The app appears still to be in its beta phase. Its “membership requirements” specify that users must commit to “historic Christian orthodoxy” and “historic Christian gendered piety.” Beliefs that fall under the latter category include that “a husband is head of his wife” and that “a wife is one flesh with her husband, and is entrusted with the duty and responsibility of homemaking; faithfully helping her husband by receiving and submitting to his rulership.”
The third category, “A commitment to personal holiness,” lists only one point: “sexual holiness.” Sexual holiness includes “continually turning away from acts of fornication and immodesty (including pornography, sensual dress, and lustful thoughts).” Moreover, the site says, “To verify your membership, we require the endorsement of the man you are submitted to for discipleship.”
Founding partner Brandon Durham responded to a request for comment with a lengthy statement. In response to a question regarding whether Dominion Dating’s promo video presents a negative view of singleness, Durham said, “We wholeheartedly affirm the gift of celibacy as a good and legitimate path which God ordains some people to joyfully walk for his Kingdom.” He continued:
What we are pushing back on is the culture’s push to make singleness normative. We maintain that marriage and family, per the Cultural Mandate of Genesis 1, is the creational pattern, and therefore the norm, for most people. Our contention is that the church has capitulated to the world on this matter, largely due to the influence of feminism, materialism, and other modern ideologies which subvert God’s created order. The results have not been good.
Regarding Dominion Dating’s critics, Durham said, “Their response has been predictable. They’ve maligned us in the media, doxxed me online, campaigned to get me fired from my pastorate, and even accused me of trafficking my wife from Brazil. I think it just means we’re doing something right. ‘Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.’ -Jesus, Mt 5:11.”
ChurchLeaders has reached out to The Right Stuff and will update this article in the event of a reply.
This article has been updated with a response from Brandon Durham.
