Church Support for Vocational Singleness
Watch this video exploring how can churches help those called to vocational singleness thrive with reasonable effort (regardless of sexual orientation).
Purity Culture grew from romance idolatry
Listen to this episode of the "Where do we go from here?" podcast where Devi Abraham. Jessica Van Der Wyngaard, and I talk about purity culture and celibacy. The problem with "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" and True Love Waits wasn't traditional sexual ethics. It's that purity culture sold Christians the idol of romance.
What makes relationships safe?
Listen to this episode of the "Unsuitable with MaryB. Safrit" Podcast where we chat about finding family in vocational singleness and what makes relationships safe.
Is celibacy harder than marriage?
Is celibacy harder than marriage? I don't think so. Doing life with faithful Christian marriages has convinced me.
What kind of love are you made for?
What kind of love are you made for? I joined the Atlanta City Fellows Program to explore the nature of God's love. I argued that God has made all of us to enjoy intimacy in the context of family.
Happy (Spiritual) Fathers Day
From Fathom Magazine - On Father’s Day, spiritual fathers without biological children are easily overlooked. They witness the holiday celebrations of biological fathers, and Satan’s lie strengthens in their hearts and minds: “If you don’t have physical children, you won’t make a difference.”
Do we need sex or romance?
I joined Vanderbilt Medical Christian Fellowship for a conversation about faith and intimacy. I suggested that none of us *have to have* romance or sex to meet our intimacy needs. What do we need?
Is it really better to marry than burn with desire?
From Fathom Magazine - Today, more Christian young adults are postponing marriage or considering never marrying than ever before, and the church at large fears plummeting marriage percentages and the declining birth rates that follow. As those numbers soften, their refrain booms louder: “If abstinent singleness isn’t easy for you, don’t worry. Just get married.” Armed with 1 Corinthians 7:9, they plead with the under-thirty crowd, “PLEASE. Get married.”
Is celibacy a call to *just as much* human intimacy in family?
While vocational singleness is most often a call to give up romance, marriage, sex, and children to do other kingdom work with undivided attention, it's still a call to intimacy in family.
Is romance an idol?
Watch this video seminar from Valentine's Day when I joined the Boston Fellows to explore how God's call to vocational singleness challenges the idol of romance in our cities and churches.
God sets the lonely in families
From Nashotah House Theological Seminary - Read this devotional for the Second Tuesday of Lent (featured in their Lent + Eastertide Daily Reflections).
What’s the best thing straight Christians can do for gay people?
What is the most impactful thing straight Christians can do for gay people? My answer: Give God a chance to call you to vocational singleness.
Why does God call some people to vocational singleness?
Why does God call some people to vocational singleness? Answer: To give hope for a time without the need for romance or exclusivity!
Why pause & ask God His preference?
Listen to this podcast where we ask, "Why should a Christian pause and ask God if He has a preference between vocational singleness and Christian marriage?”The answer: GIFT
Theology on Tap on Vocational Singleness
Watch this recording of St. Bartholomew Episcopal Church’s Theology on Tap where I led a discussion about discernment and vocational singleness.
The Case for Vocational Singleness
From Christianity Today - How can our churches raise up more kingdom workers to heal our communities with undivided attention? Our churches need to become places where young adults genuinely discern whether God is calling them to vocational singleness or Christian marriage.
May your marriage help all of us believe that God loves us
Watch this recording of a toast I gave for my brother and sister-in-law, praying that their marriage embodies and displays God’s mysterious love in ways that makes it easier for them and the people around them to know God’s love.
Leveraging Christian Singleness
Watch this video to deepen your vision for how God wants to use singleness, whether temporary or lifetime. What is vocational singleness? Why does God call people to vocational singleness?
Single but Not Solitary with Laurie Krieg
Listen to this interview about the Nashville Family of Brothers on the Hole in My Heart Podcast. We explore why NFOB started, what Jesus teaches about lifelong singleness, and why permanent lived-in family makes all of the difference.
Community after Social Distancing?
Watch this panel discussion about finding community during and after the pandemic, titled “After Social Distancing (After the plague): A discussion now about doing life differently in the future”.