Reconsidering the Maverick by Suzanne Hadley on 09/08/2006 at 3:37 PM

When I was in college, many a male classmate joked about being a "bachelor till the rapture" based on the 1 Corinthians passage Steve referenced in his last entry. While few of these guys followed through on their jesting threat, there was a certain idyllic image of the forever bachelor. I still perceive this attitude in several single men I know — even a pride in the self-sufficiency that does not require a wife.

Until recently, I haven't felt strongly one way or another about men choosing singleness over marriage. After all, C.S. Lewis remained single into his 50s and none of us would question the spiritual impact this man had. Yet last week, I learned that a single man in his 40s I know — a man who has had a profound impact on several influential ministries — has confessed to engaging in a series of sexually immoral relationships over the course of a decade.

My heart broke.

While certainly not the case in every instance, singleness in this man's life had opened the door to immorality that led to a serious fall. This news caused me to ponder again Paul's words: "But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband." God has clearly established marriage as an aid in the fight against sexual immorality. Men who are serious about doing God's work should consider this fact. Perhaps the "maverick bachelor" is not all he's cracked up to be.