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Today's Cinderella, lured by "get mine, get yours" slogans, keeps waking up beside yet another fake prince, only to find she hasn't become a princess. She wonders about her "freedom" and what it is exactly that she gained, and at what cost. She feels merely dirty, with a distinct taste of ashes in her mouth, her dreams a swirl of soot under her feet.

They may be listening to Aguilera sing her songs of sorrow. They may come up with crude new slang to mask their pain and emptiness. But, driven by the imprint God placed in our nature, they still hear in their hearts the age-old Song of Songs: My beloved is mine, and I am his.

Janice Shaw Crouse is an author, speaker, and senior fellow at the Beverly LaHaye Institute in Washington, D.C.

Opinions expressed in Speaking Out do not necessarily reflect the views of Christianity Today.

Copyright © 2003 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

The Washington Post's article on the Harvard's personal ads says, "women of every red-blooded man's dreams were advertising their availability."

In February, a panel of Christian singles discussed the proliferation of reality dating shows like The Bachelor and Joe Millionaire and their turn from seeking one-night stands to seeking spouses.

ChristianityToday.com's singles area has articles from many Christianity Today sister publications of interest to unmarried Christians, including Camerin Courtney's "Single Minded" column.

re:generation quarterly has had articles on singleness and the church, especially in its Fall 1997 issue, which contained Paige Benton's "Singled Out By God for Good" and Andy Crouch's "Extended Family Values."

Christian Single magazine, published by the Southern Baptist Convention's Lifeway Resources, isn't just about being unmarried.

Christianity Today's earlier coverage of Christian single life includes:

Solitary Refinement  | The church is doing better than ever at ministering to single people. But some evangelical assumptions still need rethinking. (June 4, 2001)

A Singular Mission Field | There are more single people in America than ever—and they need the church as much as ever. (June 4, 2001)

Sex and the Single Christian | What about the unmarried in their postcollege years? (July 7, 2000))

Women Churchgoers 'Face Growing Difficulty in Finding Partner | British magazine says church is out of single men, especially older ones. (June 7, 2000)

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May 2003, Vol. 47, No. 5