SINGLE-MINDED
By Kate Wharton
Monarch. 192 pages. £8.99
ISBN 978 0 857 214 300
Just like a number 152 bus outside my house, you wait a long time for a good positive book on singleness and then two come along at the same time!
‘Often as single people we can fall into the trap of living just half a life, but Jesus wants us all to live lives that are whole and complete in him.’ The book expands on what that looks like – being realistic about the struggles single people face and why it sometimes feels so difficult to be a single person in church today.
The book includes feedback from singles in different situations (divorced, widowed, never married) and also from married people – including examples of the very unhelpful things that married people can say to single people (e.g. ‘Do you think maybe you’re being too picky?’) but also things that married people would like single people to know (e.g. ‘We need friends besides our spouse, for our own sanity!’). The aim of this chapter is to encourage people to build good friendships across the married/single divide and enjoy the great blessings this can bring to all involved.
Striking and reassuring
Kate’s openness is striking and reassures the single reader that she does understand our situation. Her chapter on ‘Living a God-obsessed life in a sex-obsessed world’ is excellent – rarely is the challenge of sexual purity handled so honestly from a female perspective. She does not let us off the hook about the biblical standards for single people, but she also includes practical tips about how we can actually sustain that lifestyle.
Different position
I began reading the book aware that I came from a slightly different position to the author theologically; she is Priest-in-Charge of an Anglican Church in Liverpool and so would differ on the role of women in church leadership, but this does not affect my willingness to recommend the book. It’s easy to read, raises a wry smile and will be helpful for all those in our churches who care about single people, whether they are married or single themselves.
