Annotated Bibliography: Interchurch Marriage -- prepared by Gail So Risch

Annotated Bibliography: Interchurch Marriage

prepared by Gail So Risch
Note: The focus of this bibliography is literature from 1980 to the present; significant earlier works are included.

American Catholic Parishes in Profile." Origins 14 (1985): 670-76. Report from the Notre Dame Study of Catholic Parish Life. States that Catholics are far more likely to live within mixed marriages than are Protestants. Suggests that the post-Vatican in appreciation for other Christian bodies and American cultural values contribute to the greater incidence of mixed marriages.

Bahr. Howard M. "Religious Intermarriage and Divorce in Utah and the Mountain States" Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 20 (1981) 251-61 Assesses differentials in the probability of divorce by type of interfaith marriage Finds that same-faith marriages are much more stable than interfaith marriages; that Catholic and Mormon same-faith marriages are slightly more stable that Protestant same-faith marriages (this may be a consequence of a sizeable percentage of Protestant-Protestant marriages actually being interfaith marriages between spouses belonging to different Protestant denominations); that interfaith marriages involving Mormons, that is, Catholic-Mormon and Protestant-Mormon marriages, are consistently less stable than are Catholic-Protestant interfaith marriages

Bard, Mary. Whom God Hath Joined. Essex, England: McCrimmon, 1987. Findings of a survey conducted among members of the Association of Interchurch Families in England, Scotland, and Wales. Examines the extent to which interchurch couples feel they belong in two churches. Finds that interchurch couples are deeply committed to their own as well as to their partner's church, often taking as full a role in worship and social activities as the particular church will allow. States that the major area of difficulty for interchurch couples is the sharing of communion, the spiritual need to take communion as a family. Reports that most Roman Catholics feel at home in the church of their partner, and that other Christian churches tend to be more open and welcoming than Roman Catholic churches. Finds that interchurch couples appreciate church social activities and clergy who exhibit a hospitable personality .Suggests that the high commitment of interchurch couples is a pastoral opportunity rather than a pastoral problem. Concludes that interchurch couples are pioneers, out in front where their churches are beginning to follow, and that they are united where it matters, in Christ.

Barkley, Elizabeth Bookser. "Interchurch Marriages: How to Help Them Succeed". Catholic Update. Ed. Jack Wintz, O.F.M. Cincinnati: St. Anthony Messenger Press, 1990. Suggests that interchurch couples can play a vital role in working toward full unity of those whose common bond is Jesus Christ. Offers pointers for success to those involved in interchurch marriages. Concludes that interchurch couples model the Church of tomorrow and lay the foundation for the reconciliation of Churches.

Barna, George. The Index of Leading Sp;iritual Indicators. Dallas: Word, 1996. Provides an overview of the trends of spirituality in the United States based upon data taken from several nationwide surveys. Does not discuss interchurch marriage, but presents an interpretation of the religious landscape in which such marriages currently exist. Finds fundamental changes of seismic proportions in traditional practices and applied theology, and suggests that these changes are brought about by the current societal emphasis on tolerance, individual autonomy, and a growing non-Christian population. States that Americans are questioning everything about religion and faith, and that long-term taboos have been discarded in favor of wholesale re-evaluation; that America is transitioning from a Christian nation to a syncretistic, spiritually diverse society; and that past defenses against ecumenism are giving way to cooperation, understanding, and consensus. Concludes that traditional measures of religious activity and belief are declining and no longer relevant in light of the fact that the new perception of religion is a personalized, customized form of faith which meets personal needs, minimizes rules and absolutes, and thirsts for experience rather than knowledge.

Beaupere, Rene. " 'Double Belonging" Some Reflections" One in Christ 18 (1982) 31-43 Discusses the notion of "double belonging" in a way that attempts to integrate theory (theological reflection) and practice (couples' experience) Suggests that if a mixed marriage is a communicatio in sacris, a sharing of spiritual benefits, it may be argued that interchurch families should be able to practice reciprocal eucharistic hospitality Discusses the possibility that Christian upbringing can be ecumenical, and suggests that baptism, eucharist, and confirmation need not determine confessional choice ecumenical celebrations of baptism presuppose an active commitment from the two communities involved; the conception of the eucharist, the sacrament of unity, progressively appears as the common good of the whole Church, transcending all Christian communities, instead of a means of distinguishing between particular churches; confirmation points back to baptism Suggests that pastoral care of mixed marriages be concerned for the couple in its unity. Describes double belonging as a minor anomaly that arises on account of a prior and greater anomaly, that of ecclesiastical disunity. Concludes that the life of the churches is an unfolding, a movement, a development, and that koinonia does not rest upon doctrinal agreements but on a common participation in the life of Jesus Christ

