Does he love Jesus? The million dollar dating question

I finally made progress in my dating world. I reached a new, honest level that left me proud, content, and even a bit liberated. The last few months I've been out with a handful of single prospects. Most of them I didn't know very well prior to going out, so each date is full of easy get-to-know-you questions. Sometimes it's really hard to scratch the surface and I walk away knowing some basics, drawing conclusions about their faith (or lack there of), and gauging the chemistry factor. While I would never continually date someone who wasn't evenly yoked with me, I have been hesitant to just ask about their church-going habits or give them a pop quiz on the old testament. Based on their language, comments, or perspective on life I would walk away with a fairly accurate feeling about their relationship with God. Most of them lacked this vital compotent. But I never just came out and asked...I allowed the conversation to stay at the surface and figured it would come up later or I could ask on the second date if I felt inclined to go out again. But last night, this all changed. I have no problem going out with new prospect and enjoying an evening with someone new, but I also want to remain true to who I am and what I'm looking for.

Last night I went out with this guy I met over the weekend. He greeted me with a friendly hug last night and was actually a good date. He was cute, personable, good family, lots of friends, well-rounded interests, and he asked me questions. I actually found myself slightly engaged in the conversation. We began discussing our holiday plans and what our weekends would look like. I mentioned going to church with my family on Sunday in which he responded that he might have to do that as well. I seized this open door opportunity to dig.

"Do you normally go to church?" His response was no, although he said he probably should more. Then I asked, "Is it something you actually want to do, or is it not part of your life?" He said his whole family is very "religious" (I don't like that expression) and he is the black sheep of the family. I told him that I went to church and he asked "like every week???" And I said every week, in fact I'm in a Bible study with my friends and it's really important to me.

The conversation moved on to other topics and he asked me if I would like to go out again. My response: "I'm not sure. Church is something that is really important to me and while I've enjoyed meeting you and talking with you tonight, I'm in a place where I know what I want." His expression was slightly crestfallen. About 10 minutes the thrill of the evening depleted and I decided to call it a night much to his dismay. So we walked outside and he asked one more time, "are you sure you don't want to go out again?" (Can't blame a guy for trying.) I stated that the church thing matters to me and I know where this would go if we went out another time. I thanked him for my drink and his company that night and it was a pleasure meeting him. He said it was probably for the best that I was honest from the beginning and drove off pretty disappointed.

As for me I drove off excited and thrilled with how boldly I handled the situation. I found a way to ask about his faith, share my priorities and then express how I really want to date someone who values the same thing as me. So while I am still up for dates, I will now enter them with directness and ensure that during the FIRST date I find out if we're evenly yoked or if he's just another scrambled egg.