Saturday, July 11, 2009

Friendship: The Remedy for Loneliness

More from Christopher Ash.

Lest I overstate my case, it is worth digressing for a moment to agree that human beings are deeply relational, that in the absence of relationships we do experience loneliness, and that the Bible fully recognizes this. My point is not to deny our need for companionship, but to deny that sexual intimacy is the only or the necessary way in which loneliness may be alleviated. The Bible has a great deal to say about the longings of the human heart, but it is very striking to see how very rarely sex has anything to do with these longings being met. Almost all the Bible passages that speak warmly about human love do so in contexts where sexual intimacy is absent. God’s remedy for human loneliness, according to the Bible, is not necessarily sexual intimacy, but friendship and fellowship.

2 comments:

  1. I agree with this, though I do think that the reality is that for older single Christians, surrounded by married people, friendship gets a lot harder to come by.

    Married people are constantly told that their spouse and family is their primary ministry, and that is a good thing, but it can leave single people a long way down the list ... which they have to deal with.

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