Contemporary mime, evolving from the 1811 artistry of Paris acrobat Jean-Gaspard Baptiste Deburau and the ancient Greeks before him, is a theatrical medium or performance art that involves acting out a story through body motions, without the use of speech. As of late, Mime has entered the church as a feature of dance and dramatization tool. but is miming bibical? what does the Bible have to say about pantomime?
One example in the Bible where a type of emulating is referenced includes David on the run from King Saul. David escapes to Gath yet fears that King Achish will reject or kill him, so he fakes madness: “So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard” (1 Samuel 21:13).
David was not miming for the good of diversion, yet he was utilizing a few mime techniques to impart an unmistakable message that evoked the ideal reaction. His mime was compelling – King Achish let him be. One more instance of “biblical miming” is Zechariah after his vision in the sanctuary: “He kept making signs to them and remained mute” (Luke 1:22, ESV).
Miming in Church
I grew up in a traditional church that would not even allow children to touch the communion table. But today, many traditional churches are changing in an attempt to keep their young members.
In the recent couple of years, art, dance, singing and mime have entered into community church gatherings as imaginative approaches to communicating love to God. While conservatives might raise a few warnings, we wanted to check is mime bibical – and what the scriptures has to say regards to whether or not something new is satisfying to God (see Acts 1:24-25; 17:11).
Mimes regularly paint their faces white and wear all dark to direct attention to their body movements. Certain individuals have protested the face-painting, referring to pagan societies that have associated such work of art with an erotic nature. Others voice worry about the dress of certain mimes, taking note of that tight-fitting bodysuits can be diverting from the message. Still, others see mime as a form of entertainment that is not helpful for a genuine worship ritual. There is legitimacy to every one of these worries. However – the wrong use of an art form does not make the art itself wrong. For example, an obscene painting does not mean that there is no place for all paintings in the church, right?
We will quite often become OK with worship styles that fit our own way of life, customs, and taste. Mime, along other performing expression ways, might be treated with doubt in a congregation or quickly be dismissed basically in light of the fact that they are outside of one’s custom. Be that as it may, an automatic dismissal of mime in church as a type of worship exclusively in light of the fact that we are not used to it is excessively hasty.
Not all churches accept mime as a form of praise. Some of the more Protestant fundamentalist congregations, where dance has long been seen as secular, ban it outright, and some others ask the mimes not to paint their faces (many declines as it is a crucial element of the art form). For the most part, however, mime groups say even churches that are apprehensive at first tend to warm up when they see the performance in person.
In the event that a church intends to add mime performances in its service, some issues should be considered.
Who is doing it –In the Old Testament, just the Levites could lead in melodic worship (1 Chronicle 16:4; 2 Chronicles 20:19; Ezra 6:20). They were chosen by God and were to keep themselves clean before they could lead others. To keep mime performances in the church from becoming a simple dramatic amusements show, the mime artists should be godly and committed.
What is the topic of the mime act – The main point here is to distinguish between an educational, informative act to one of the vain entertainment purposes and no more. A worship service should be about worship, and nothing more. It is not a time to display talent, garner attention, or have fun with friends. Everything in a worship service should be done “decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40).
Clothing – Many church mime and dance teams have discarded spandex in favor of all-black t-shirts and jeans, which still make the point without over-emphasizing body parts that could cause distraction (see 1 Corinthians 8:9; 2 Corinthians 6:3).
Is Mime Biblical?
In a way, yes. The Bible support mime as a lifestyle. One part of mime is mimicry, and the apostle Paul expressed it in, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). God’s wish for every one of us is that we “become conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29). He wants us to “mime” Christ’s actions. In one way or another, we are all mimes.
Some Examples of Miming in Church
In the video below – New Destiny Baptist Church’s “Set the Atmosphere” Mime Dance:
And another one: The Disciples of Mime ministering to “Something About The Name Jesus” by Rance Allen and Kirk Franklin: