Recently I came across an article on being single by Stephen Witmer posted on Piper's site.(Piper is a well known pastor in the mid-west usa.) The article is titled, "Will I be Single Forever?" It focuses on telling single christians how to handle their singleness by focusing on eternity.
But Witmer is married. In fact he has three kids. His only knowledge of singleness was being single in his 20's- you know when most people are single. (Huffington Post posted stats that the average age for marriage in the usa: 27 for women and 29 for men.)
So why is a married man being sold as an authority on singleness? I have no idea.
I do know this: he's not an authority. Furthermore it's insulting. He has no clue what it's like to be single long term.
This is exactly the kind of attitude I see in the church. Married people think they know what it's like to be single because they were single for 5 or 6 years. It's not the same people. It's not.
If you want to pick someone who can truly minister to single people- pick a single person who's actually been single for a while- a long while. Give me someone who's seasoned. Don't give me some married guy with three kids. Pick someone who truly understands how hard it is.
But Witmer is married. In fact he has three kids. His only knowledge of singleness was being single in his 20's- you know when most people are single. (Huffington Post posted stats that the average age for marriage in the usa: 27 for women and 29 for men.)
So why is a married man being sold as an authority on singleness? I have no idea.
I do know this: he's not an authority. Furthermore it's insulting. He has no clue what it's like to be single long term.
This is exactly the kind of attitude I see in the church. Married people think they know what it's like to be single because they were single for 5 or 6 years. It's not the same people. It's not.
If you want to pick someone who can truly minister to single people- pick a single person who's actually been single for a while- a long while. Give me someone who's seasoned. Don't give me some married guy with three kids. Pick someone who truly understands how hard it is.