Rating:  Summary: A book needed for today Review: As a single man of 23, I found Mr. Harris' book very helpful in coming to grips with the attitude of singleness. That is, leaving the timing of your marriage to God and just concentrating on serving Him while single.One of the chapters that most stuck out to me was "The Direction of Purity", which pointed out that the entire focus of most young people today is wrong: purity isn't just a line that you cross when you've gone too far; purity is a *direction*. In my type of church, courting is pushed and dating is frowned on; but too many of our youth are dating anyway and just calling it "courting"! This book goes a long way in clearly explaining the differences in mental attitude between the two. I disagree with both the authors on several doctrinal points, but this book is without peer in its field; and I have already recommended it to some friends. Very well written.
Rating:  Summary: Good for younger audiences Review: Hi, I see that a lot of people have written comments about this book. Well, I would like to say that, for myself (age 25), I thought this book was pretty unrealistic and written by a rather immature, adolescent boy. Now before you hit that, "Didn't find this review helpful" button, let me say that this is not to say that Mr. Harris is totally off the mark, I am just saying that his philosophies seemed kind of juvinile and did not appeal to me. However, I noticed that a large number of reviewers seemed to enjoy this book, most of which are in their teens. So if you are a teenager, maybe you will like this book, but if you are a little older and are at the point in life where most of your friends are thinking about marriage or are getting married, maybe you should save your money and look for a different book. I highly recommend, "Dreams and Delusions" by Mari Hanes, and "Lady in Waiting" by Jackie Kendall and Debby Jones--these 2 books are great for women who are seeking God's fullfillment in their lives.
Rating:  Summary: It's about God Review: I waited about a year after I bought this book to start reading it. I know God knows exactly why I ended up not reading it before, but I wish I had read it. Josh writes in a way where we can see that he is going through the same things as we are, so we connect with him. I can't say that I agree with every single thing he said, but the book challenged me to look to God and the Bible beyong culture or normal habits and things of this world. It's about knowing God and doing His will. That's all! I encourage every one to read this book. Specially older teens. I'm 17 and I felt as if it was written for me! It's very well written, funny, biblical and REAL.
Rating:  Summary: Read into this book to get the real meaning Review: In reading this book then reading the ideas that many people had on the book I quickly realised that many of us did not read the true meaning of it and have not seen what Joshua is talking about. This book is about your lifestyle and what Joshua sees is a problem area for singles. The crux of the book is to look at your life as a single person and how it can be used for the kingdom of God. Then look at someone tied up in a dating relationship. What is the difference? He explains this in detail in the book. God uses single people and he uses married people. He moves on to explain how the world view of dating is distorting the biblical view of relationships. You must take this book as a guide and a way to base your trust in God. PLease read and discover the indepth meaning of the book. It means much more than just not dating and learning self control. It will challenge you, some people don't like to be challenged!! Please think of that as you start to read through and get challenged by his ideas!!
Rating:  Summary: Makes sense, Good Guidelines to Follow Review: This book has many good ideas for finding your future spouse. The author stresses the importance of being friends before starting a romantic relationship. And he states how dating itself can be just show, as the people are trying to impress each other. If you become true friends first, there are no pressures to look or act a certain way. And with his idea of courtship the couple knows what each other is thinking in regard to the status of the relationship. Also, with dating, it could be that you never see that person in a social setting, or working. With the author's idea to do service together, you can see better what their heart is like. Whether or not you agree with what he says, it is definitely something to think about, and are good guidelines. And if you want to know his alternative to dating, don't give up on the book, and make sure you read chapter 15.
Rating:  Summary: No bang for your buck Review: A bad book from cover to cover. Dating is not harmfull to my health. Im waiting for a message from the surgeon General as to wheather or not it is. I respect his opinion but I am not a player and am only interested in a veryu serious and committed relationship. I wonder how he feels about that? He is so anti-dating and anti-relationship that its a real shame. Just because he had some bad experiences does not mean I will. If this book was not a birthday present I'd be demanding my miney back right now.