Bernard, Jessie. "New Occasions, New Duties." Journal of Ecumenical Studies 22 (1985): 97- 102. A response to several religious traditions' understanding of marriage. Suggests that the most relevant contemporary issues concerning marriage involve the role of women. See related articles by Callahan, Carmody, Chit tick, Constantelos, and Yates.

Booth, Alan, David R. Johnson, Ann Branaman, and Alan Sica. "Belief and Behavior: Does Religion Matter in Today's Marriage?". Journal of Marriage and the Family 57 (1995) 661-671. Assesses the extent to which changes in religious involvement influence marital quality and the extent to which changes in marital quality affect religiosity .Finds little support for the idea that an increase in religious activity leads to improved marital relations. Reports that increases in religiosity slightly decrease the probability of thinking about divorce, but do not enhance marital happiness or interaction nor decease the conflicts and problems thought to cause divorce. On the other hand, finds that an increase in marital happiness slightly increases church service attendance and religion's influence on daily life. Concludes that the link between religion and marital quality is both reciprocal and weak.

Booth, Alan, David R. Johnson, Lynn K. White, and John Edwards. "Divorce and Marital Instability over the Life Course." Journal ofMarriage and the Famil~ 7 (1986): 421-42. Studies why divorce and marital instability vary by age and duration of marriage. Religiosity was not found to be linked to life course and divorce, nor to have a relationship with other variables considered: greater religiosity and traditionalism of older people do not explain why they are less likely to consider divorce.

Bumpass, Larry L., Teresa Castro Martin, and James A. Sweet. Background and Early Marital Factors in Marital Disruption (NSFH Working Paper No.14). Center for Demography and Ecology, University of Wisconsin: Madison, WI, 1989. Analyzes marital disruption and parental background, spouses' characteristics at first marriage, differences in couple characteristics, and the joint activity status of both spouses. Finds that intermarriages between Catholics and non-Catholics have much higher disruption rates than religiously homogamous marriages, and that there is no difference in marital stability between couples in which both partners are Catholics and those in which both are Protestants.

Bumpass, Larry L. and James A. Sweet. "Differentials in Marital Instability: 1970." American Sociological Review 37 (1972): 754-66. A foundational study that examines several differentials in marital instability .Supports the positive role of homogamy, particularly religious homogamy, in marital stability .Suggests that the effects of religious differences on marital instability may derive from differing theological and subcultural views on marital breakdown and the strength of family ties. Considers the probability that satisfactory adjustment is lower among couples with dissimilar backgrounds. Finds higher marital instability among couples divergent in age or religion.

Burchinal, Lee B. and Loren E. Chancellor. "Survival Rates Among Religiously Homogamous and Interreligious Marriage." Social Forces 41 (1963): 353-62. An early study which finds greater marital survival rates for homogamous Catholic marriages and homogamous Protestant marriages. States that marital survival rates of homogamous Catholic marriages exceed those of homogamous Protestant marriages. Reports only small and insignificant differences in the survival rates between the marriages of Catholic wives and non-Catholic husbands and marriages of non-Catholic wives and Catholic husbands. Concludes that marital survival rates are not substantially different between denominationally homogamous Protestant marriages and marriages between Protestants with different denominational affiliations.

Butler, Sara. "Interchurch Marriage: Problems and Prospects." Chicago Studies 19 (1980): 209-22. Defines interchurch marriage as one "between two baptized Christians who are and who intend to remain practicing members of different churches". Reviews Roman Catholic developments since Vatican II, and then attends to the ecclesiological and the pastoral implications of interchurch marriage. Discusses objections to canonical form and the obligation, which seems to be destructive of the mutuality of marriage, placed on the Roman Catholic partner. Suggests that interchurch marriage involves three communities, the two churches and the interchurch couple, and that the interchurch family might be a sacrament of reunion. Notes the Protestant history of mutual respect founded in the ecclesiology of denominationalism and the absence of such a theory in Roman Catholicism. States that the source of ecclesiological difficulties is the existence of separated Christian churches; it is not the fault of the couple that their marriage spans two ecclesial communities. Calls for full and joint pastoral care of interchurch marriages.

