There has been a resurgence of books in recent years on how to tackle singleness, dating, courting and just about every other area associated with people who hope to be married one day. Add Holding Hands, Holding Hearts by Richard and Sharon Phillips to this growing list.
There has been much extremism on this subject, from I Kissing Dating Goodbye to whole-heartedly embracing dating without thought given to the worldliness that can creep into a dating mindset. What I appreciate about the Phillips attempt to address this subject is best summed up in this quote from the introduction:
What does the Bible say about dating? Nothing. And everything! Our challenge is to think biblically about an activity that isnt in the Bible
Our approach is to take the biblical principles of a healthy marriage and work backwards to a healthy dating relationship. The foundations for a healthy, godly marriage begin while dating.
This gives a firm indication of where they are going to take the reader in this book. The first half of the book addresses what the Bible says about marriage from Gods design in creation, how sin has affected male/female relationships and how Christ has redeemed these relationships. The second half of the book provides biblical wisdom, gaining insight from the Proverbs while addressing such topics as the first date, when to commit, waiting on love, and how to move from dating to marriage.
Richard and Sharon Phillips have given an excellent contribution to the oft-written subject matter of singleness drawing on ten-plus years of singles ministry experience. They use a very clear-cut writing style that is Bible-centered and practical. I would say that Holding Hands, Holding Hearts rises to the top of choices of books for the Christian single person as they seek to have Christ-honoring relationships with the opposite sex. This book provides a nice balance to the extremes found in many Christian circles. Todd Burgett, Christian Book Previews.com