Articles for tag: Cohabitation

Current Trends in Dating, Marriage, and Parenting

Current Trends in Dating, Marriage, and Parenting

By Kent E. Fillinger When I was young, whenever a boy and girl played together on the school playground, the other kids typically would tease them by singing “The Kissing Song”: “[Boy’s name] and [girl’s name], sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in the baby carriage!” The order prescribed in that song is being followed less and less these days. The purpose of this article is to explore recent data on dating, marriage, and parenting to help church leaders better understand current trends to help shape future teaching and ministry possibilities. DATING

If We Want to Reach Millennials, We Must Think Like Veronica

By Haydn Shaw My writing collaborator and I put together most of my book Generational IQ while occupying a corner table at a local Smashburger restaurant. We spent so much time there that the entire staff got to know us. One afternoon, the manager, Veronica, asked how the book was coming along. She said she reads business books, so we talked about my first book, Sticking Points. When I told her Generational IQ was a look at the spiritual lives of the generations, she lit up and told us her grandmother was a devout Catholic. Her mother had been raised

How I Know My Wife Married the Wrong Person

By Tyler McKenzie Today my wife, Lindsay, and I celebrate our five-year anniversary. Five years ago we tied the knot and took the plunge. Five years ago the cutest girl in Indiana was taken off the market! Five years ago we launched the beginning of the rest of our lives. Five years ago . . . And after five years, there”s no more hiding behind the dinner-and-a-movie façade of dating life. I can”t buy enough flowers to conceal it. I can”t open enough doors. I can”t say enough “I love yous.” She knows (and painfully, so do I) that she

It Takes More Than a Village

By Paul E. Boatman In a rapidly changing culture, Christians look for a foundation for healthy life. We can”t ignore what”s happening around us. But we can decide how to handle our homes. Family! This oldest of all institutions of God stirs amazingly conflicted images in the current American cultural climate. Some have Norman Rockwell-style family memories. Some view traditional family values as an evil to be fought and destroyed. Some enshrine idealized images of the family in a way that smacks of idolatry. Each of these perspectives may be found among leaders of American churches. Whatever one”s value perspective,

What About Marriage?

By Jim Street For the past 42 years, I have spoken these words in every wedding I have conducted: The sacred relationship of marriage was instituted by God. . . . The union of husband and wife in heart, body, and mind is intended by God for their mutual joy; for the help and comfort given one another in prosperity and adversity; and, when it is God”s will, for the procreation of children and their nurture in the knowledge and love of the Lord. Those words, or similar ones, derive from The Book of Common Prayer and have been in

Interview with George Ross

By Paul Boatman George Ross is in his 13th year as senior pastor of Northside Christian Church in New Albany, Indiana. The church has grown from 1,200 to 5,000 during his ministry. His previous ministries have been directed to children, youth, small groups, music, and preaching. We spoke with him about reaching sinners, watching repentance, and creating a culture of redemption. We would like to hear you reflect on how you minister in the face of cultural challenges. Why me?   I”ve watched your ministry. In both Las Vegas and metropolitan Louisville, you have focused on leading non-Christians to be

Cohabitation for Idiots

By Arron Chambers OK, I can hear what you’re thinking. This is an opinion section in the Christian Standard, and you’re going to try convinciing me that living together before marriage is a bad idea. Why don’t you stop wasting my time and tell me why I’m right to believe it’s a sin for women to serve Communion? Well, because I’m not and you’re wrong, but that’s just my opinion and not the point of this opinion piece. And anyway, I’m the one who was asked to write an opinion article about something I care about and I want to

Christian Teenagers and Their Sexual Behavior

By Mark A. Taylor Evangelical teenagers are as sexually active outside marriage as others. But not everybody agrees about why and what to do about it. Consider two pieces appearing in different publications this August. Gene Edward Veith, senior writer for World magazine, reviewed the findings of sociologist Mark Regnerus, published in his new book Forbidden Fruit: Sex & Religion in the Lives of American Teenagers. Veith”s column in the August 11 issue included this report:   Statistically, evangelical teens tend to have sex first at a younger age, 16.3, compared to liberal Protestants, who tend to lose their virginity

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