DatingYesOrNo

We must cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit... II Corinthians 7:1

DATING –

Are You For It, Or Against It?

The item below was originally written for attendees of a Christian Conference held in Northern California.

DATING – Are You For It, Or Against It?

Greetings,
To all of you I had the pleasure of meeting at the ***** Ministries **** Conference for Singles held in the beautiful Waterfront Plaza Hotel in Jack London Square. And, my heartfelt thanks to Evangelist ******** for allowing me to address the conference with words of exhortation. For some time now, I have been thinking about the lively discussion that erupted during one of the panel discussions of the conference. I am referring specifically to declarations made by one of the participants (whom I will refer to as Minister X so as not to divulge his identity), who proclaimed that it is wrong for Christians to Date.

Let me first admit that despite Minister X’s outrageous comic antics earlier in the conference where he reenacted such things as graphic demonstrations of how men vs. women use the restroom, I found him to be quite intelligent and articulate when conversing one-on-one. Despite his high-intellect, I find Minister X’s claim that it is wrong for Christians to Date to be incorrect.

One of the justifications Minister X repeated to me regarding his belief that Dating is wrong for Christians, is that the word “Dating” does not occur in the Bible. No, this is not a joke; at least, I don’t think Minister X was joking when he argued his reasoning for proclaiming that Dating is wrong. This method of Biblical interpretation will lead to quite a few added restrictions that God does not mean for us to bear. What if we were to apply Minister X’s method of reasoning to other things in our Christian walk?

Since I don’t find “Cadillac”, “Lincoln”, “Lexus”, “Mercedes-Benz”, or any automobiles in the Bible, should I start promoting a theology that it is wrong to drive a car to church? Indeed, there are some churches that teach against modern inventions such as automobiles. Since Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the city that held the temple and Jewish worship complex, riding upon “an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass” (see Matthew 21:5), should I now proclaim that everyone is wrong unless they go to their temple/church riding on a donkey-like creature? Now in some places, this is safe to do. But, can you imagine folks who live in San Francisco attempting to cross the Bay Bridge on donkey-like critters to attend service in Oakland at the ***** Ministries Conference. Or, maybe we should have the saints walk across the Bay Bridge since Apostles are seen in scripture walking to their place of worship. Can you imagine trying to have your donkey dodge being run over by thousands of Bay Bridge commuters who don’t subscribe to giving up their cars?

Another interesting thing is that Minister X seemed to approve of the terms “Romance” and “Courting” (as relates to male-female relationships). I have performed a number of computerized searches of the King James Version of the Bible and have yet to find these words used in the context of male-female relationships, as Minister X used them.

Since I need to conclude this article, let me get down to the point: Some things can be judged good or bad only after looking at the specific context. For example, going on Dates to fulfill one’s sexual passion with someone you are not married to is bad. Similarly, a Christian courting someone who is an unbeliever is bad. However, Dating someone according to the strategies in the Holiness.com Dating Survival Guide is Very Good. Well, maybe some of you still think Dating is wrong for Christians, and you think I am not objective since I wrote the Dating Survival Guide. Let’s assume you’re right; I offer you the following challenge:

Sit down with your Bible, a good dictionary, and the Holiness.com Dating Survival Guide and prove that Dating is wrong in the context in which I describe it in my book. And, prove it citing the specific scriptures you are using as the foundation of your reasoning. And, if you really believe what you’re saying, feel free to send it to me; I may publish it for folks around the globe to see.

PS. For those of you who think it is wrong to Date because the word “Date” does not occur in the Bible, can I have your nice, new Cadillac, or Lincoln, or Lexus, or Mercedes-Benz? I’ll even provide you with a donkey in place of your car to ride to worship service (you’ll never have to worry about gasoline prices again).