The world has completely ruined dating to the point that even the meaning of the word “date” has been lost. This week, we discuss some principles behind dating to help make it the wonderful part of life it really can be when we are willing to think biblically.
In this week’s podcast, we mention two Tomorrow’s World articles you’ll want to read if dating is of interest. Here are the links!
https://www.livingyouth.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/logo2-300x138.png00Wallace Smithhttps://www.livingyouth.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/logo2-300x138.pngWallace Smith2025-03-21 16:39:352025-03-21 16:39:38Podcast 139: What Is a Date, Anyway?
A biblical view of marriage recently appeared in, of all places, the Wall Street Journal! What a nice surprise! This week, we examine the soulmate myth and explain the better alternative for thinking about marriage.
[The article we talk about so much can be found here—again, in the Wall Street Journal, not the New York Times!]
https://www.livingyouth.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/logo2-300x138.png00Wallace Smithhttps://www.livingyouth.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/logo2-300x138.pngWallace Smith2024-02-16 09:50:582024-02-16 12:40:33Podcast 87: Soulmate or Family-First?
When you hear “pre-engagement counseling,” you might ask yourself, “Why would I want to counsel with a minister before I get engaged?” Yet, if you’re thinking biblically, it makes perfect sense. Join us as we talk about it on this week’s episode.
In Muslim nations and communities, women dress in burkas or long-sleeved abaya in order to be considered appropriate in their culture. Yet in Indian culture, an exposed belly is not considered revealing—whether it is 20 years old or 80, and whether its size is 2 or 32. Meanwhile, in the United States, Amish women dress only in dresses comprised of a simple scoop-neck bodice attached to a loosely gathered straight skirt, and perhaps only pinned together, because pleats and buttons are considered too ostentatious.
Depending on where you live, culture does play into how one should dress. However, with a few exceptions here and there, most Western nations have a lot of leeway in what is considered appropriate or inappropriate for women to wear. But do we have that much latitude in God’s view?
Biblically, women should not be ashamed of their bodies. When God created Eve, He made her beautiful, and women are designed to want to be that way. Peter acknowledges that women want to be beautiful, and he extends that to beauty that is more than skin deep (1 Peter 3:3). Our character needs to be beautiful, and every godly woman wants to be beautiful on both the outside and the inside.
So, if God meant for women to be beautiful, why must Christian women be concerned with what they wear in public? Does God care if we wear yoga pants and a cropped sweatshirt to the mall? Does God care if we wear a low-cut blouse with a keyhole opening? Does God mind if, when we sit down and cross our legs, anyone in front of us can see halfway up our thighs? Although it is godly for women to desire to be beautiful, is that the same as being sexy—by definition, “sexually suggestive or stimulating”—in public?
One of the biggest complaints I ever heard from my students was about the school’s dress code, and these complaints sometimes caused me to think about the relationship between female modesty and male thoughts. The students had been told that boys were easily distracted by female dress—hence, at least one of the reasons to have a dress code. While the students did not like to acknowledge that connection, the Bible also points out in 1 Timothy 2:9 that women should “adorn themselves in modest apparel” and focus more on “the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit” (1 Peter 3:1-6). Young ladies in the Church are taught this principle and given instructions on how to put it into practice, and if you’re one of them, a great place to start is the companion to this post, Mrs. Jeanine Smith’s “Women and Modesty.”
But this post is for young men: When you think of modesty, do you think it only applies to the ladies? That can be a dangerous trap, for two reasons.
Here is the July-August 2020 Tomorrow’s World article by Mr. Jonathan McNair that was referenced on this week’s podcast: “Should We Kiss Dating Hello?” Though it was written to parents, it is really instructive for anyone wanting to understand what we should be focusing on in different stages of our development, versus the priorities pressed on us by a world that sees us as “walking wallets” instead of growing human beings with an eternal future who are seeking to live a good life.
https://www.livingyouth.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/logo2-300x138.png00Wallace Smithhttps://www.livingyouth.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/logo2-300x138.pngWallace Smith2023-02-03 19:49:352024-07-09 12:32:43TW Article: “Should We Kiss Dating Hello?”
In this week’s Living Youth Podcast, with guest co-host Mr. Mark Sandor, we reflect on our own “unchurched” youth and consider what we know now that we wish we’d known then. We hope you find it profitable! The Spotify link will be added as soon as it is available.
P.S. When I posted this earlier today, I forgot that we had mentioned some articles we wanted to link to. Here are those links! Click away!
Mr. Gerald Weston’s classic article “Is Saying ‘No’ Enough?” which mentions some of his “Unshakeable Unbreakables” for teens and young adults.
Mr. Rod McNair’s article “Will You Do Hard Things?” which recommends an approach to living that is the opposite of living life as an “avatar.”
Mr. Thomas White’s “God’s Complicated Book” post here on this website, which Mr. Sandor referred to.
https://www.livingyouth.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/logo2-300x138.png00Wallace Smithhttps://www.livingyouth.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/logo2-300x138.pngWallace Smith2022-08-12 12:00:002023-01-09 10:11:03Podcast: What We Wish We’d Known