Callahan, Sidney “A Psychological Perspective," Journal of Ecumenical Studies 22 (1985): 103-07. A response to several religious traditions' understanding of marriage. Suggests that future reflection upon marriage will revolve around gender and sexuality questions, and that the influences of culture and the social system should always be taken into account. See related articles by Bernard, Cam1ody, Chit tick, Constantelos, and Yates.

Carmody, Denise Lardner. "Marriage in Roman Catholicism." Journal of Ecumenical Studies 22 (1985): 28-40. Article, which presents a Roman Catholic understanding of marriage, is one of several presenting a particular religious tradition's understanding of marriage. Outlines a traditional and a contemporary Roman Catholic view. Notes that since various Christian churches are in closer contact, interchurch marriages now occur with less trauma. See related articles by Bernard, Callahan, Chit tick, Constantelos, and Yates.

Center for Marriage and Family. Marriage Preparation in the Catholic Church. Getting It Right. Creighton University, 1995. Report of a study on the value of marriage preparation in the Catholic Church for couples married one through eight years. Finds that levels of involvement are significantly lower for inter-church couples than for same-church couples, that men in inter-church couples have the lowest involvement of all, and that women in inter-church couples show the greatest drop in involvement in the years following the marriage. Concludes that inter-church couples come to marriage preparation expecting less value from the experience, that their evaluation of the experience is higher than their expectations, and that inter-church couples are most at risk for drifting from church belonging and practice.

Chi, S. Kenneth and Sharon K. Houseknecht. "Protestant Fundamentalism and Marital Success: A Comparative Approach." Sociology and Social Research 69 (1985) 351-74. Finds that fundamentalist Protestants have a higher marital dissolution rate than non-fundamentalist Protestants and Catholics. Notes that fundamentalists have less tolerant and more authoritarian attitudes with regard to the family, more traditional sex role attitudes, and emphasize marital fidelity more strongly than do other religious groups. Finds that males and females married to spouses of the same religious affiliation are more likely to be satisfied with their marriages than are those with spouses of a different religious affiliation, but that it is spousal religious incongruency and not congruency that has the strongest impact on marital satisfaction. Concludes that conformists, adults whose current religious preference is the same as their childhood religious preference, have a lower marital dissolution rate than converts among fundamentalists, non-fundamentalist Protestants, and Catholics.

Chittick, Thomas B. "Pastoral Response." Journal of Ecumenical Studies 22 (1985): 108-11 A response to several religious traditions' understanding of marriage. Criticizes sexist attitudes and the tendency to speak about marriage in ontological categories. Suggests that all religious traditions direct their attention to the existential, realistic, and pastoral dimensions of marriage. See related articles by Bernard, Callahan, Carmody, Constantelos, and Yates.

Cleek, Margaret Guminski and T. Allan Pearson. "Perceived Causes of Divorce: An Analysis of Interrelationships." Journal of Marriage and the Family 47 (1985): 179-83. Investigates interrelationships between perceived causes of divorce. Finds that males and females rarely mention religious differences as a cause of divorce.

Constantelos, Demetrios J. "Marriage in the Greek Orthodox Church." Journal of Ecumenical Studies 22 (1985): 21-27. Article, which presents a Greek Orthodox understanding of marriage, is one of several presenting a particular religious tradition's understanding of marriage. States that marriages between Orthodox and non-Orthodox Christians are permitted but that certain conditions must be observed, that marriages between Orthodox and non-Christians are not permitted, and that an Orthodox Christian who enters an interreligious marriage with an atheist or a non-Christian commits self-excommunication. See related articles by Bernard, Callahan, Carmody, Chittick, and Yates.

Christiansen, Harold T. and Kenneth E. Barber. "Interfaith Versus Intrafaith Marriage in Indiana". Journal of Marriage and the Family 29 (1967): 461-69. A foundational study on interfaith marriage. Reports that approximately one-ninth of all marriages considered in this study are interfaith, that is, cross major faith lines. Finds that interfaith marriage, compared to intrafaith marriage, tends more to be by civil ceremony, involves individuals who are members of religious minority groups, have been previously married, are older, are in high-status occupations, reside in urban areas, and become pregnant before marriage. Shows that interfaith marriages have a slightly higher divorce percentage, but notes that the difference is so slight as to make the results questionable.

