Churchgoers have joined the ranks of cohabitating couples
One of the first things Mike Mobley did as a new believer in Christ was move in with his girlfriend. After hearing the gospel at his girlfriend’s church, he left behind his pursuit of an acting career in Hollywood, and the couple moved from California to Tennessee. They found a two-bedroom apartment and planned to sleep in separate rooms and save money for marriage.
Mobley and his girlfriend began visiting congregations. They visited one a couple of times and sought membership. But Mobley stormed out of a meeting with church leaders when they denied the couple’s application without explanation: “I didn’t understand why.”
Mobley’s girlfriend said the reason was that they lived together. Over the course of a year—one that included a seven-page letter from Mobley’s stepmom, many conversations with Christian friends, and a growing discomfort he now says “was the Holy Spirit convicting me”—Mobley...
