A good friend of mine - let's call her Melissa - recently confessed to me about her struggling with issues of intimacy and dating. Melissa is a bright, talented twenty-three year old, and she is a devoted Christian. This got me thinking, and some online research confirmed that many young Christians have problems with dating. So, what are the some of the specific issues, and what constitutes correct Christian dating behavior?
Like I told Melissa, Christian dating is in many ways no different from "general public" dating. However, Christians often live by a somewhat different, stricter set of rules, and these standards should define our behavior when it comes to relationships. This is why there really is a need to differentiate Christian dating from other types of dating.
Even many dating websites that have sprung up on internet in the last decade or so have realized and recognized specific needs and rules that come with Christian dating, and responded by providing a safe and Christian dating friendly environment online. While it's true that devoted Christians are no different from anyone else when it comes to many things - we still want to meet someone and fall in love, and we still kiss, hug and hold hands with our dates, the Christian fate demands that we maintain a certain level of propriety at all times. When it comes to Christian dating, this most significantly means that many devotees of Christian faith will refrain from sex and physical relationships during dating. For many Christians, sex is something that should never, ever be done outside of a marriage.
All of us - both Christians as well as atheists and members of other religions live in a modern world, and one of the things that has really shaped the times we live in is the sexual revolution. This will often mean that a majority of people expects to have sexual relationships with the person they are dating after a certain point, which makes pure, Christian dating unacceptable for some. This is exactly why I advised Melissa - and I can advise many other young Christians - to consider Christian dating websites. These websites are different because they attract and gather mostly people of Christian faith, who share the common views and beliefs about dating, marriage and intimacy. This is something many "outsiders" don't understand, but you can find many likeminded individuals - both Christian and not - on Christian dating websites that share the same beliefs.
Like I told Melissa, Christian dating is in many ways no different from "general public" dating. However, Christians often live by a somewhat different, stricter set of rules, and these standards should define our behavior when it comes to relationships. This is why there really is a need to differentiate Christian dating from other types of dating.
Even many dating websites that have sprung up on internet in the last decade or so have realized and recognized specific needs and rules that come with Christian dating, and responded by providing a safe and Christian dating friendly environment online. While it's true that devoted Christians are no different from anyone else when it comes to many things - we still want to meet someone and fall in love, and we still kiss, hug and hold hands with our dates, the Christian fate demands that we maintain a certain level of propriety at all times. When it comes to Christian dating, this most significantly means that many devotees of Christian faith will refrain from sex and physical relationships during dating. For many Christians, sex is something that should never, ever be done outside of a marriage.
All of us - both Christians as well as atheists and members of other religions live in a modern world, and one of the things that has really shaped the times we live in is the sexual revolution. This will often mean that a majority of people expects to have sexual relationships with the person they are dating after a certain point, which makes pure, Christian dating unacceptable for some. This is exactly why I advised Melissa - and I can advise many other young Christians - to consider Christian dating websites. These websites are different because they attract and gather mostly people of Christian faith, who share the common views and beliefs about dating, marriage and intimacy. This is something many "outsiders" don't understand, but you can find many likeminded individuals - both Christian and not - on Christian dating websites that share the same beliefs.