In the face of global relationship trends away from marriage formation, the Church Educational System is taking steps to re-instill a courtship culture.

By Jacob Hess

In 1997, the book “I Kissed Dating Goodbye” spread like wildfire among Christian singles. Authored by Joshua Harris, a young man disenchanted with secular dating norms, the book encouraged young people to avoid dating with warnings about the heartbreak that could be involved.

Most Americans, it turns out, didn’t need much encouragement to ditch dating. Over the last 25 years, dating has gone from an expected norm to a rare exception in many communities.

By many measures, this has accelerated since smartphones became widespread in 2012-2013. A Pew Research survey conducted in October 2019 found nearly half of U.S. adults — and a majority of women — reporting that dating had become harder in the last 10 years. Another 2022 Pew Research Center survey found most singles perceive dating as more difficult than before the pandemic — with 57% of singles surveyed reporting they are not currently looking to date or be in a romantic relationship.

Julia Carter, a U.K. sociologist who researches romantic relationships, also remarked last year on the extent to which dating has become “much more privatized,” thanks to dating apps, where “people tend to be sitting in their rooms on their own flicking through profiles.”

In the hyperdigital immersion of today’s society, in-person interaction for many has come to feel anything but natural. “Oh no, I would never go out for dinner with anyone. It’s just so intense and awkward,” said Sasha in a Guardian article last year. Rachel agreed, “You just don’t want to invest in that. Not just the money, but the time as well.”

Some of these same concerns have animated recent efforts by the Church Educational System of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to spark face-to-face social interaction among young adults, including dating. “We have so many young people now who are more connected than ever on Instagram, but they don’t talk to people in real life,” said Elder Clark G. Gilbert, church commissioner of education, in a new Church News interview.

https://www.deseret.com/2024/2/24/24071354/church-education-is-promoting-dating