Devine, Patrick. "Eucharistic Hospitality and Interchurch Families". Journal of Ecumenical Studies 16 (1980) 133-45. Discusses various approaches to, interpretations of, and reasons for eucharistic hospitality for interchurch families.

Dora, Peter P. "Mutual Dare and Commitment: A Ministry to Ecumenical Families". Journal of Ecumenical Studies 16 (1979) 629-42. Provides pastoral direction to interchurch families, marriages in which both partners remain loyal to and profess faith within their respective Christian communions. Promotes an atmosphere in which love-making and home-making, pardon and peace can be experienced.

Doyle, Thomas P. "The Roman Catholic Church and Mixed Marriages". Ecumenical Trends 14 (1985): 81-84. Sketches past and present Roman Catholic attitudes, norms (church law), and liturgical practices concerning mixed marriages.

Duncan, Lucinda. "Mixing Oil and Water Religiously: Counseling Interfaith Families." Religion and the Family: When God Helps. Ed. Laurel Arthur Burton. New York: Haworth, 1992. 103-37. Presents an approach to counseling interfaith couples, marrieds who represent two different systems of meaning or faith structures. First describes three basic coordinates, power, affect and meaning, and demonstrates how one of these coordinates is primary for any particular religion. Suggests that counselors teach couples to understand these coordinates and how they are related to interfaith dialogue. Describes family systems theory, which envisions family as a relationship continuing over several generations, and discusses its usefulness in dealing with interfaith couples. Concludes by mentioning specific dynamics involved in interfaith consultations.

Ecumenism 21.82 (1986). Entire issue addresses inter-church marriages. Individual articles are classified under three sections: "Preparation of Inter-church Marriages", "Celebration of Inter-church Marriages", and "Pastoral Care of Inter-church Families". Includes "A Survey on Mixed Marriages in a Western Canadian Roman Catholic Diocese" which suggests that churches should promote discussion, communication, education, and tolerance with regard to mixed marriages.

Finch, Melanie and Ruth Reardon, eds. Sharing Communion. London: Collins, 1983. The result of a questionnaire on eucharistic sharing circulated through the Association of Interchurch Families. Describes the experiences and expresses the needs and aspirations of interchurch families. Includes an annotated documentary section that applies specifically to eucharistic sharing.

Glenn, Norval D. "Interreligious Marriage in the United States: Patterns and Recent Trends." Journal of Marriage and the Family 44 (1982): 555-66. Finds that in the recent past the norms of religious endogamy have not been as strong or effective as they were thought to be. Concludes that the high degree of religious endogamy in the 1970's was achieved because persons changed their religious preference to agree with that of their spouse after marriage or in anticipation of marriage. Suggests that despite the ideal that the religious preferences of husband and wife agree, there appear to be few barriers to marriages between persons of different religious backgrounds. States that the fact that many persons are willing to marry a person of a different religion and to change their own religion to that of the spouse indicates that marriage in the United States has become largely a secular institution, and that religious institutions exert only weak influences on marital choice. Suggests that as interreligious marriages become more frequent and socially accepted, any negative effects they have on marital quality are likely to diminish.

Glenn, Norval D. and Michael Supanic. "The Social and Demographic Correlates of Divorce and Separation in the United States: An Update and Reconsideration." Journal of Marriage and the Family: 46 (1984): 563-75. Finds that the strongest correlates of marital dissolution in the United States are race, age at first marriage, and frequency of attendance of religious services. Concludes that marital dissolution is moderately higher for Protestants than for Catholics, and is lower for Jews than for Catholics; that the highest marital dissolution rates are for those with no religion, which suggests that religiosity is an important deterrent to divorce and separation; that the most conservative denominations have relatively high dissolution rates in spite of their strong disapproval or divorce; and that, regionally, divorce rates generally increase from east to west and, to a lesser extent, from north to south.

