date, or don't date. pick one.

The normal model of male-female relationships is quite simple. You are either dating or you are not dating. But the current Christian model is quite different. Our model looks like this: become friends, hang out, get to know one another, see where it goes, talk about possible getting involved, talk to someone about it, pray about it, fast over it, court (which means dating), date (which means court), and finally, date.

Instead of having or not having a romance, we add a million meaningless micro-steps which muddy the already difficult waters.

So to set the record straight you are either dating or you are not dating. Commit to one side or the other (unless you have a fear of commitment, which is a total other situation...) There is nothing overly spiritual or holy about camping somewhere between friendship and intimacy.