Missionary Dating….
Ron | November 30, 2005Anthony Bradley has a post up that I think is absolutely hi-larious. A couple of quotes are below:
Here are some silly concerns about dating non-Christians:(1) It will lead to sexual sin. P–LEASE, America. If you think dating a non-Christian is going to be more sexually tempting than dating a Christian you may be on crack and you’re definitely naive and dishonest about what Christians in America really do when they date.
For example, most Christian couples I know say, “yeah, we struggle physically sometimes.” Translation: we do naked stuff together, maybe even oral sex occasionally, we touch things that only married people are supposed to touch, and we do a lot of stuff we have to repent of later.
and
(3) High school. “Dating” in high school is stupid anyway unless you’re serious about getting married–so there’s no worries here. Any parent who thinks it’s a good idea to let your kids date in high school is sadly naïve and sold out to the American dream. It’s so dumb and makes no sense unless marriage is a real possibility. Any high school kid who’s “dating” and it’s not directed toward the real actualization of marriage, either in high school or soon thereafter, and is “dating” just to date has sold-out to deception and is thinking like “the world.”Blah, blah, here it comes: “I dated a lot in high school and I’m fine.” Riiiiight, as if you can just parcel out your heart with no long-term effects. Believe what you want to if it helps you sleep better.
and ending on this
Major Qualification: “Dating” a non-Christian is not ideal. It shouldn’t be your first option. But if you find yourself dating one you are not sinning at all. This is an issue of prudence, wisdom, and discernment until marriage is a real possibility. Just because somethig is unwise does not mean it’s sinful.
First of all let me say, I am so thankful to be married to a wonderful woman and don’t need to deal with that crap any more! Second, I have a teenage daughter so I’m very glad he threw in the stuff about how it’s really stupid to date in High School - because it is. And third, I think Covenant Seminary is really fortunate to have this guy teaching now. Read some of his other stuff to see why.
How is he defining "dating". He seems to imply that
Rachael | December 1, 2005How is he defining “dating”. He seems to imply that it has nothing to do with marriage and is more like “hanging out” or befriending someone. But then he says there’s no point to dating in high school unless you are looking to get married??? Also, he insinuates that dating is a parceling out of one’s heart (which, by implication, should be avoided) but then seems almost to encourage “dating” between people of different faiths, who won’t consider marrying each other unless one of them changes.
It isn’t that he didn’t make any good points (particularly about Christian guys who expect the girl to maintain the relationship’s sexual purity) or that none of it was funny (his mockery of courtship, Little House on the Prairie), it’s just that I’m not clear on what he actually is saying.
How is he defining "dating". He seems to imply that
Rachael | December 1, 2005How is he defining “dating”. He seems to imply that it has nothing to do with marriage and is more like “hanging out” or befriending someone. But then he says there’s no point to dating in high school unless you are looking to get married??? Also, he insinuates that dating is a parceling out of one’s heart (which, by implication, should be avoided) but then seems almost to encourage “dating” between people of different faiths, who won’t consider marrying each other unless one of them changes.
It isn’t that he didn’t make any good points (particularly about Christian guys who expect the girl to maintain the relationship’s sexual purity) or that none of it was funny (his mockery of courtship, Little House on the Prairie), it’s just that I’m not clear on what he actually is saying.
grrr. I responded to this and for some reason it's
Ron | December 2, 2005grrr. I responded to this and for some reason it’s lost. I’ll try to remember what I wrote. Rachael’s points are well taken.
grrr. I responded to this and for some reason it's
Ron | December 2, 2005grrr. I responded to this and for some reason it’s lost. I’ll try to remember what I wrote. Rachael’s points are well taken.
For an interesting look at teen dating and marriage check
Rachael | December 2, 2005For an interesting look at teen dating and marriage check out this site:
http://www.frederica.com/
Frederica Matthewes-Green is an Orthodox Christian, an author and sometimes reader for NPR. Her site won’t allow me to link directly to the essay I’m referring to, but if you go to her site and click on Essays, it’s the one entitled, “Let’s Have More Teen Pregnancy”. Her lectures and essays have added to a pool of thought first dug in my mind when I listened to tapes of Mardi Keyes’ lectures.
For an interesting look at teen dating and marriage check
Rachael | December 2, 2005For an interesting look at teen dating and marriage check out this site:
http://www.frederica.com/
Frederica Matthewes-Green is an Orthodox Christian, an author and sometimes reader for NPR. Her site won’t allow me to link directly to the essay I’m referring to, but if you go to her site and click on Essays, it’s the one entitled, “Let’s Have More Teen Pregnancy”. Her lectures and essays have added to a pool of thought first dug in my mind when I listened to tapes of Mardi Keyes’ lectures.