Greeley, Andrew M. "Religious Intennarriage in a Denominational Society" American Journal of Sociology C 75 (1970j 948-52 States that the United States is a society in which membership in religious denominations plays a considerable role in determining patterns of interaction which establish societal structures. Data show that Jews are the least likely to marry members of other faiths, Catholics most likely, and Protestants somewhere in between; approximately four-fifths of the members of each Protestant denomination studied are married to people whose religious affiliation is the same as their own. Finds that the ratio of rnixed marriages does not vary much across denominational lines. When Catholics marry into other denominations, the non-Catholic is likely to convert; Protestants may marry across denominational lines, but then denominational change occurs in order to maintain religious homogeneity in the family environment. Concludes that denominational homogeneity in marriage exists for at least three-quarters of the major religious denominations

Heaton, Tim B. "Religious Homogamy and Marital Satisfaction Reconsidered. " Journal of Marriage and the Family 46 (1984): 729-33. Finds a positive association between religious homogamy and marital satisfaction. Concludes that the presence of children and conflict over appropriate religious values for children does not account for lower satisfaction in heterogamous marriages. Frequency of attendance at religious services is found to be a greater factor in marital satisfaction than religious homogamy.

Heaton, Tim B. and Edith L. Pratt. "The Effects of Religious Homogamy on Marital Satisfaction and Stability," Journal of Family Issues 11 (1990) 191-207. Finds that couples of the same denominational affiliation are more likely to have a happy, stable marriage than those whose religions are different. Also finds that those who attend church at similar rates have higher marital satisfaction and stability. Concludes that even though women tend to be more religious than men, (i.e., attend church more frequently and have more traditional beliefs about the Bible), men's religiosity is more consequential to the satisfaction and stability of marriage.

Heaton, Tim B., Stan L. Albrecht and Thomas K. Martin. "The Timing of Divorce". Journal of Marriage and the Family:. 47 (1985) 631-39). Studies the timing of divorce with respect to marital duration and independent variables. Proposes two competing models: the adjustment model of marriage, which posits a decline in the effects of covariates as marital duration increases, and the perpetual problem model, which posits that covariates will continue to influence the likelihood of divorce throughout the duration of the marriage. Finds that the effects of wife's age at marriage, husband's age relative to the wife's age, wife's religion, and religious homogamy do not appear to diminish over marital duration. Concludes that the perpetual problem model better describes the relationship between these variables and the timing of divorce.

Heaton, Tim Bo and Kristen Lo Goodman. "Religion and Family Formation." Review of Religious Research 26 (1985) 343-59. Finds that the divorce rate in the United States does not appear to be endemic to any particular religion, and that those with no religious preference have the highest divorce rate. Concludes that a majority of those who divorce eventually remarry, and that within each religious group, divorce is much lower among frequent at tenders than among infrequent at tenders. States that those reporting no religion are less likely to marry or remarry, and are more likely to divorce.

Heron, Alasdair. Two Churches- One Love. Dublin: APCK, 1977. Lists and describes the problems of interchurch marriage: it seems to pose a threat to the church whose member is marrying a member of another church; it sets the marriage on a divided religious foundation; it raises the possibility that one or other of the partners might abandon or change church allegiance; and it raises the question whether the children can have a stable religious background. Discusses each problem as a challenge and points out three ways in which the interchurch couple can attempt to face the challenge of their different church backgrounds: they can cut both churches out of their marriage; they can count one of them out; or they can decide to work with both. Provides some background on the Protestant and Roman Catholic understandings of marriage, and further information on the past and present Roman Catholic treatment of interchurch marriage. Conclusion suggests how to go about an interchurch marriage, calling it a present reality which points to the future.

Hoge, Dean R. Converts Dropouts Returnees. A Study of Religious Change Among Catholic Washington, D.C.: United States Catholic Conference, 1981. Chapter four (72-80) is devoted to interfaith marriage in America. Describes intermarriage between Catholics and Protestants as the greatest source of new Catholic converts and the greatest source of disidentification from Catholicism. Summarizes available research: strong predictors of intermarriages are the number of eligible Catholic marriage partners in a given geographical area and whether ethnic or social class barriers exist; factors that produce higher rates of intermarriage are the absence of ethnic and socioeconomic barriers, upward social mobility, college attendance, and a weakening of the influence of churches; people who intermarry may be from homes that are not religiously devout, may feel dissatisfied with family relationships, may be children of mixed marriages, or may be entering a second marriage; younger and older than the average age at marriage is associated with a higher rate of intermarriage; higher rates of intermarriage are found in ecumenically minded denominations; approximately 50% of interfaith marriages remain mixed; relative devoutness of the two spouses is crucial in determining which spouse converts; nearly all conversions occur at the time of marriage or before the first child is born; religious involvement of intermarried couples is substantially lower than for other couples; and interfaith marriages generally have lower marital satisfaction and lower survival rates than single-faith marriages.

