Now, it’s true that online dating is a bit taboo in Christian circles, but, according to the young Christians daters who relate their experiences in a new podcast, there is a way to engage in it that allows you to remain true to your faith.

Host Mel Wade

In the first episode of Love Online, a brand new podcast launched today, host Mel Wade asks Sam from the UK and Lulu from Australia if there is “a point to dating – or am I just lonely? And if God wants me to date, what is it he’s looking for in a prospective partner?”

Both Sam, a single guy with a Cockney accent, and Lulu, who is married, give an overall thumbs up to online dating, with the proviso that you prioritise your relationship with God before looking for a partner who is on the same path as you.

“I don’t know if you 100 per cent know that God wants you to date, but I feel like, if you’re in a good place, and you feel like your relationship with God is strong and you’re prioritising that and putting that first … I think that’s when God starts to maybe open doors, and you start to realise that actually, maybe God’s got someone for you,” says Sam.

Sam from the UK joins host Mel Wade, providing his perspective a single Christian dater.

Lulu agrees that, rather than looking towards your desires, the most important thing is to look towards God and make sure that what you want is aligned with his will.

They both believe a strong relationship with God helps you to be more discerning and pick up on “red flags” that warn against potential partners.

Even if you don’t meet a partner, online dating can be a great place to help you widen your circle of friends and possibly meet a partner through those new friendship networks, they say.

“I think Christians are definitely looking for somebody who they can build a relationship with, but primarily also somebody who they can pray with, you know, they can really strengthen that relationship with God together and build a family,” says Lulu.

As a single guy, Sam says he is enjoying the freedom to figure out who he is before building a relationship with someone.

“I feel like you have to get to a place of knowing that your relationship with God is enough, because I think that for some people, the reality is that they don’t find somebody and that’s not necessarily their fault or somebody else’s fault,” he says.

“You’ve got to get to a place in yourself where you feel content, because I think the problem is with that is if you are single for a long time, you then start to make bad choices of people. You maybe start to ignore red flags,” he adds, admitting he has done so in the past in his eagerness to maintain a relationship.

Love Online is brought to you by the Salt Christian Dating App, and is part of the Eternity Podcast Network.

Married Australian Lulu brings her dating insights to Love Online’s first episode.

Over the full 12 episodes, Mel Wade explores all of the intricacies of online dating, the tricky questions, and common mistakes associated with pursuing a partner in the online world. And listens to hilarious stories of dates gone wrong.

Also covered are terms like ‘catfishing’ – when people pretend to be someone they’re not – and ‘ghosting’ – when someone you’ve developed a good relationship with online just stops replying.

To celebrate the podcast’s release, Love Online and the makers of the Salt App have launched a competition with the winner getting £20 (or the local equivalent) prize money to go towards their next date. To enter, just write in and share the worst Christian pick-up line you’ve ever heard.

Send your entries and your details to loveonline@eternitypodcasts.com and the winner will be announced on the show in the coming weeks.