Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing !!
Review: Courting/Dating. This is dating with the word courtship put in it's place, perhaps it makes you feel holier than thou? I would think that "TRUE" Biblical courtship is with two pure individuals, that would leave your spouse out, according to your story, Mr. Harris. To have divorced couples w/children getting ready to remarry someone else - you call it courtship?? Not in God's Holy Word. You would make a great politician though, you cover much territory looking to please all.
Rating: 
Summary: Definitely worth a read...my story
Review: Here a week or so from Valentine's Day, trying to make the decision on a relationship that God has presented me with, I got this book in the mail. I hadn't gotten it for about a week...it stayed in my apartment office for that time. Blessedly, God had kept me from expressing my feelings until I got this book.So I spent the entire evening reading the book. I had other things to do around my apartment, but I put it aside. The book captivated me. I turned pages like there was no tomorrow. Harris's passionate writing, clear thinking, and God-inspired quotations and scriptural references opened my eyes to where my relationship was going. I am now ready to take things at God's pace, not my own. It's a good "before you start" book, and I can tell it will also be a good "while you're in the relationship" book for the advice that it gives. Not all of Harris's principles may apply to this relationship, but God's love shines through them and makes the premises behind the principles clear.
Rating:
Summary: Prepare Yourself for Forever
Review: "Are you ready for forever?" is the question Joshua Harris asks in his newest book, boymeetsgirl. In his first book, I Kissed Dating Goodbye, Josh explained why he felt God had called him to put aside dating for pleasure, and why he began to reevaluate his relationships with a more serious, biblical attitude. In boymeetsgirl, Joshua relates the story of his own courtship and engagement with his wife Shannon. Topics he covers include: dating vs. courtship, letting God direct your decisions, why communication is vital to every relationship, and embracing biblical roles of manhood and womanhood. This book is based on Scriptural principles regarding love, relationships, and marriage. Coming from a fresh perspective, Josh relates well to singles of all ages. He is fun and entertaining while still bringing to light important, neglected issues. Prepare yourself for forever with boymeetsgirl! (also check out his great web site: www.joshharris.com)
Rating:
Summary: For the Sunday School Teacher
Review: I found this book to be an excellent tool in teaching high school Sunday School. I am buying copies for all my girls as Valentines Presents. No better gift than one like this that will help them lay a foundation for a life time.
Rating:
Summary: great truths and insights
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book - read through it in 2 nights. Josh has applied his wisdom in his courtship with his wife and we get to see the benifits of waiting and being pure before marriage. It's encouraging to read a book that reinforces my stand on dating. (I didn't read his first book). Those that argue that this book is full of fluff must not be able to see the importance of guarding your heart and the heart of the one you are courting. This book is excellent and I've recommended it to several teenagers who need to hear this perspective since they are bombarded with the world's views. I also let my dad read the book so he understands his role as my protector. Go out and buy your copy today and share it with others! :)
Rating:
Summary: Awesome book to read!
Review: I had heard of I Kissed Dating Goodbye, but had never read it. When I was out looking for a new bible, I came across that and Boy Meets Girl. I decided to pick up Boy Meets Girl, and it was so awesome. As a person who doesn't date much anyway, and is looking for something more, it gives some perspective on what I need to look for and aim for in a mate, and to strive to be myself. The references to the Bible made it so easy to see how this all fit into God's plan. It was a helpful book to push me back into looking at God's plan for my life, and not my own. My current plan is to go back and read I Kissed Dating Goodbye.
