Growing up in evangelical church circles, I heard the common teaching about couples “date nights” as if forever “dating” your spouse should be the norm.
I think this teaching is both unwise and unhealthy.
Don’t get me wrong: I believe investing in couples time is important. However, calling it “dating” is unwise.
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post (see here), “dating” suggests a state of open options for spouses, which is antithetical to godly monogamy.
The other problem I see is how it feeds into entitlement. A spouse could get the wrong impression that their marriage’s survival or health is based on the romantic performances of their spouse. How good (or not) is their “date night” game?
Some pastors even “jokingly” talk about how their spouses might leave them if they did not pay them enough such attention.
This cheapens marriages and opens them up to destruction. A healthier approach is a focus upon what one controls–namely, one controls one’s own commitment to keeping the marriage vows.