Rating:  Summary: Not realistic! Review: I dont believe this book is very realistic or pratical. For some that are sheltered and have a good life going for them. For those that have found the one just like Mr. Harris did in his new book (kinda shady). One minute he is bashing dating and look he is now married ladies and gentlemen! Give me someone who is has been screwed over doing it the right way! Mr. Harris is inexperienced and has no credibility. The author has many good points, but ones that do not stand up against eaxh individual situation with each individual's unique lives.
Rating:  Summary: The Reality of Dating Review: In reading this book I found myself agreeing with many of Joshua Harris' opinions and outlooks on high school dating in particular. He really expressed his ideas well and gave real life stories to bring out his points of view. I liked what he had to say about relationships these days. How most of the time they can be based on the wrong things, feelings, and morals. I got a lot out of the section where he talked about the seperate roles a male and female are obligated to take in the relationship. It made me ask myself "What is my true role in a relationship, and am I fulfilling that role to the fullest." It really made me challenge myself to be a better care-giver, protector, and friend. One of my favorite themes in I Kissed Dating Goodbye was the concept of being selfless. This is something that I struggle with not only in my dating relationship but also relationships in general. A lot of us find ourselves trying to please ourselves before others. I like to visualize it like a funnel, that starts with selfishness, and can gradually lead to some painful experiences along the way. Selflessness is something that we all need to practice, including myself. All of Harris' accusations towards the majority of high school dating seemed to be on the money, whether we agree or not. Something else that I learned from this book was not to treat marriage a just an opportunity to have sex. It made me realize that marriage is a huge commitment that I won't be ready for for a long time. Marriage is being united and becoming one with another person for the rest of your life. To me, that takes a real man to keep a commitment to your spouse and to God for the rest of your life. I think all of us should realize that marriage isn't just an awsome honeymoon, but it is something that will take hard work to persevere through the tough times. The only downside to this book was the failure to see that you can take a Biblical perspective to a dating relaionship and make it work. I think that Joshua Harris failed to see both sides of the coin. You can have a relationship that revolves around God and is selfless. I'm not saying every relationship like this is perfect, not at all, it takes work and self-dicipline to do it God's way. Just remember, if it is God's will, it will happen. Even though it is hard to put aside our self-gratification and the desires of the present, we need to honor God with our relationships and keep him the first love of our lives.
Rating:  Summary: Thanks for screwing me over Review: well i read this book back in the summer after my ex girlfriend dumped me because of.....i would just like to say that this book is very bad in that it contradicts itself throughout. You have the right to an opinion yes but i think that the way that josh(the relationship destroyer)harris presented it was completely wrong and ment to hurt more than to heal. From what i gathered from it, i was belittled, disturbed,and outright pissed off because of how i felt from its words.. Basically this book states that dating as a young person is wrong and harmful for your health, but i think its the other way around but i guess that joshua(the explayer that got caught) harris had a bad experience while with a girl and ruined it for the rest of us that are attracted to christian women.....sorry that you messed up...i guess you got your way though, congrats she's all yours now
Rating:  Summary: True Love is Found Only in Jesus Review: I bought this book several years ago but I could not really get into it then. This year in Bible we had a choice between three books. I chose "I Kissed Dating Goodbye". When it was the beginning of my junior year I made a commitment not to date anyone until my first year of college was over. I decided to make this commitment because I felt that God really wants me to focus on my relationship with Him during this time in my life. Reading this book has given me insight in what a relationship is supposed to be focused on, JESUS! If you fall in love with Jesus first then He will lead you on the right path in your relationship. I have two more years in my commitment, reading this book has strengthened my determination in going through with this commitment. "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" has erased all doubts in my mind. I know for sure that God wants me to continue in my commitment. One of the points that Joshua Harris says in his book is about Guarding Your Heart. In this chapter he mentions three pollutants. Infatuation, Lust, and Self-Pity. Infatuation is the one that I realized I struggle with. I might not take it to the point where I am always thinking about guys. But I do find my mind wandering to that certain someone quit often, and I am not even in a relationship. This has opened my eyes and has made me realize that my focus needs to be only on Jesus. As I go through my life I will read this book over and over again as an encouragement and a resource. This will be a book that I will look to when I start dating. I will always remember that I need to focus only on Jesus and have my eyes fixed on Him.
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