I guess they didn't see what they were doing. Singles are the last minority in the church that it is okay to ridicule. No one actually says it, but I get this pervading sense of, "If you were as good a Christian as I am, you'd be married. You're just not ready yet." Or, "There must be something really wrong with you. After all, God told us to go forth and multiply."
Well, while there may in fact be something really wrong with me, I don't think that's keeping a ring from my church-going finger. After all, some incredible people in history--and even in the history of Christianity--were single. Here are just a few.
C.S. Lewis - He did marry in his late fifties, but wrote almost all his great works as a single man.
Susan B. Anthony - We seriously owe this chick for her part in winning women's rights.
Sir Isaac Newton - Discovered three laws of physics that are the basis for classical mechanics. You're welcome, everyone-who-uses-anything-mechanical-ever.
Queen Elizabeth - Everyone's fave royal until this new batch cropped up.
Jane Austen - Mr. Darcy. Need I say more?
Bonhoeffer - Theologian and part of a plot to take out Hitler. Pretty intense dude whose impact is still felt in the church today.
Coco Chanel - An orphan, actually, who started the world's most pervasive fashion company. Rock on.
Mother Teresa - I have a feeling she's going to have a really good seat at the table when we get to Heaven. But as humble as she was she'll probably keep getting up to fill water glasses for other people.
Every Pope.
Oprah - One of the most influential women in America.
St. Paul - He didn't even seem a big fan of the institution. Too busy gallivanting around starting churches
Dr. Condoleezza Rice - the first female African American secretary of state, now a professor at Stanford.
And, of course....
Jesus! - Yes, the one we worship as the son of God was unmarried!
So, today I'm thankful for all those wicked-cool single people who changed the world. It would be a less glorious place without them.
Yours is the second post I've read on this today. And you're right on. The church should pay more attention. We really should.
ReplyDeleteThis is wisdom that I tried grasping when I was single, but the mindset that equated marriage with a greater degree of holiness was pervasive in the church culture I was surrounded by. Living in that marriage=holiness charade robs us of some of the greatest intimacy we can have with Jesus. The church really needs to do away with the pressure on singles to marry someone so that their ministry, or true impact in the Kingdom, can finally begin. Another single to add to your list is Rita Springer. Prolific worshipper.
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