean,
David as the Biblical Lord of the Dance?
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
That is one way of putting it! My idea was that for David to dance before God shows at least the idea of dancing as a religious act could be found in the Bible.
Sean
I've always felt that hymn sits uneasily with Christian theology. Christianity is about a narrative with a beginning and and end -- an end to time itself, in fact.
Many other religions focus on recurrence, on an analogy with the seasons, and of time -as- a dance with recurring steps.
Dear Mr. Stirling,
Oh, I agree, "Lord Of The Dance" is not quite orthodox in its theology. I would frankly prefer the "Dies Ira" as a hymn. Tho I think some would consider it too fierce and grim.
Sean
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