Christians Don’t Encourage Singleness Enough
“I can’t believe Mary’s daughter still isn’t married. She’s 32, has a great job, loves the Lord and nice looking. You’d think there would be all kinds of guys interested in her. I wonder what the problem is.”
Have you ever heard a conversation like this? Of course you have! The question is where in the world did we get the idea that marriage is to be valued above singleness?
Most of us think of singleness as an interim stage, a period of life that you get through like standing in the line, waiting for a ride at Disney World. No one wants to be there, but we just have to grin and bear it if we want the thrill of riding Space Mountain. Singleness is rarely viewed in a positive light in the U.S. and especially among Christians. We don’t quite say it, but the implication in the opening conversation is that singleness is bad. Not morally wrong – just a shame they can’t find the right one.
Where did we get that notion? Not from the Bible.
Have you ever heard a conversation like this? Of course you have! The question is where in the world did we get the idea that marriage is to be valued above singleness?
Most of us think of singleness as an interim stage, a period of life that you get through like standing in the line, waiting for a ride at Disney World. No one wants to be there, but we just have to grin and bear it if we want the thrill of riding Space Mountain. Singleness is rarely viewed in a positive light in the U.S. and especially among Christians. We don’t quite say it, but the implication in the opening conversation is that singleness is bad. Not morally wrong – just a shame they can’t find the right one.
Where did we get that notion? Not from the Bible.
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