A Response to "You're Such a Flirt"

This post is a response to Coffee Snob's blog from Tuesday and the "flirting conference" that is referenced in that blog.

First- In Tuesday's blog, Coffee Snob posed the question: "Does the Biblical injunction against adultery extend to flirting? Is flirting—with someone other than your spouse—clearly forbidden? Or do we sometimes frown on it because of where it might—intentionally—lead?"---My initial response to this is yes, yes, and yes.

As far as I'm aware, flirting is not directly mentioned in the Bible. Even so, we are given plenty of warnings against adultery and calls to modesty. For example:

"...adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control." 1 Timothy 2:9

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Matthew 5:27-28

I don't think all flirting is necessarily anti-biblical, but that it falls under the category of heart-issues and spiritual maturity. Is flirting modest? Even if your intentions aren't blatantly sexual, are your intentions entirely pure? The principle applies in regard to flirting with people who are not your spouse. Just from a personal perspective, if I knew my husband were flirting with other women, I would not feel that he was fulfilling his biblical role as the leader of our family.

Second- I'd be interested to know the demographics of this "flirting conference." Times are changing, but I'd still be willing to bet that most attendees of this conference are women. The advertisement for this conference says,"How to Flirt for Success." How can we look back at all the work women have done to earn rights and privileges and respect and then go to a conference that teaches you to "flirt" for "success?" I'm actually pretty disgusted at this concept.

Third- This conference costs $20 and lasts about 1 hour. The following is a list of better things you could do with $20 in one hour:

• go to the zoo
• make about 100 sandwiches and give them to homeless people
• go to church and tithe
• go mini-golfing
• take somebody to lunch
• go to the movies
• buy a book and read a chapter
• buy about 20 cups of not-bitter coffee
• save up and plan for your next vacation
• attend an apologetics conference
• go bowling
• pay half of my electric bill

You get the idea...