Families at the Crossroads
By Rodney Clapp
The Superiority of Singleness
The next Chapter looks at "The Superiority of Singleness". Life after death was not well understood in Old Testament times, and children were seen as essential, for they carried on the life and name of a person beyond his death. One of the impacts of the belief in resurrection which Jesus death, resurrection and teaching produced was to free people from the need to continue their life through children. Singleness was a sign of freedom, because it expressed the belief that there was life after death for the individual. Married Christians also believe this, but the single person demonstrates his or her faith in giving up the possibility of heirs.
The single person is more free to devote themselves to service, than the married person, where family needs are very real. Yet Christian singleness is not about freedom from commitment to others, but freedom for commitment to God and others in the kingdom. In Christ we have identity in God's family and that gives us both freedom and responsibility. Single Christians are able to demonstrate most clearly Christian freedom. We see a freedom from "biological compulsion", where sexuality is about our whole personality and not just a physical activity. They show that we have freedom to marry, by showing that it is a choice - we are truly free to be single or to marry, both being vocations of equivalent value. Married Christians need single Christians and vice versa. Their vocations are complementary and enrich the church. The Christian single also witnesses to freedom to be a whole self, based on the kingdom of God, not on the selfish consumerism of society today. Single Christians are also a sign of freedom to enjoy positive freedom. Freedom is mostly understood today in terms of freedom from restrictions. The single can demonstrate their sexuality by healthy relationships with the opposite sex that are not based on genital sex. They can show how they are free to make healthy friendships with members of the opposite gender, friendships with other singles or married Christians. Lastly true Christian freedom admits the need for boundaries and singles again demonstrate the value of these boundaries. Marriage, parenthood and singleness all accept their particular restrictions and boundaries. A true interpretation of Christian family needs to honour and respect the calling and value of singleness.
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