Song of Solomon
Session 3: The Art of Courtship
In session 3 Tommy Nelson talks about the difference between courting and dating.

According to Nelson, dating is simply when a boy and girl spend time together doing things getting to know one another. He says that in dating there are no expectations, no physical contact; it’s centered on an event, not the person; it shouldn’t be exclusive; there should be no pressure to escalate the relationship. The purpose of dating is to discover the type of person you’d like to marry. You’re observing and evaluating. Basically, youre spending time with a person to get to know that person and build a foundation.

Courting takes place when you are emotionally and spiritually ready to begin an exclusive relationship with someone after having dated a while. In courting, he argues that the boy should talk to the girl’s Dad. In this context he says appropriate physical touch is a good thing. In this stage of dating, a couple is learning more and more about one another. They should learn how to resolve differences; how to be honest with one another. They should recognize the passion in the relationship yet remain self-controlled.

One thing Pastor Nelson said that I found very insightful is that you should never have to apologize for ending a relationship. That’s part of being spiritually and emotionally mature.

Some questions to discuss with your teen:
1. What does a healthy dating relationship look like?
2. How do you know you’re ready to begin dating someone exclusively?