Rating:
Summary: Convoluted, repetitive and without a thesis
Review: The one word summary of this book is convoluted. It reads like several rephrased chapters from the first book with some added confusing material. Apparently Joshua Harris has molded courtship to fit his experience. Harris equivocates on the term "courtship" using it to mean dating with a purpose at one point, thinking seriously about marriage at another, and a rule dominated methodology in the remainder of the book. The analogies used in the book are poorly chosen, incorrect at times and a step beyond corny. Joshua Harris refers to his former relationship as having "unraveled like a cheep sweater" and also provides a painfully poor dialogue of "courtship cops." In the beginning Harris devotes an entire chapter to saying that its not about "courtship and dating" then he simply waters down courtship to the point where is it nothing but dating with a little bit of a Christian twist. The many examples imply that courtship is the correct Christian way when early in the book Harris stated otherwise. Overall the book is a quick read because of a writing style that leaves something to be desired. The content of "Boy meets Girl", aside from the poor writing, is wrought with error and filled with fluff. Joshua Harris writes this book in a sappy style that makes one think that Harris believes himself to be the first to ever fall in love. The advice in the book about romance is shallow and dangerous. Harris encourages romantic advances in courtship based on personal "wisdom", advice that will cause heartbreak, especially since according to Harris himself courtships break apart. Was not the point of courtship to avoid broken hearts? "Boy meets Girl" has more "principles" in it than Mosses laid out in the Pentateuch. Parts of the Biblical exegesis are extremely flawed (i.e. when Harris claims that children must obey their parents, but adults must only honor them). With this flawed and arbitrary interpretation Harris expounds the view that you can get married outside of your parents approval since you are adults and must only honor them. It is doubtful that Douglas Wilson, whom is quoted later, would endorse such a flawed view. Details about Joshua and Shannon's honeymoon might have been romantic and filled pages, but they should have been left out. The book may have appeal to younger teens because of the cute romantic vignettes but none of this gives healthy insight to a Godly relationship. Grade school analogies and a haphazard composition without a thesis is hardy a well-written book. Just because Joshua Harris wrote "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" does not mean this book is a good book. Very little of this work is actually developed in depth. The first few chapters speak much about "wisdom", a concept that is never laid out clearly, never given scriptural backing, ambiguous at best, and then abandoned in the rest of the book. Furthermore using personal wisdom to guard one's relationship is a very dangerous idea. I would strongly recommend against purchasing or reading "Boy meets Girl." This book boarders on being a Christian romance novel that could damage younger readers by covering subjects in too great of detail and by dolling out bad advice on romance. The principles of the book are shallow and fluffy, leaving too much room for the reader to twist the intent. Aside from shallow writing and cheep analogies this book has seriously troubling flaws which overshadow what good is hidden between the covers. If you are interested in this subject there are other books which are written with more clarity, Biblical backing and which also avoid such dangerous sap.
Rating:
Summary: The "valiant" Mr. Harris cheats at his own game
Review: Joshua Harris was the man we had to thank for Christians "Kissing Dating Goodbye." Now we have him to thank for confusing us by doing a play on words where "courting" is acceptable. In the book, Boy Meets Girl, courting is a word merely replacing the concept of "dating." He offers no real solutions, and the book is a bunch of fluff mixed in with overly-used-out-of-context-scriptures. Josh Harris angers me with his hypocrisy because he's making money doing it. Don't support this book or this author. It will only drag you down in the mind and spirit.
Rating: 
Summary: Good ideas, but mixed feelings.
Review: Mr. Harris is obviously a sincere Christian and a gifted writer. What impresses me the most about this book is his willingness to acknowledge that yes, people make mistakes, that no mistake is irredeemable in the eyes of God, and that life and the Lord often throws us curves we do not expect. In this respect, he's a welcome relief from what I call the "Do It My Way" writers such as Wendy Shalit and Danielle Crittenden. Most of his practical advice (restricting physical contact, being answerable to others, etc.) is excellent. But...I still have a few issues with this book. I'm a 31-year-old Christian, happily married for the past decade to another Christian. As a 10-year "veteran" I'd like to say that Mr. Harris has a definite tendency to romanticize marriage. Yes, it is wonderful, but no matter how strong one's faith in God is, there will be in-law trouble, fights over who takes out the trash, issues with money, illness, and just about everything else. That's not to say that overcoming these problems is not one of life's greatest rewards--it is. But I wish he'd dealt a bit more with the practical issues that two people need to sort out before marriage. It's one thing to delay physical and emotional intimacy until you're ready for it, but if you get married to someone without discussing finances, caring for aging parents, child-rearing, and so forth, you are setting yourself up for a good deal more trouble than if you got carried away kissing. Also, and I suspect this is due to his youth, he doesn't seem to recognize that one needs a certain richness of life experience before one can be ready to choose a spouse. I'm not talking about sin here--just being open to the experiences God has to give us. With this said, I must add that Mr. Harris displays an impressive amount of maturity for his age, and I wish him and his bride all the best.
Rating:
Summary: Something we all need to hear
Review: I never read Josh Harris's first book because the idea of shunning dating sounded ridiculous to me. I still do not know exactly what Mr. Harris's main idea of that book was, but I know that this book is excellent. He addresses some touchy subjects about dating without totally scaring me. At first, the idea of courtship sounded old-fashioned and out-of-date, but then I realized that he was offering not as much an alternative to dating as a new perspective on it. He sets this new form of dating apart from what we typically view as dating by calling it courtship. But really, this book isn't about dating (or courtship) as much as all the reviews and even its title suggest. This book is about a healthy relationship with God. Mr. Harris stresses the importance of God in each person's life, especially as people become couples. I'd heard all the gimmicks about God-centered relationships before, and even bought into them to an extent, but this book explained clearly to my heart as well as my mind what things I need to consider about myself and others before starting any kind of dating or courtship relationship.
|
