One challenge, [Conor] Dwyer and others said, is that abstinent singles can struggle to find close friends who empathize with their situation.
“When my friends found out I was planning on waiting until I was married, I got laughed at quite a bit,” said Miki Reaume, a Christian and former Rockette at Radio City Music Hall who lived in New York for nine years before marrying in 2010.
When she dated non-Christians, Reaume said, the topic would usually arise on the third date.
“And then the relationship ended,” she said.
It is far more amusing to read this article and simply insert the word “Babylon” for “New York.”
“And then the relationship ended,†she said.
Well, yes. No surprise there. The surprise to me is why a Christian who holds to biblical patterns of sexual behaviour would even think of dating a non-Christian. Straining out gnats and swallowing camels, methinks.
I’m sorry if this sounds harsh, but why on earth would a believer seek to be uncompromisingly obedient in one area and then be disobedient in another?
Outreach, #2? It’s not that easy to find Christians to date, and some men who are not aggressively anti-Christian might turn into good husbands, being persuaded by their wives’ faith. But it’s tough for young women these days.
I am also rather surprised that there is equation between “non-christians” and “non-chaste”. I suspect that there would be plenty of Christians who would be pressing for a sexual relationship by the third date (and not just men either). Note that I am not endorsing that, just saying what I think would actually be the case in practice.
Katherine – I am totally heart wrung for the number of women in our congregation who lead lonely lives because their spouses are non-believers. Many of them consciously married non-Christians in the hope that they would become believers. Many non-Christian men make positive noises about Christianity until the ring is on and then all bets are off.
If we want the best for our young women then we will encourage them to seek GOD’S best, not society’s expectations.
How can a marriage between a Christian and an unbeliever possibly reflect God’s good purposes outlined in Ephesians 5?
How can the Christian partner in such a marriage hope to share the most foundational aspect of their identity when their spouse doesn’t share that identity, not to mention sharing biblical expressions of rearing children, handling money, handling conflict etc etc etc etc.
And sorry if this sounds offensive, but dating as outreach sounds suspiciously like pimping for Jesus.
Well, it does sound offensive, Is, especially since the young Christian woman in question looks at “dating” in the old-fashioned sense of going to dinner and evening events with someone.
I was joking about the “outreach” idea. Many young Christian women face lives lived alone since it is very hard to meet suitable husbands these days. If your church provides an atmosphere in which young men and women can meet and socialize in a Christian setting, then good for you. Many churches here in the U.S. cater to families, which is a good thing, of course, but where are Christian singles supposed to meet?