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Biblical courtship, also known as Christian courtship, is a term used to denote a particular response to secular dating culture within the American Christian community, c. 1985 to present. Motivated by concern for the need of Christian values in contrast to secular dating practices, conservative Christians (principally associated with the homeschooling movement) identified what they saw as key Biblical principles for courtship and romance, and began to disseminate them in the 1980’s. Bill Gothard and the Advanced Training Institute, considered even by many evangelical Christians to have cult-like characteristics, are credited by some with establishing courtship as a comprehensive approach to romance.
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The movement gained widespread exposure following the best-selling response to I Kissed Dating Goodbye by homeschooled student Joshua Harris, a popular contemporary treatment of Christian courtship. Full or partial employment of distinctive courtship practices (such as parental involvement, mentoring, family gatherings, and discipleship of young couples) began to be widely practiced within the American homeschool community and is occasionally found in other evangelical/fundamentalist communities. |
The courtship movement is identified by Biblical principles, rather than particular methods or behavioral practices. Thus contemporary Christian courtship cannot be readily compared to historical norms of courtship practice, such as ancient or modern Hebrew cultural practices or Victorian courtship practices.
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