Unpop Culture

Interestingly, one of the most famous pieces of Christian literature ever written on romance and marriage was addressed to singles. Evidently, single people need to understand marriage and romance just as much as married people do. I know I did. Due in part to my idolatrous view of marriage, the last several years of my singleness were some of the most acutely painful years of my entire life. Paradoxically, those years also ended up being some of the most fruitful of my life. I guess you could say it was the best of times and the worst of times. It was the best of times because God was doing a lot of beneficial work on my heart . It was the worst of times because I was a single person living in a married person’s world, and I longed to be married. Events like Valentine’s Day only served to remind me of what I didn’t have. What I needed to read was that famous piece of literature addressed to singles about marriage. Being a good Christian guy, I’d glanced at it before, but...

Let’s continue our blog series on Paradise Lost by looking at Book 4. Summary With a mixture of nostalgia (remembering the glories of his heavenly state) and wounded pride (his refusal to seek repentance), Satan experiences inner turmoil on his way to Earth. With his first exposure to Adam and Eve, Satan is struck with both wonder and disgust at their perfections and pleasures. Their utterly happy state fills him with envy and hatred. Overhearing Adam and Eve’s conversation, he learns that the tree of knowledge of good and evil is forbidden to them. Meanwhile, Uriel, who has quickly discerned the deceit of Satan’s earlier inquiry, warns Gabriel that an evil spirit is making his way to Earth. Gabriel appoints two angels to guard Adam and Eve from any attempts made on their safety. In the evening, these angels come upon Satan, now disguised as a frog, whispering tempting dreams into Eve’s ear. Satan is forcefully brought to Gabriel; the two verbally spar before Satan flies out of...

I wrote an article for WOG Magazine that went live last week on Valentine’s Day. It explores a specific—and countercultural—way to stoke the flames of romance. You can check it out here .