TrueU.org | Women’s Hall: I’d Follow the Rules If I Knew What They Were: Dating in an Ever-Changing World:

“Nowhere is interacting with the opposite sex more confusing than in Christian circles, where some people date, a shrinking number forego dating in favor of ‘courting’ and some have declared themselves temporary monks. Even the thing we call ‘dating’ has its share of variables: When or if to hold hands or kiss, when or if to say ‘I love you,’ what the first date means, what the second date means, what the third date means …”

This article provides a few good points about the differing expectations that a relationship will progress towards marriage.