In Single, Dating, Engaged, Married, Ben Stuart walks readers through the different stages of their lives in regard to marriage. This book is an update edition filled with new studies and things that have occurred in the last 7 years since the first release. Technology mainly has evolved a lot since the first release. He served as the director of Breakaway Ministries from 2006 to 2016. There is a new chapter devoted on how to break up. In the book, he explained that the current generation is waiting longer and longer to get married. The average age is 27 for women and 29 for men. In 1990s, men got married at 26 and women 23. He blames half of the waiting on they are afraid of divorce and they don’t want to risk making the same mistake as their parents. Another reason is the fear that marriage will mess them up and it could delay their career goals. One of the first topics, he looked at was the importance of putting God first and only then can we have a good relationship with someone else. He goes into detail about how love sends, love sacrifices, and love stays. He shared who we are in Christ and how He sees us and how He knows our name. We don’t have to try and earn His incredible love. He explained the gift of singleness like Paul had. He looked at how if we are single, we can have liberty from anxieties and stresses that can come from marriage. When we are married, we have to be concerned about how to please our wife and her needs.


One of my favorite lessons was from a story about Rome and how they treated their baby girls. Girls were seen as a symbol of wealth. If a family didn’t want their daughter, they would literally lay them down on the side of the road. She would either die or be picked up by a pimp. Christians would choose to try and save them and they would raise them up and teach the ways of Christ. He uses this example to showcase how critical it is to invest in others. Scriptures encourage us to train the younger generations. This can be seen in the form as mentors or coaches.


I would recommend this awesome book to anyone who is single, engaged, or married. This book has important principles for all folks and lessons that we can all learn. I also liked the section discussing that if we are Christian, we do know the world is going to hell but we can choose to behave differently. We must stop wasting people’s time and to quit playing with their emotions. We can mean what we say and be clear with our intentions. This can be in reference to flirting and leading others on. I appreciated how he shared how people can be upfront about their feelings if they aren’t interested in you romantically. This book is very eye opening on the different stages in our lives and is very powerful.

I’ve heard about this book for years, and now I see why it’s a go-to. Single, Dating, Engaged, Married offers clear, Biblical guidance for every stage of a relationship. I’d recommend it to anyone seeking a Christ-centered approach to love and commitment.

I have read and loved the original Single, Dating, Engaged, Married by Ben Stuart and jumped at the chance to read the updated version. The updates to this book include up to date statics and a chapter on break ups. I know that I do not speak alone when I say that the impact that Ben had and continues to have with this book, both the original and now updated version, is far reaching and we are better for it. This is a 5 star read for me!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Great book! Love the updated version! I would recommend to other people. Ben gives good practical advice for people in each stage of life.

Single, Dating, Engaged, Married by Ben Stuart

As an individual battling her own personal struggles with dating as a Christian; I ultimately run to this book when I saw it on net galley as being re-released and revised. The writing was easy to follow and the arguments simple enough that anyone could understand and gravitate towards. My only complaint was the formatting on the digital copy I received - it made every page blocky and difficult to read. However, despite the format, this was a 5 star read for me and I can say without a doubt I will be recommending this to multiple friends. I appreciated how the revised edition tackles more modern day issues without losing the main focus from the original version.

I think this book is excellent for anyone in any of the four stages, but especially great for those in the first two (single, dating). Ben is invested in making sure the advice he shares is Biblical, and it shows on how he presents his case for the items he stands firm on. This is a meaty book, one that you will want to take your time reading.