At that time there were between 17 and 20 million unmarried women in the US.  I'm sure there are more.  And millions of unmarried men.  And this type of population was showing annual growth.  The most common view around the church at that time is that marriage is best and to be married is normal.  Singles are incomplete and unfinished.  Bufe helps us look at it in another way using biblical references.  Jesus talks about blood families and spiritual families.  Very interesting moment where Bufe talks about my brother, Phil, who was raising his daughter by himself after a divorce.  Bufe points out Jesus, Lazarus, Mary and Martha are all single.  Bufe talks about the different Greek words for love and their meanings.  Bufe gives 5 guidelinbes for singles:  1. Seek God's total plan for your life.  2. Live with quality now.  3. Cultivate deep, caring relationships.  4. Be cautious about marrying.  5. Stay morally and sexually pure.  Guidelines for the Church: 1. Value the singles.  2. Develop sensitivity toward singles.  3. As a church, we need to integrate singles into the full fellowship.  4. Involve singles in your social circles.  Bufe talks about loneliness at the end of this message.  We are all lonely, because we've all been kicked out of Eden.  

Mark 3, Philippians 4:11-13