Benjamin has compelled me to argue for a traditional courtship model for marriage verses the cultural accepted practice of dating or dating with intent to marry (whatever that means!) He also insists that without biblical references then it is merely man's invention (as if dating is a better alternative!) But setting these types of arguments aside (since they really get us nowhere) the focus of this exercise is to explain (as simply as I can) what courtship is. It is not useful nor is it helpful for anyone, in comparing courtship to dating, to argue in circles what cannot unequivocally be argued from scripture. Some useful narratives found in scripture that I might send someone to make a careful study of would be the story of Ruth and Boaz. In this story we get to see how Boaz relates to Ruth when she is discovered lying down at the foot of the place he is sleeping. Read the dialogue and determine his behavior and attitude towards her for some insight. Did he treat her with dignity? Did he honor her and did he speak kindly towards her? Did he become passionately intimate with her before he married her? Did he take advantage of the present situation or did he act with integrity? The answers of stories such as this one give us much insight into how a young man ought to treat the one he intends to marry. If he does not intend to marry then he has no business "involving" himself with someone else's future wife. This is a principle of courtship - not dating. I will let this sink in for a time and expound further, on the same topic, with my next post. You may comment of course, but remember that the purpose of this post is to mainly explain the principles of courtship. In explaining it, it may become necessary to contrast it with dating as I know it to be. Lastly, the presupposition I will make throughout this exercise is that the two do stand in contrast to each other. Whether you disagree with my presupposition is your own business - just remember I know what I am talking about since I had girlfriends when I was a teenager. What I am teaching my kids stands in stark contrast to what I have known. Furthermore, it is a far superior model for protecting the heart while safeguarding against intimacy from going a muck.
-Joe
2 comments:
I just wanted to make it understood that i never said dating was a "better" alternative to courting. I was trying to explain that it "could" {in my opinion} be a Godly alternative-meaning that both dating and courting can be Godly. I am not trying to induce debate since you still have another post coming.
I just wanted to make sure that this line "(as if dating is a better alternative!) " was NEVER my opinion, that dating is "better"
looking forward to your next post. :)
Yes of course Ben, but I am saying that courting is a better alternative. That is what I will be arguing for with these posts as I explain (in a simplified way) courtship. I don't have any intentional rebuttal to something you have already said elsewhere.
Mr. Milette
Post a Comment