Mark Driscoll: 'Soul Mate' Belief Is 'Destructive,' Non-Biblical
Mark Driscoll Says 'Soul Mate' Belief Is 'Destructive,' Non-Biblical Teaching
Pastor Mark Driscoll of Trinity Church in Scottsdale, Arizona, has said the popular belief that there's a "soul mate" out there for everyone isn't only non-biblical, but also destructive and harmful to single people.
Driscoll, who regularly answers readers' questions in weekly video messages, addressed in his latest segment the concerns of two single people who wondered where the Bible stands on concepts such as "the one," and whether God has a person in mind for everyone when it comes to marriage.
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The Trinity Church pastor said the non-biblical origin of the soul mate concept comes from the Greek philosopher Plato, who believed that a human soul was ripped in two pieces, one female and one male, who were tasked in life to find each other.
"This destructive false teaching is robbing many of joy in their most important relationships," Driscoll wrote in a message accompanying his video response.
He insisted that although many people are concerned with finding "the one" and don't think of themselves as a whole, complete person, the truth is that is "not Christian thinking."
"The Lord Jesus Christ was single His entire life, [and] He was not half a person," Driscoll said.
He noted that in certain sections of the Bible, God does speak to people about who they should marry, such as God telling Joseph to take Mary as his wife, allowing Jesus to have an earthly father and mother, but argued that such instances were more for "prophetic purposes."
"God gives guidelines and wisdom. You want to find someone you are compatible with, particularly spiritually," he added.
"Find someone who you can build a life together with," the pastor suggested, advising that agreeing on the Bible, where to go to church, and following Jesus are important decisions to make.
"You want to have alignment, you want to have shared common vision," Driscoll continued. "Someone you are attracted to, someone you want to be with."
He warned, however, that there is "no such thing as an easy marriage," and said that when sinful people are involved, there will always be conflict.
The pastor said that once one is married, "that's the one, that's God's choice for you." He conceded that he can't say there is a "perfect match for everyone out there."
Driscoll warned that one danger with the concept of "the one" is singles who allow themselves to be paralyzed with fear over missing out or failing to find such a person.
In October, Driscoll noted in another video that he continues receiving floods of questions on the topics of Christian dating, intimacy and living together, and gave advice on the physical boundaries in dating; living together or having sex before marriage; and how older Christians should approach dating.
