Christian Courtship
(Under Construction)
This is a sufficiently important (and exciting!) topic that I eventually plan to make devote several web pages to it, perhaps even an entire section. I am now putting together a Guide to Christian Courtship that explains the whole thing in some detail. Check it out!
What is Christian Courtship? Wouldn't you know it, some of those crazy, wacky Christian types looked at the travails and pitfalls of dating in modern society and rather than just sitting around whining about it like everyone else does, they actually developed an alternative. The result is generally referred to as Christian Courtship, though I suppose non-Christians could practice it as well.
In a nutshell, Christian Courtship (hereafter referred to simply as "courtship") examines Biblical principles, examples and precedents and applies them to the process of finding a spouse and getting married. The result involves some of the principles of "traditional" courtship, along with some deletions and modifications. In modern courtship, for example, the dowry refers not to a sum payed by the father of the bride, but a given asset base accumulated by the young man before marriage to ensure that the young couple begin life on a sound footing and not in utter poverty. The whole process is overseen in a protective and guiding manner by the parents involved, reducing both emotional and physical threats from the dating process and actually enhancing the whole thing markedly.
Anxiety and emotional stresses normal to dating are also reduced dramatically, making everyone more comfortable and able to enjoy one another's company freely. Yes, there are young Christians in America today actually doing this.
I'll put together a detailed overview here soon. I'll also (eventually) get the Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) I'm kind of working on regarding dating/courtship on the web. Yes, that's right. I'm using engineering tools to quantify social problems. The severity, occurance and detection numbers for dating are amazing. I can already tell you that if dating was regulated by the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, there'd be few couples in America today not facing at least one recall! Why America puts up with such social dementia is beyond me. I don't care if 250 million other people are jumping off cliffs. I'm not gonna!
In the meantime, here is a neat source for those interested in learning more about Christian Courtship. Ask for their catalog:
Courtship Connection
3731 Cecelia
Toledo, OH 43608
I especially recommend the following items (keeping in mind I haven't seen
most of the other items).
1. Ron Coriell's tape, Courtship or Dating?
Which is God's Best?. An amusing and informative talk covering the whole
issue by a father with several daughters committed to courtship.
2. Angela
Hanson's monograph, Courtship & Dating: A Biblical Analysis. This
is a superb paper by an eighteen year old (I wish I could write as
systematically and succinctly!) An excellent introduction to the topic. If you
get anything, start with Angela's paper.
3. Paul Jehle's book, Dating
vs. Courtship. A small book (111 pages) which passionately appeals to
Christians to come to their senses regarding the evils of dating and adopt Godly
alternatives.
Well I'm lookin' into hookin' with a lady
And not a girlie of the
worl'y that's shady
But the kinda girl you meet behind the doors of the
church
Ya see, God will bring her to me so I don't have to search
Too
hard, I've been scarred by the ones of the past
So put an APB out on the one
that'll last
From: DC Talk, "That Kinda Girl," Free at
Last, ©1992 Up in the Mix Music/BMI
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