9Marks Journal: Pastoring Singles (48-49期：牧养单身肢体)

Why devote an issue of the 9Marks Journal to pastoring singles? One, it’s a growing demographic in our culture and therefore in our churches. Two, it’s a demographic that is particularly impacted by our culture’s removal of all barriers on sex; by the culture’s eroticization of all forms of intimacy, especially among same-sex friendships; by its delay of marriage; by its lies about the advantages of the self-indulgent and autonomous single life as well as the growing enslavement of consumerism; and, in turn, by the extra emphasis churches have given to marriage in order to counter the lies of the sexual revolution. In other words, a number of cultural and pastoral roads all collide in the intersection which is the single life. Why devote an issue of the 9Marks Journal to pastoring singles? To help pastors and members both grow in conscientiousness and wisdom and love for singles. That way, singles and marrieds both can grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

为什么要花上整个期刊来讨论牧养单身肢体的话题？

首先，单身人群在我们文化中正在增长，而这也影响到教会。

其次，我们文化正尝试消除一切性别差异；各种形式的亲密关系趋向更多情欲，尤其是在同性友谊中；人们推迟进入婚姻；人们宣称自我放纵和完全自主的单身生活，以及日渐增长的消费主义文化带来的捆绑其实是更好的，而这些都是谎言；同时，教会也给予婚姻额外的重担，为了要对抗性革命的谎言，这些都给单身这个特定人群带来冲击。换言之，若干文化与牧养之路都交汇于单身群体这个十字路口。

第三，这是一个充满末世应许的圣经主题。Matt Smethurst的文章，借鉴了Andreas Köstenberger的很多想法，他观察到，在起初创造时，单身状态是不存在的。在旧约时代，单身是不寻常的，而且不受欢迎。而在新约里，单身被视为具有天国事奉的优势。而在新天新地时，单身是普世性的，那时不再有婚姻。

是否我们基督徒太少在这个话题上提供合乎圣经的教牧关怀？

当然，一个单身肢体远不止于他或她的单身状态。然而，人们常常视这种经历为试炼（传4:9-11），而保罗则把它称之为恩赐（林前7:7,32,38）。所以，试炼与恩赐。我们需要同时带着这两个视角来谈论、祷告、传讲这个话题。如此行，需要的是智慧。

为什么要花上一个期刊的篇幅来讨论牧养单身肢体的话题？为了帮助牧者和教会成员一同在良心、智慧和爱心上成长来造就单身肢体。这样，单身肢体与已婚人士都能在教会的元首基督里成长，从而使整个身体彼此联结，帮助彼此联络得合适，彼此合宜做工，在爱心中有根有基地成长。