singles

The Church, Singles, and Calling

The Church, Singles, and Calling

Though unusual as a long-term vocation, singleness is a biblical, God-ordained calling within which individuals show God’s image and serve Him and His Church with single-minded, self-sacrificial devotion. Scripture presents single people as whole persons who bear the image of God. Unlike other creation stories (like Plato’s Timaeus), Genesis 2 does not present Adam and Eve as half persons made whole by joining in marriage. Rather, Adam was created a complete person who, in his singleness, reveals God’s image. When God declares that Adam’s aloneness is “not good,” He does not thereby imply that Adam was half of a person. Marriage unites the man and the woman as “one flesh” precisely because both are full persons who bear the image of God. Because singles bear God’s image, they are capable of revealing His image in their singleness.

Most Single, Never-Married Christians Are Not Abstaining from Sex: Study

Most Single, Never-Married Christians Are Not Abstaining from Sex: Study

Most single, never-married Christian men and women are not abstaining from sex, according to a new study from Communio, a national nonprofit organization.

Why The Church Needs to Talk to Singles about Sex Way More

Why The Church Needs to Talk to Singles about Sex Way More

There is a good reason the Church doesn’t talk about sex to singles very often. The Bible is clear that sex is an act exclusively meant for married people and talking about it too much to singles can cause unnecessary stumbling blocks or discontentment. But the Bible is also clear that sex is a beautiful, God-given gift.

For singles to not talk or think about sex for so long, then eventually get married and immediately be expected to welcome sex as a significant part of their lives, can be very damaging. The Church can easily do more to prepare singles for marriage and even use the topic of God-designed sex to encourage singles, regardless of if they ever marry.

Here are three consequences that I’ve seen from the Church seldom mentioning sex unless it’s in a negative light:

3 Things I Wish I Knew about Dating Besides 'Don't Have Sex'

3 Things I Wish I Knew about Dating Besides 'Don't Have Sex'

I am 27, dating for the first time in the Kingdom, and if I could boil down the relationship advice I received before I started dating, it would be this: "Don't have sex before you're married." And I'm not saying that purity isn't essential. But I am saying that there is so much more to healthy relationships other than physical purity. And now that I've been dating a wonderful man for 11 months and have picked up a thing or two in the mess of figuring it out on our own, I want to draw our attention to 3 things that I wish I was taught about dating, besides purity:

Dating Apps or the Church

Dating Apps or the Church

What if the church has a role to play in creating contexts for relational connections, even romantic ones? What if the current relationship dearth being filled by apps could be filled by Christian matchmaking communities instead?

Should Singles Adopt? Redeeming Brokenness Instead of Creating It

Should Singles Adopt? Redeeming Brokenness Instead of Creating It

The fundamental assumptions of a Christian worldview are straightforward. Applying the fundamental truth of a Christian worldview, particularly in this cultural moment, is not so straightforward. For example, this past week we heard from a single woman wrestling with whether or not to go through with an international adoption.

Make Me a Match: Churches Can Reconnect Singles … and Society

Make Me a Match: Churches Can Reconnect Singles … and Society
Despite our ever-greater mobility and even more efficient connectivity, sociologists continue to note that Americans struggle to form lasting, fulfilling relationships of all kinds, but especially marriages. We face a very real epidemic of loneliness, one that is, not coincidentally, accompanied by a steady decline in marriage.

Why Singleness in the Church is Not a Problem

Why Singleness in the Church is Not a Problem
Though complete and utter unity in the church will only be realized in heaven, there are goals to strive for while we are here on this earth. By breaking down walls and sharing burdens the church can continue healing.

The Best Advice for Singles This Christmas

The Best Advice for Singles This Christmas
There’s nothing worse than coming home for Christmas only to be met with persistent questions about why you haven’t “found someone” or hear that someone knows “the sweetest girl” in her church choir.
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