In this article, Rhoda explains what it was like for her to come to terms with her enduring same-sex attractions, having been born just after the war. She reviews her struggle with singleness, in particular the feelings of loss once she realised that she would not have biological children of her own.

We all bring baggage with us when we approach Scripture. It might be personality quirks like introversion and self-reliance, or culturally conditioned philosophical concepts like individualism. These things act as static that we must try and tune out. When we do, we are better placed to hear what Scripture teaches on community.

Jonathan explores five reasons why, over time, he has come to appreciate the value of singleness. While being honest about the struggles he's had on this journey, he shows why singleness is not second best, and indeed why it offers some distinct advantages over married life.

Covenant Eyes is a popular provider of internet accountability software. It has recently launched its new Screen Accountability software, where Artificial Intelligence is used to detect pornographic images. I have used Covenant Eyes for several years, so when they launched this change I was interested to see how it worked.

Our pastor recently preached a Sunday morning sermon on marriage and the family. He prayed for “our marriages and families” at the end and then added the line, “and we also pray for those who are single.” He might just as well have said, “and Gary too”, since I was the only single person there!

In an increasingly busy and individualistic world, and in a church culture which seems to promote nuclear family relationships over singleness, it can be challenging to build meaningful friendships within the church, especially for a childless person to build relationships with nuclear families. And yet Jesus calls for radical community centred around Himself and the gospel.