Sacred Relationships Seminar: A Biblical Lens on Singleness & Dating

Description

Two key things (amongst others) are at the center of the life of a Christian. The first is our relationship with God, and the second is our relationship with others, each providing important context for the other. Within the Scriptures, God communicates key truths and wisdom about our relationship with him and others. But this wisdom is rooted in a historical context. It is concerned with all kinds of relational dynamics and large-scale "heart principals" like approaching relationships with self-sacrifice, patience, humility, and many other ideals.

Like the Biblical authors, we have particular cultural settings regarding the relational spectrum. When we look to the Bible to inform our relational experiences, we must be careful to understand both our cultural setting and the cultural setting the Biblical authors were writing in to understand how the God of the universe is speaking into our lives now.

Overall Objective: Theological truth can help us discern what it means to be single and/or dating in today's culture. Dating is not a Biblical mandate; it is a cultural mandate. Singleness can be seen as a fulfilling, valuable, and even preferable relational experience. Ultimately, both of these categories are secondary identity markers compared to our primary identity as followers of Jesus.

As Christians, we ought to actively live and participate in the culture we find ourselves in, with our eyes fixed on Jesus' inaugurated Kingdom. As we live in our cultural setting, how can the Scriptures and our life with God inform how we live as single people, participate in dating relationships, and dispel lies about our current cultural climate?