When we think of “love,” we tend to think primarily of romantic love. For example, if I were to do an image search for “love,” I’d get a lot of pictures of couples, pictures of couples holding hands, engagement pictures, wedding pictures etc., maybe even some babies thrown in the mix. However, when the scriptures … Continue reading Perfect Love
Our own culture puts a strong premium on happiness as the highest good. And while the idea that the goal of life is the pursuit of happiness may seem obvious to many of us, this hasn’t been the assumption of all people historically, and I would argue was not the assumption of the writers of … Continue reading God Doesn’t Want You to be Happy
Even though people like myself will often talk (or complain) about how those of us in the church put great pressure on people to get married, it would be unfair to say that the church doesn’t ever talk about singleness positively. Nor is it true that singleness is never talked about as a legitimate option … Continue reading Singleness is Not a Spiritual Gift
Despite the fact that many would say that people in our society don’t believe in any kind of morality, if you listen to what our broader society has to say, especially on issues of sexuality, then it becomes apparent that our contemporary society is fiercely ethical. It’s just that the ethical discussion has shifted away … Continue reading Consent is Not Enough
When comforting someone who is single, it’s not uncommon for people to say something like, “Oh, I’m sure God has someone picked out just for you.” It’s well-intentioned, and I guess there’s a sense in which it might be true, but if the article title didn’t give it away for you, I think this idea … Continue reading God Does Not Have Someone Picked Out For You
I know I like to talk a lot about singleness in the church and joke around about how 1 Corinthians 7 is my life verse. Depending on how well I know you, I may or may not have even jokingly attempted to talk you out of getting married. But despite all that I want to say, … Continue reading An Open Letter to All My Friends Getting Married
Marriage might be scorned in mainstream culture, but thankfully in the church, marriage is usually highly valued. We recognize that marriage is a gift of God and so we encourage people, especially young people, to enter the vocation or calling of marriage. However, in our zeal to uphold God’s gift we forget that God doesn't call everyone … Continue reading Singleness and the Church
