Living More Human(e)ly?
Towards Better Approaches to Dating and Couple Relationships in Contemporary Anglo-American Contexts
- Marriage, Family & Relationships
- Publisher: Pickwick Publications (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2025
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Publisher's Description
Does it really matter who one chooses to marry and how one makes a choice as to who to marry, or is it basically true that "you always marry the wrong person"? Was Jane Austen right in her portrayals of couples marrying for "love," for "comfort," or for both? What about arranged marriages? Does "the one" exist? How about soulmates? Will getting involved in casual sex or "hook-up culture" affect one's chances of eventually realizing "happy lifelong monogamy"? Are promoters of "purity culture" basically right that their approach will help lead to happy, lasting marriages? Can there be a way forward through the culture wars? Are dating apps any good? Virtue ethics is sometimes drawn upon for a dependable approach to couple relationships. But what does this approach consist of, and which "virtues" (as there are potentially very many) should one focus on, particularly when navigating dating culture in contemporary contexts? What light might theology, history, and the human sciences (including sociology and psychology) shed on these matters? Rebecca Leong offers findings from wide-ranging interdisciplinary studies that address these questions (and more), in the process developing a five-fold ethic and further building blocks for better approaches to dating in contemporary contexts.
Endorsements (3)
“Rebecca Leong has brought together historical, sociological, and psychological perspectives, as well as her own interviews of happily married couples, in search of the foundations for a happy, flourishing, lifelong marriage. Is it true that ‘you always marry the wrong person’?! What about compatibility? Always realistic about the complexities, Leong concludes that couples need the virtues of prudence, justice, courage, fortitude, temperance, and love, as well as time and effort. Engaging, thoughtful, and well worth reading!”
“In Living More Human(e)ly, Dr. Rebecca Leong offers a compelling, well-researched exploration of dating and flourishing Christian relationships. Skillfully integrating theology, social science, and ethnographic insights, she presents a virtue ethics approach that is both academically rigorous and accessible. This book is a vital resource for scholars and anyone seeking wisdom on relationships.”
“Given how much time Christian ethics has spent thinking about the nature of marriage, it is astonishing how little it has devoted to practices of courtship and dating. Rebecca Leong’s very thoughtful discussion draws on personal experience and a variety of academic disciplines to inform a fresh theological ethics of dating, one which seeks as its goal the promotion of happy, flourishing marriages. This is a highly valuable contribution on a much-neglected topic.”
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