Human condition. We try to control that which we cannot. We cannot control our sin nature. Sin management will get you nowhere. The only one who can control our sin nature is God Himself.
Church leaders have simply 'banned' dancing because it's an easy place for your sin nature to come out. I love dancing. When I was single, it was very exhilarating to make eyes with a hot girl and go dance with her. Even if my version of dancing is limited to the white-boy head-bob and the bump and grind.
You have to defend the church leaders. They are just trying to manage sin. Haven't we all tried to manage sin?
But obviously this castrates our freedom in Christ. While the flag-wavers kind of freak me out, I also have to admit to myself that at least they have found some kind of freedom. Good for them, even if they are cheesy middle-aged women - they have found freedom. If I were to find TRUE freedom in church, I would be dancing, screaming. The risk? I might do something "inappropriate". But I think the church would be better off letting that risk exist, because then at least if sin 'comes out' in you at a service, then you're going to know its there and the accountability is going to be immediate. Instead, we let our sin problems fester and hide and grow, until they come out some other way, like cheating on our spouses, getting addicted to drugs, or looking at pr0n until 4am.
The church needs to be a safe place to sin.
First off, I think scripture has made it clear that we now have power over the sin nature because of the Holy Spirit's presence in our lives. Now that we have been sanctified through the blood of Christ we have the power to say no to sin. Using the "sin nature" excuse will not work on judgement day my friend.
Now, as far as your managing sin point is concerned, I do agree with you there. This is the whole reason that in Romans it states that we are no longer bound to the law, meaning we don't have to watch our every move to make sure we don't slip. He's saying that as long as we live by the Spirit our lives will reflect what the Spirit desires.
I would tend to disagree with you on your following point, simply because the Bible states that the acts of the sinful nature are contrary to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is contrary to the sinful nature. Also, the Bible states that "when 2 or more gather in my name, surely I will be there." If the Spirit is present during a time of worship, you would be incapable of sinning. If you find yourself "slipping into sin" during worship, then I would certainly question who it is you are worshipping. Worship is not designed to make us feel good or enjoy ourselves, it is designed as a way for us to give God the praise He deserves. If dancing is your way of doing that, excellent, then dance! But if you are taking risks on something you feel could potentially be sinful then it would most certainly make sense to avoid it, seeing as this would not bring God glory but bring shame upon his house.
I say this with all respect and love for a brother in Christ, but you had no scriptural evidence for anything you had to say. You can never go wrong with the Word of God, so if you find yourself questioning a "gray area", such as whether or not you can dance in church, then find scripture that can back you up. If you can't find it, then just be safe and avoid it, surely God would not condemn your judgement if you based it on his Word. Just for the record, though, I most certainly think that dancing in church is not in any way sinful. Just as the Bible says, even David danced! The only thing that matters in the end is if God is receiving the glory.
