Ring by Spring: Dating and Relationship Cultures at Christian Colleges
Ebook
Overview
The phrase “ring by spring” is used to describe students’ desire to find a partner and become engaged before they graduate college. From where does this pressure come? Who is most impacted? What are the consequences of this culture? This book begins to explore this complicated dynamic that is unique to Christian colleges by describing the experiences of Christian college students and alumni. The author provides additional thoughts on how to support students overwhelmed by this culture, and how to foster positive relationships of all kinds on college campuses that too often make romantic relationships too serious too quickly.
“Ring by Spring is part guidebook and part sociological
critique. For people inside Christian higher education, it is a
helpful analysis of familiar terrain. For those outside Christian
higher education, Stacy Keogh George provides a glimpse into a
subcultural tradition that may be shockingly foreign. For all,
there are important lessons about the intersection of religion and
relationships on contemporary Christian college campuses.”
—Kevin D. Dougherty, Associate Professor of Sociology, Baylor
University
“Jesus and the apostle Paul were among those who have had
meaningful lives as single people. Conversely, many of today’s
Christian subcultures emphasize the necessity of marriage in order
to have a good life, resulting in the ‘ring by spring’ phenomenon
on our Christian college campuses. Stacy George installs a relief
valve on this cultural assumption, thereby reducing the pressure of
premature marriages, giving students the freedom to choose if and
when they will marry.”
—Eric E. Peterson, Pastor, Colbert Presbyterian Church
Product Details
- Title : Ring by Spring: Dating and Relationship Cultures at Christian Colleges
- Author: George, Stacy Keogh
- Publisher: Cascade Books
- Publication Date: 2019
- ISBN: 9781532635632
Stacy Keogh George is Associate Professor of Sociology at
Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington. Her teaching and
research areas include religion, politics, gender, and
globalization. She currently serves as the social science editor
for Christian Scholars Review.