By Brae Sadler · Contributing Writer
It’s that time of year again: ring by spring! Many Grovers are planning to spend the rest of their lives together, while others are searching for that special someone.
Around this time, young people look for relationship advice, which you won’t find here. As a single dude, I’m not qualified to give guidance on relationships. Instead, I want to pose a question: Can interfaith marriages be as fulfilling as marriages between Christians?
I believe it can. Although not for everyone, interfaith marriages can be just as happy and God-serving as those between believers. Some of the most important marriages in Christian history have been between Christians and non-Christians.
Take St. Clotilde and the Frankish king Clovis, for example. Christianity was in crisis at the time of St. Clotilde’s birth in the late fifth century. Barbarian invaders had destroyed the Western Roman Empire and threatened orthodox Christianity.
St. Clotilde’s marriage to Clovis, king of the Franks and a pagan, changed history. After years of prayer, Clovis converted to Christianity, and his kingdom followed. This gave Christianity a stronghold and laid the foundation of modern Western civilization. Centuries later, another Frank, Charlemagne, Christianized Europe, creating the world we know today.
Another marriage, that of the Frankish princess Bertha and King Æthelberht of Kent, opened the way for Christianity in England. Bertha helped convert the king, and together they supported St. Augustine of Canterbury’s missionary efforts. The subsequent history of England would not have been the same without them.
In the past, Christian marriages to non-Christians were assets in bringing the gospel to new places. Interfaith marriages can also bring people closer to God on a micro level.
First, in an interfaith marriage, you must actively choose God. Since you love someone of a different faith, your core beliefs are constantly challenged. You must learn why you believe and make a conscious decision to follow Christ.
Second, being married to a non-Christian can teach you Christian virtues. You must learn to give grace, listen and remain humble. Most importantly, you must love the other person despite your differences — the way God loves us.
Admittedly, I am biased. I am a product of an interfaith marriage, and my faith would not be the same without my upbringing. My agnostic father always supported my mother, my siblings and me in our faith. He even volunteered with us at church.
Most importantly, my father encouraged us to understand why we believed.
This sparked in me a passion for seeking truth that animates me to this day. Through studying, I encountered God. My faith would not be the same without having a non-Christian parent.
Let me be clear: Interfaith marriages have their challenges. Without wisdom, marrying a non-Christian can be detrimental — just look at Jezebel. It is possible to be drawn away from God toward idolatry.
Still, when both people have compatible values, seek truth and love and maintain clear expectations, these marriages can thrive.
I am not saying everyone should marry a non-Christian. Whom you marry is between God, your future spouse and yourself.
However, if you are among those who feel called to marry a non-Christian, you should not be afraid. Yes, exercise prudence, but in the end, couples from different faiths can have marriages just as beautiful as those within Christianity.
