Liberty’s Student Counseling Services Offer Seminar On Christian Dating

With the goal of educating Christian youth on how to have a godly relationship in an ungodly world, Liberty University’s Student Counseling Services held a seminar for students about navigating romance and dating with a biblical framework in mind.

Held on Feb. 2, the event was part four of a six-part series titled “Dating in a Secular Age,” a sub-series of “The Cultural Enrichment Series” that began last semester.

Sam Landa, a counselor at Liberty University, led the seminar and began by breaking the word “Responsibility” into two parts: “Response” and “Ability.” 

Landa went on to explain that “Response” refers to the fact that we respond to our surroundings, including people. Landa went on, saying that using these experiences, it is easy to blame behaviors and speech on those influences. However, the “ability” is how people choose to respond to those. 

One example that Landa brought up was about a divorced home. He emphasized that if the parents were demonstrating a strained relationship, then the child could potentially blame their shortcomings on the example set by their parents. 

A major point addressed by the seminar was about needs, stressing that the secular view and the Bible agree on some of the same needs, but the means of fulfilling these requirements differ tremendously. The speaker posed the question to the audience, “What are you willing to give up to fulfill these needs?” 

Here, Sam Landa presented another scenario. A guy and a girl are in a relationship. They both want security, love and support; however, the guy pushes for more than the girl is comfortable with again and again. Afraid of losing her secure relationship, eventually the girl gives in. As Christians, it is imperative to have godly convictions. Landa asked the question: “What are you not willing to give up?” 

The seminar ended with a conversation about faith, family, and the future, stressing that faith needs to lead Christians in their individual lives, in their relationships, and in planning for the future. 

After the seminar students were able to ask questions about what they just heard. During this time, Landa saw a common denominator that students were struggling with. Noticing that students seemed uncomfortable with the way he confronted them about not making excuses about external influences, he challenged them not to play victim, but to proactively tackle problems. 

Throughout the seminar, Landa challenged students to stand firm in their beliefs and live contrary to
the world. 

The next seminar, part five in The Cultural Enrichment Series is “Recognizing Your Emotions, Learning how to Identify and Regulate How You Feel.” Student Counseling Services invites students to attend this seminar on Tuesday, March 2, to learn more about emotions within the context of a biblical worldview. 

Emma Arbuckle is a News Reporter.