Hoge, Dean R. and Kathleen Mo Ferry o Empirical Research on Interfaith Marriage in America. Washington, DC: United States Catholic Conference, 1981. Summarizes available research; presents the same information provided in chapter four of Hoge's Converts Dropouts Returnees.

Hoge, Dean, Denton Johnson, and Donald A. Luidens. Vanishing Boundaries: The Religion of mainline Protestant Bab~ Boomers. Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox, 1994. Provides an in-depth survey of the religious world of the Baby Boomers. Does not discuss interchurch marriage, but presents an interpretation of the overall socio-religious setting in which interchurch marriages currently exist. Explores the reasons for the decline and marginalization of mainline Protestantism in general and Presbyterianism in particular. Concludes that Baby Boomers have a market view of churches, and that this requires a market approach to ministering to them. Finds that the commodities wanted by Baby Boomers are religious education for children, personal support and reassurance, social contacts and a sense of security, inspiration and spiritual guidance. Concludes that this population group turns to churches when facing questions of meaning, that churches are the primary source of the meaning commodity, and that conversion is strongly associated with marrying a person of a different religion.

Hurley, Michael, ed. Beyond Tolerance: The Challenge of Mixed Marriage. London: Geoffrey Chapman, 1975. Collection of papers presented at the International Consultation on Mixed Marriage held by the Irish School of Ecumenics. Considers the exogamous character of marriage and its role in bridging divisions in society. Suggests that orthodoxy must be preceded by orthopraxy, and attempts to bring to the discussion an emphasis on the experience of Christians who are involved in a mixed marriage.

Johnson, Robert Alan. Religious Assortative Marriage in the United States. New York: Academic Press, 1980. Defines assortative marriage as "the pattern of association between spouses' attributes that arise in the marriage market." Formulates and applies to American religious data macro-sociological models of assortative marriage in pluralistic populations. Postulates that the factors determining assortative marriage are population structure, social divisions, and norms of endogamy.

Kilcourse, George. "Ecumenical Married Couples." Ecumenical Trends 14 (1985): 86-88. An editorial which suggests that ecumenical married couples personify a new phase of the ecumenical movement, and asks whether churches' ministers have failed to serve the uniqueness of these couples. Points to two European centers responding to the needs and gifts of ecumenical couples (the Association of Interchurch Families in Sussex, England and the Centre St. Irenee in Lyons, France). Raises the question of "double belonging", membership in two churches. Concludes that the problem lies not within ecumenical marriages but within churches that refuse to "mainstream" ecumenical couples into the life of each denomination.

Ecumenical Marriage. National Association of diocesan Ecumenical Officers, 1987. An orientation booklet geared for engaged couples, families, pastoral ministers, and religious educators. Chapters address marriage preparation, the married couple, and children in ecumenical families.

"Ecumenical Marriages: Two Models for Church Unity." Mid-Stream 26 (1987): 189- 214. Provides a brief history of the development and actions of the British Association of Interchurch Families and of the French Centre St. Irenee's, both of which promote church unity in terms of ecumenical marriage. Discusses their approach to joint baptism and eucharistic hospitality.

"U.S. Interchurch Families: Ecumenism with a Human Face." One in Christ 24 (1988): 234-51. A paper presented to the Fifth International Conference of the Association of Interchurch Families, 1988. Notes the steady increase in the frequency and acceptance of interchurch marriages in the United States. Mentions the work of Sara Butler (disidentification of Catholics in interchurch marriage from the Catholic Church) and that of Dean R. Hoge (interfaith marriages have lower marital satisfaction and lower survival rates). States that U.S. ecumenism, due to the phenomenon of pluralism, is innately multilateral. Suggests that the dilemma of interchurch couples and families is the product of "pastoral malpractice" .Calls for a communion model of church and suggests that such an approach to the life of the church is especially important for interchurch couples. "The problem is not their marriage..., the problem is the scandal of the Church's divisions." See related works by Butler and Hoge.

"The Spirituality of Interchurch Families." One in Christ 26 (1990): 200-14. Discusses the spirituality of interchurch families by appealing to the koinonia model of church and unity.

