Just based on a discussion today, I've got a starter for a line of research that I really want to go down. This is in no way a finished idea but a really interesting starting point for some deep thought.
I was talking with someone about the process of courtship today and actually, among other things, realised that courtship (for me meaning a relationship between a guy and a girl that is initiated on both having strong convictions of God's intention for them to be together in marriage and intended to validate that conviction), although seeming like a sound principle, is not actually a biblical one. It's not necessarily contradicted by the bible but it's not obviously founded in it either and it certainly exposes the couple to greater temptations than a straight proposal after friendship. So 'Is courtship biblical?' will be the basic line of inquiry.
So, what I'll be looking at in some detail, posting hopefully regularly on here, is whether the pros outweigh the cons of courtship, whether the bible provides any principles that support the idea of courtship or 'testing the water for marriage' and whether courtship ultimately lies in insecurity or failure of trust in what God's telling you - undue caution!
I'll also be considering if and where we draw the line regarding cultural relevance in the bible. Obviously, the cultures in which the bible was written are different to our contemporary society. God's principles are obviously the same but how do we go about untangling principle from culture... if at all! I'll be using the bible itself as the source of this opinion. I believe that every word of it is God's and, as such, is entirely truthful and uncontradictory. Therefore, I also trust it to inform me on this issue regarding itself!
I'll also be considering to what extent we should allow our own cultural practices to influence our lives as Christians. Where do we draw the line there?
As someone who is currently courting (and has been doing so for over a year) this is the first time I've really been challenged to actually biblically support my decision for following this particular path into a relationship. In the journey to discover why, I will hopefully gain some deeper insights into the bible's absolute sufficiency as the Christian's guide to living and loving!
So, hopefully, over the next few months, I'll be regularly adding new 'chapters' hopefully going through this whole issue methodically and biblically.
Praise God for Uche whose wisdom inspired me to go after this and challenged me to look deeper into my motivations for 'courting'.
Watch this space...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment