Interfaith Marriage

Two weeks ago, Vice President JD Vance spoke about his interfaith marriage, saying:

"As I've told her, and I've said publicly, and I'll say now in front of 10,000 of my closest friends: Do I hope eventually that she is somehow moved by the same thing that I was moved in by church? I honestly, I do wish that, because I believe in the Christian gospel, and I hope eventually my wife comes to see it the same way, but if she doesn’t, then God says everybody has free will, and so that doesn’t cause a problem for me."

His comments prompted me to wonder about the prevalence of interfaith marriages in the U.S. So, I looked up the statistics!

According to recent surveys conducted by the Pew Research Center, 26% of married U.S. adults report that their spouse has a religious identity that differs from their own. This percentage includes:

13% of married U.S. adults who are Christians paired with a religiously unaffiliated spouse, or vice versa;

7% of married U.S. adults who are Christians and whose spouse is part of a different Christian tradition, such as a Catholic married to a Protestant; and

6% of married people who are in other types of interfaith pairings, such as between a Jew and a Catholic, or between a Muslim and a religious “none.”

It seems that even our intimate relationships are affected by the rise in religious diversity and pluralism. And these relationships raise all kinds of important theological questions about how we understand religious difference? Should we try to convert our partners and friends? How do we remain committed to our faith while accepting another's faith?

Advent Planning

The First (Old Testament) Readings during Advent this year come from the prophetic book of Isaiah.

First Sunday November 30 Isaiah 2:1-5
Second Sunday December 7 Isaiah 11:1-10
Third Sunday December 14 Isaiah 35:1-10
Fourth Sunday December 21 Isaiah 7:10-16

Perhaps a sermon series on these beautiful passages might be one way to celebrate the Advent season. I'll be sharing some thoughts on these prophetic passages in the weeks to come!

A Benediction (Or Miscellaneous Thoughts)

1. If you know someone who might like to read this newsletter, forward this email to them.
2. If you would like to subscribe to this newsletter, click here.