Double Belonging" Interchurch Families and Christian Unity" New York: Paulist, 1992. Addresses the growing ecumenical reality and complexity of interchurch marriage. Discusses issues that such couples confront, such as the hurdles of marriage preparation, dispensations, the promises regarding children and the wedding liturgy. " Respects each spouse's desire to maintain identity within their particular religious tradition. Suggests that the religious education of children is especially important; children can be provided unique ecumenical experiences that can be part of the couple's and the entire family's ongoing faith development. Provides suggestions that can help interchurch families with the matter of sacraments.

"Unimagined Gifts: Interchurch Families." Ecumenism 109 (1993): 5-8. Suggests that interchurch spouses and children offer unimagined gifts in helping the churches to appreciate Spirit-created diversity; to understand the church as a communion of all the baptized makes interchurch families not a problem but a gift. States that the scarce data on divorce and separation rates for mixed marriages is inconclusive.

Kosmin, Barry A. and Seymour P. Lachman. One Nation Under God: Religion in Contemporary American Society. New York: Harmony, 1993. Notes the recent (1970s and 1980s) rise of interfaith households and interdenominational marriages. States that the most common reason for religious change, switching, is marriage with someone of a different religious background, and that most changes to achieve religious consensus in the home occur at the time of marriage, at the birth of the first child, or when children reach school age. Suggests that the push toward religious homogeneity is rooted in the American belief that religious differences between husband and wife are not good either for the marriage or for the children of the marriage, and that the social norm of endogamy continues to influence the majority. Reports that the loss of traditional religious boundaries is caused by factors such as secularization, individualism, diminishing influence of parents on children, and suburbanization. Finds that the winners in the switching process in recent years have been small Protestant denominations and that the biggest loser has been the Catholic church. Suggests that the social boundaries between religious groups will continue to decline, and that social norms against interfaith marriage will continue to wane.

Kunz, Philip R. and Stan L. Albrecht. "Religion, Marital Happiness, and Divorce. II International Journal of Sociology and the Family 7 (1977): 227-32. Studies the impact of religious behavior on marital stability. Finds that the religiously active have more stable marriages: 1% of those who report regular or frequent church attendance indicate their current marital status as divorced; 83 percent of the regular at tenders report they are in their first marriage. Indicates a higher frequency of disagreement over marital roles among those who attend church less regularly or not at all. Specifically mentions that it does not support the argument that religion does not influence marital stability .

Larson, Lyle, and Brenda Munro. "Religious Intermarriage in Canada, 1974-1982." International Journal of Sociology of the Family 15 (1985): 31-49. Finds that religious intermarriage significantly increased among Jews and Catholics; intramarriage increased among the more conservative Protestant denominations while intermarriage increased among the larger more liberal Protestant groups; religious outmarriage most often involves the choice of a spouse from one of the three largest denominations-the Anglican church, the Roman Catholic church, or the United church. Concludes that while religious intermarriage continues to increase, there is marked variation within Protestantism. States that intermarriage is becoming nearly as common as intramarriage, and that it appears to be more a function of structural availability than of religious faith.

"Religious Intermarriage in Canada in the 1980's." Journal of Comparative Family~ Studies 21 (1990): 239-50. Finds support for both the secularization and propinquity hypotheses in explaining increasing religious exogamy. States that groups exhibiting a high level of endogamous marriage are Jews, non-Christians, Mennonites and Pentecostals; low levels of endogamous marriage are found among Greek Orthodox, Anglican, Ukrainian Catholic, Lutheran and Presbyterian groups; Roman Catholics and a number of protestant groups fall into a middle range of endogamous marriage; the highest proportion of those who enter exogamous marriages tend to marry into the largest religious groups-Anglicans and Roman Catholics; when exogamy occurs, the group of second choice is typically Roman Catholic regardless of one's religious background.

Lawless, Richard M. When Love Unites the Church. St. Meinrad, IN: Abbey Press, 1982. Calls on families, clergy , and local church members to move from seeing interfaith marriages as problems to welcoming the opportunities they present for demonstrating Christian unity. Specifically addresses handing on the faith to children, intercomrnunion, rule-keeping and rule-breaking, and the unique religious tensions that come with the various states of married life.

