I am so glad to be married. That was the sentence resounding in my head as I looked through 5 Paths to the Love of Your Life, edited by Alex Chediak.
In God’s kindness and providence he gave me a wife even though I didn’t have the benefit of a book such as this.
If you’re a parent sorting through what you’re going to do with your teenager, thinking through the positions articulated in this volume would be a helpful exercise.
If you find yourself caught in the crossfire between those who have kissed dating goodbye and advocate arranged marriages, betrothal, or courtship on the one side, versus those who kiss on the first date, those who date if it’s purposeful, and those who just wish they could get a date on the other, this is the book for you.
UPDATE: A friend of mine who is a singles pastor at a large church asked me to elaborate on this book, so here goes: it’s sort of a “5 views” on how to handle one’s self as a single person. The editor has each of the authors address three situations: a high school couple being encouraged to date one another, a college couple—each new believers with unbelieving parents, and a 30 year old single female looking for a husband. The authors comment on how, in their view, each of these situations should be dealt with. I think this would be an excellent resource for you and the folks in your ministry.
Jim,
I’m honored by this post, brother, and by your kind words.
For the sake of your singles pastor friend (and perhaps others), I thought I’d submit a brief comment on the structure of the book. In the words of Albert Mohler, “The structure of the book allows each of the five ‘paths’ to be presented with both theoretical explanation and practical application.” You can read Dr. Mohler’s entire review here:
http://www.albertmohler.com/commentary_print.php?cdate=2005-10-21
In terms of theoretical explanation, each contributor lays out their case for how to understand and “do” premarital romance. Then, as Jim noted, they are asked to apply their perspective to three scenarios, which range from the pre-college to post-college years. While each contributor holds to evangelical Christian convictions (regarding premarital sex being sinful, the marrying of unbelievers being inappropriate, etc.), a number of interesting differences are teased out along the dating/courtship/betrothal continuum (if you will). I explain this more in the book’s Appendix. The book’s Introduction (which sets up the structure for the book) can be read here:
http://www.alexchediak.com/5Paths_FrontMatter.pdf
Blessings,
Alex Chediak