Most Important Christian Dating Advice

As if dating weren’t complicated enough, when two people who are seriously committed to their Christian faith decide to begin dating, tons of new issues arise.

Christian dating brings up questions about appropriate intimacy, maintaining a proper relationship with Christ, honoring God through your dating relationship, and following the teachings of Christ while remaining a happy couple. Some wisdom on proper dating can be learned from the Bible, and other advice on Christian dating comes from our clergy, our parents, and even our Christian friends.

Best Christian Dating Advice For Women

Most people when they think of dating think about nightclubs and hooking up. But for the serious Christian, dating can be somewhat different. You want to find that special someone who is right for you, but you want to do it with God’s guidance, and you want to keep your Christian values intact. It’s not so easy these days because not everyone you meet shares the same values as you. So how do you pursue a relationship while still keeping true to your faith?

Let’s take a look at some of the best dating advice but experts in the field. What are some dating tips and advice for Christian women? Here are some suggestions to help you navigate the murky waters of Christian dating.

Pick The Right Guy

If only it were that easy. Despite one’s faith in the Almighty, he is not going to point out the right guy for you with a ray of golden sunlight and a chorus of angels singing. No, it is up to you to use your better judgment to find a guy who is a good match. This can be especially difficult because, as everyone in the Christian community knows, there are Christians, and then there are people claiming to be Christians.

Sadly, the second group tends to be more common than the first. You know the guys. They claim to have faith and follow God’s word, but as soon as you are alone with them, they turn into every other wrong guy you have ever met. They may display immoral behavior, curse a lot, talk about themselves in a vain and shallow way, or only be interested in ‘that one thing’ from a woman.

When choosing the right guy for you, you want a man who is compassionate, kind, and honest. He may not necessarily be an avid churchgoer as long as he respects your faith and exhibits many Christian-like qualities that you adhere to. He also needs to respect you. I know this sounds like the perfect guy, and there is no harm in having initial high standards. You can always adjust your sights accordingly if you find someone that you are attracted to.

Unfortunately, you are only going to find that right guy through trial and error. But a good place to start is, of course, your church. This is a good place to look for a guy that shares your same values. Even if there isn’t a guy there that is right for you, churches tend to be very social. You can always network through the church members that you are close to. Sometimes matches come about from other people hooking you up with someone they know. Other places you can try are church social events, networking through your friends, and even through online Christian dating sites.

Don’t Try To Convert Him

Once you find a guy, he may share the exact same values as you, or he may not even belong to the same denomination (or even religion). The mistake that many Christian women make is to try to convert their men. Don’t try to do this. Many people in a relationship do not do well if pressured by their partner or spouse to adapt to new religious beliefs. He may not go to the same church as you. He may not go to church at all. But if he respects you and your faith, then you should respect his. You should not criticize his beliefs, nor should you mistake his difference of faith as a rejection of you as a person.

Tolerate His Differences

Chances are very slim that you are going to find someone that shares the exact same values as you. If you can, then more power to you. You go. But most partners are more likely to share just a few of the same values. Don’t fret and freak out, though. It is very rare to find a relationship where any two people are exactly the same. In fact, many experts agree that it is the differences in a relationship that gives it a spark. Too many shared traits can lead to a boring relationship. So for a healthy relationship, try to tolerate a guy’s differences and accept them (as long as they do not upset your own beliefs or faith).

What Is Appropriate in Christian Dating

This is a big one for Christian women. Other people who do not follow Christian ways tend to jump from one relationship to the next. They are liable to engage in all sorts of activities with each person. Christians should try to hold themselves to God’s standards. This means that you shouldn’t hop from one bed to another. No, you cannot be expected to be a saint. Passion is a strong emotion. But if you don’t want to lead a hypocritical life, you should try your best to follow healthy Christian values. Of course, a little hand holding a kiss goodnight never hurt anyone.

Don’t Rush Things

Let’s say that you find a guy that you really like, and he seems to be everything that you are looking for in a mate. This doesn’t mean that you should rush out and set a date wedding date. You need to take the time to really get to know him. There may be some traits of his that he keeps hidden or only become apparent after you know him better. Maybe he turns into a typical Neanderthal when he gets around his guy friends. Maybe he curses at his work when he gets home at the end of the day. Or maybe he is not as spiritual as he led you to believe. In any budding relationship, you always want to take thing s slow and easy to make sure that he is the right guy for you.

Always Keep Your Faith

This is the bottom line in any relationship that you pursue. You always want to stay true to yourself and your faith in God. Even if your new guy does not share your values, you should not compromise your own beliefs for the sake of someone else. Never put anyone before God. If you date someone who has different beliefs, just as you respect their choices, so should they respect yours.

