Since kicking off a successful campaign to become the first Democratic U.S. Senator from Kansas in nearly a century, the Rev. Adam Hamilton has been laser focused on issues like gasoline prices.
But not long ago Hamilton, who is the founding pastor of the nation’s largest United Methodist church, would discuss things like modern dating and what hook-up culture meant for human connection.
Hamilton joked in 2017 that the online dating app Tinder — where users can view profiles of eligible singles and swipe right to match up or swipe left to reject a connection — was a “genius” invention to allow more people to connect.
“First of all, it’s brilliant,” Hamilton joked. “Of course, you use technology to connect with people and meet people. It’s awesome.”
But Hamilton also cautioned against hook-up culture and diminishing the meaning of sex when he shared his thoughts on issues facing young people in 2017 on The Star’s show “Beer Hour.”
Hamilton interview with The Star
The conversation included online dating, hook-up culture and how millennials were becoming less religious — which he argued was partly because of churches aligning with right-wing politics.
The interview show featured casual conversations over drinks with various guests ranging from politicians to local artists. Hamilton even showed off his old beer can collection.
While much Hamilton’s comments have little to do with the issues he’ll likely face as an incoming U.S. Senator, the 2017 interviews provide a glimpse of what was on his mind nearly a decade before he chose to run for office.
Hamilton discusses dating culture
Hamilton told The Star that he supported people using the dating apps to connect, but he cautioned that Tinder could make dating superficial, focusing too much on how one’s dating profile appeared rather than really getting to know them.
He suggested that users consider branching out to more dating candidates and really getting to know them.
“You’re eliminating a lot of people by swiping left who might have been the most remarkable human beings,” Hamilton said. “I’ve met people who are really advocating (to) swipe right on everybody and have a good conversation.”
Hamilton also cautioned that hook-up culture could become a real problem for people who seek one-night stands. He compared it to addiction, as young people seek dopamine hits from sex without making a real intimate connection.
As one may suspect from a pastor, Hamilton promoted using the app to increase real human connection rather than hook-ups and sex. He said “sex without meaning” diminishes its purpose.
“It’s no longer working the way it’s supposed to,” Hamilton said. “Is it something that bonds you together to keep you in a relationship over a long period of time? And then it just becomes vacuous. What does sex mean? And it doesn’t mean anything anymore.”
