Table Of ContentP ALGRAVE MACMILLAN’S
CHRISTIANITIES OF THE WORLD
Series Editors:
D ale Irvin is president of and professor of World Christianity at New York
Theological Seminary, in New York City.
P eter C. Phan is the inaugural holder of the Ignacio Ellacuría Chair of Catholic
Social Thought, Theology Department, at Georgetown University.
I n recent decades there has been an increasing awareness in the academy of
a reality called “World Christianity.” The expression refers to the fact that
today Christianity is no longer predominantly Western, but has become a
more truly worldwide religion. This “catholicity,” a hallmark of Christianity
and a fruit of Christian missions, has resulted in a massive demographic shift
in the overall numbers of Christians from the global north (Europe and
North America) to the global south (Africa, Asia, and Latin America). At the
same time, the twin forces of globalization and migration have simultane-
ously intensified the interconnections and amplified the differences among
the various expressions of Christianity worldwide, radically transforming
the character of Christianity as it finds expression in diverse forms all over
the globe. In the twenty-first century Christianity can only be expected to
become even more multiple, diverse, and hybridized. At the same time one
can expect to find something that is recognizably Christian among them
to make it possible to have a meaningful conversation. We call that con-
versation “Christianities of the World.” To help understand this new phe-
nomenon Palgrave Macmillan has initiated a new series of monographs
appropriately titled “Christianities of the World” under the general editor-
ship of Peter C. Phan and Dale T. Irvin. The intention of the series is to
publish single-authored or edited works of scholarship that engage aspects of
these diverse Christianities of the world through the disciplines of history,
religious studies, theology, sociology, or missiology, in order to understand
Christianity as a truly world religion. To these ends the editors are asking:
● H ow has Christianity been received and transformed in various countries,
especially in Africa, Asia, and Latin America (the non-Western world)
in response to their cultural practices, religious traditions (the so-called
world religions as well as the tribal or indigenous religions), migratory
movements, and political and economic globalization (inculturation and
interfaith dialogue)? In particular, how have newer forms of Christianity,
especially those that identify with the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement,
changed the face of World Christianity? What are the major characteristics
of Christianities both old and new? What new trajectories and directions
can one expect to see in the near future?
● H ow should the history of Christian missions be narrated? How does
one evaluate the contributions of expatriate missionaries and indigenous
agents? How should one understand the relationship between missions
and churches?
● H ow should theology be taught in the academic arena (be it in universities,
seminaries, or Bible schools)? How should various Christian theological
loci (e.g., God, Christ, Spirit, church, worship, spirituality, ethics, or pas-
toral ministry) be reformulated and taught in view of world Christianity or
Christianities of the world, in dialogue with different cultures and differ-
ent religions, or targeted toward particular ethnic or religious groups?
● H ow does the new reality of world Christianity affect research methods?
How should courses on Christianity be taught? How should textbooks on
Christianity as well as on world religions generally be structured? What
should curricula, course work, required texts, faculty hiring, criteria for
tenure and promotion, research, and publication look like in the academic
world that is responding to the questions being raised by the Christianities
of the world?
T he issues are far-ranging and the questions transformational. We look for-
ward to a lively series and a rewarding dialogue.
Pentecostalism and Prosperity: The Socio-Economics of the Global
Charismatic Movement
E dited by Katherine Attanasi and Amos Yong
Interfaith Marriage in America: The Transformation of Religion and Chris-
tianity
B y Erika B. Seamon
Interfaith Marriage in America
T he Transformation of Religion and
Christianity
E rika B. S eamon
I NTERFAITH MARRIAGE IN AMERICA
C opyright © Erika B. Seamon, 2012.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2012
A ll rights reserved.
F irst published in 2012 by
P ALGRAVE MACMILLAN®
i n the United States—a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC,
1 75 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
W here this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world
this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited,
registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills,
Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS.
P algrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies
and has companies and representatives throughout the world.
P algrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-349-43695-8 ISBN 978-1-137-01485-6 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9781137014856
L ibrary of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Interfaith marriage in America : the transformation of religion and
Christianity / by Erika B. Seamon.
p. cm.—(Christianities of the world)
ISBN 978–1–137–01484–9 (hardback)
1. Interfaith marriage—United States. I. Title.
H Q1031.S33 2012
3 06.84⬘3—dc23 2012019326
A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library.
D esign by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd., Chennai, India.
F irst edition: November 2012
1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
F or Mom and Dad
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C ontents
F oreword i x
A cknowledgments x i
I ntroduction 1
Part I History of Religious Intermarriage: A
Story of Liberation and Shifting Boundaries
C hapter 1
S eeds of Liberation: Theological and Legal Doors Open in
the Sixteenth, Seventeenth, and Eighteenth Centuries 1 7
C hapter 2
A n Era of Intra-religious Marriage: Societal Doors Begin to
Open in the Nineteenth Century 4 5
C hapter 3
A n Era of Interreligious Marriage: Societal Doors Open in
the Twentieth Century 7 1
P art II Contemporary Intermarriages: A
Story of Negotiation and Innovation
C hapter 4
D efinitions and Parameters: Normative Boundaries among
Religions and between the Religious and Secular 9 5
C hapter 5
Stories of Contemporary Intermarriages: Paradox and
Ambiguity 1 13
viii CONTENTS
C hapter 6
A n Era of Interf aith Marriage: The Defiance of Boundaries 1 31
C hapter 7
T ransforming Religion and Christianity: The Emergence of
Interfaith Space 1 51
N otes 1 73
S elected Bibliography 2 21
I ndex 2 51
F oreword
T here are different ways of researching the effect of religious plu-
ralism on religion and society. Arguably, Erika Seamon’s approach is
one of the most innovative and informative. Her study examines how
religious intermarriage has shaped and expanded the boundaries not
only among various Christian communities but also among different
religious traditions. A new landscape is emerging on the religious
horizon and demands scholarly attention.
E xogamy has always caused social and familial frictions. But con-
flicts increase exponentially when differences between spouses include
religious beliefs and practices. Marrying outside one’s religious fold
sometimes brought about loss of inheritance, severance of blood ties,
excommunication, and even a death sentence. If politics and religion
should not be discussed in polite company, there is no way of avoiding
these topics when living under the same roof.
W ith a sure hand Seamon traces the historical development of cul-
tural, legal, and theological ideas and practices that slowly but ineluc-
tably eroded the taboo of intermarriage among Catholics, Protestants,
and Jews, and opened the door to intermarriages of newer immigrant
communities including Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists. While such
relaxation of religious prohibition has been attributed by some reli-
gious authorities to moral relativism and religious indifferentism and
syncretism, Seamon has made a persuasive case that many couples in
these marriages take their faith seriously and seek ways to perpetuate
and strengthen their faith commitment and practices and to transmit
them to their children.
W ith a sophisticated combination of qualitative research and theo-
logical reflection Seamon constructs what she terms an “Interfaith
Space” where these couples can negotiate their religious boundaries in
their day-to-day lives, in the education of their children, and in their
relation to the larger culture and world. Seamon is far from suggest-
ing that these negotiations are stress free and consistently successful.