Best Christian Dating Advice For Men

Dating is hard enough, but being a Christian can make it even harder. You are constantly challenged to find someone who shares your beliefs and values while at the same time fighting off temptation. Christian dating can be difficult because we try to hold ourselves to a slightly higher standard (it may not work all the time, but at least we try). Since your belief in God plays a big role in your life, you want to try to remain true to those beliefs while at the same time find someone suitable to share your life with.

If you are lucky, you can find a nice girl in your church. If not, then you have to get out there and mingle around in the hopes of finding someone compatible. So what are some dating tips for Christian men? How can you balance faith and a relationship? This article is for all the Christian guys out there that might need a little help.

Stay True To Your Beliefs

So let’s say you are putting yourself out there on the available market. There are a lot of really hot girls to check out. But not all of them may have the same spiritual beliefs as you. Some may belong to a different religion, while others do not claim any religion at all. It is natural to try to adapt to someone else’s standards in order to seem more attractive. But for Christian men, the trick is to remain true to your faith and values. You should never compromise your belief in God just to attract someone. That is putting others before God, and that goes against the teachings of the Bible. If you want to find the right girl, hold to your beliefs. You are much more likely to find someone that you are compatible with and who can share or at least respect your Christian values.

God Will Not Do All The Work

We ask God to help us all the time with problems and difficulties. It is a part of our belief that we put our faith in Him. But when it comes to dating, God is not going to do all of the work for you. The perfect girl will not appear in a crowd surrounded by white light and sporting a pair of angel wings. God will lend a hand, but it is up to you to do all of the legwork. This means that you have to get out there and actively look for someone. You will have to meet a lot of girls (not altogether a bad thing) and get to know them. Some may be duds, but with a little prayer and faith, you are bound to meet the right one eventually.

Know Your Girl

So what kind of girl should a Christian guy look for? With guys, physical attraction can play a big role, but you should not fall prey to your passions. There are clubs, bars, and parties full of beautiful girls, but that does not mean they will share the same beliefs in God as you do. This is just generalizing, but a lot of girls that you meet in such places tend to be shallow, self-centered, and materialistic. They live in the here and now with no regard for their future or to living a healthy Christian life. As a Christian guy, you need to find a girl that you could have a future with. If you can’t see yourself married to who you are dating, then you are dating the wrong girl. Look for some common Christian traits such as honesty, compassion, and loyalty.

Where to Meet Her

Finding the right girl can be difficult. You may go on a lot of dates before you come across someone who is a good match. The most logical place to meet a girl that would have a lot in common with you would be at a church or a church-themed event. You would at least be guaranteed that she would have enough in common with you. You can even network your fellow Christian friends and peers to find someone compatible.

If the church is not the right place (or there just aren’t any girls available), you can check out the internet. There are many online Christian dating sites and communities where you can meet someone. Just remember that anytime you meet someone online, you need to be careful. There is always the chance that they might not be who they say they are.

Speed dating has become popular with Christian dating. This is an event where groups of men and women get together, and each person has a few minutes to talk with someone of the opposite sex. This is convenient because, in a few moments, you can find out enough of the basics about a person to see if there might be any chemistry there. This helps to save a lot of time in dating and keeps things safe because it is chaperoned.

Know How Far To Take Intimacy

No one is a saint, but intimacy can always be a temptation. While some non-Christians may not exercise any boundaries, it is important to know just how far to go with a girl. Not all Christians are going to be strict about physical intimacy. Some barely allow holding hands while others agree on kissing. Before you go down that road, you need to know the boundaries between you and your girl. Find out what she is and is not comfortable with. You also need to let her know the same about you. While the Christian belief on pre-marital sex is pretty much set in stone, and as a Christian, you should do your best to follow it, no one is perfect. Sometimes passion gets away from you. So know where each of you stands in regards to intimacy before you cause something really awkward to happen.

Respect Her And Her Beliefs

The chances of you finding a girl with the same Christian values as you are slim. During your dating period, you are likely to go out with girls who have different beliefs or a different religion altogether. It is up to you whether this is important or not or if you need someone who shares your exact views. But no matter who you go out with, you should always respect her beliefs, especially if she respects yours. You should never criticize her beliefs or belittle them. That is just a good way to start an argument and hurt someone’s feelings. Practice tolerance and acceptance when dealing with any differences. As long as her beliefs and values do not contradict your own or offend you in any way, then all is good.

Don’t Be A Missionary

A common mistake Christian guys make is to get in a relationship and try to make a convert out of their girlfriend. This is a relationship, not a missionary trip to save her. Most girls do not feel like they need rescuing or religious conversion. If you try to change her ways and her beliefs, then you are setting yourself up for disaster. In the end it will only cause resentment and could end the relationship. Give them time to adapt and maybe in the long run they might decide to convert on their own.

As if dating weren’t complicated enough, when two people who are seriously committed to their Christian faith decide to begin dating, tons of new issues arise. Christian dating brings up questions about appropriate intimacy, maintaining a proper relationship with Christ, honoring God through your dating relationship, and following the teachings of Christ while remaining a…