Lawson, William B. "The Anglican Church and Mixed Marriages. II Ecumenical Trends 14 (1985): 85-88. Suggests that the institutional church can become a source of contention within an ecumenical marriage, but that it should be committed to sensitive and creative pastoral care for such couples. Points out that the Anglican church, unlike the Roman Catholic church, has no specific canons or official directives about mixed marriages, and suggests that Anglicanism may be more permissive and pastorally oriented than the Roman Catholic tradition.

Lehrer, Evelyn L. and Carmel U. Chiswick. "Religion as a Determinant of Marital Stability" . Demography 30 (1993) 385-404. Finds that, with the exception of Mormons and individuals with no religious identification, stability is found to be remarkably similar across the various types of homogamous unions. Concludes that religion is a complementary marital trait, and that interfaith unions have higher rates of dissolution than intrafaith unions. Notes that the destabilizing effect of out-marriage varies inversely with the similarity in beliefs and practices and with the mutual tolerance embodied in religious doctrines. Suggests that religious compatibility between spouses at the time of marriage has a large influence on marital stability, rivaling in magnitude that of age at marriage and dominating any adverse effects of differences in religious background. Claims that couples who have achieved homogamy through conversion are found to be at least as stable as those involving two members who had the same religion before marriage, and that religious compatibility between spouses at the time of marriage and thereafter dominates any adverse effects of differences in religious background.

Lull, Timothy F. "Ecumenical Marriages: Pastoral Problem or Opportunity?". Journal of Ecumenical Studies 16 (1979) 643-50. Takes a positive approach to ecumenical marriage, and suggests that they have a positive role to play in the healing of the division of the church. States that ecumenical marriages are witnesses to the world at large of their commitment to continuing willingness to work at being married, and that they are a foretaste of that unity which all Christians seek.

MaIler, Allen S. "Reducing the Risks ofDivorce: A Responsibility of Religious Educators." Religious Education 87 (1992): 471-78. States that there is a positive relationship between religiosity and marital satisfaction, and that non-religious couples are twice as likely to be dissatisfied in their marriage and to get a divorce than religious couples. Claims that mixed religious marriages are more prone to marital dissatisfaction and divorce. Suggests that religious educators need to stress the advantages of marrying someone with similar religious beliefs and the disadvantages of marrying someone with different religious beliefs.

Maneker, Jerry So and Robert P. Rankino "Religious Affiliation and Marital Duration Among Those Who File for Divorce in California, 1966- 71. " Joumal of Divorce and Remarriage 15 ( 1991) 205-217. Studies and supports the hypothesis that religious affiliation is related to marital duration. Finds that the percentage of individuals whose marriages lasted five years or more before separation was higher for Jews, and slightly higher for Conservative Protestants, than for Liberal Protestants, Roman Catholics, and those reporting no religious affiliation. Concludes that religious affiliation makes some difference in the duration of marriage. Notes that religious affiliations differ as to whether they are more or less conservative, and therefore, more or less inclined to resist or seek divorce. Finds that Roman Catholic individuals behave like most others in American society.

McCutcheon, Allan L. "Denominations and Religious Intermarriage: Trends among White Americans in the Twentieth Century." Review of Religious Research 29 (1988): 213-27 Examines religious intermarriage for conservative Christians, Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians-Episcopalians, Catholics, and Jews, and finds increasing rates of intermarriage for all groups except conservative Christians. Rejects the theory that teenage marriages are more likely to be exogamous.

Michael, Robert. "Determinants of Divorce". Sociological Economics. Ed. Louis Devy- Garboua. London: SAGE Publications, 1979. 223-54. Seeks to identify the determinants of divorce. Finds that spouses of the same religion are considerably more maritally stable than couples who have intermarried. Suggests that this effect is the same across religions during the first few years of marriage. Also finds that religious activity effects marriage stability: families who attend church at least once a week have a 4% lower probability of divorce. Suggests that Catholic women may be maritally less happy because Catholicism discourages divorce, which causes them to remain married at higher levels of dissatisfaction than non-Catholics.

Ortega, Suzanne T., Hugh P. Whitt, and J. Allen William, Jr. "Religious Homogamy and Marital Happiness." Journal of Family: Issues 9 (1988): 224-39. Argues against using the familiar trichotomy ofProtestants, Catholics, and Jews when studying inter- and intrafaith marriages and marital success, claiming that it risks obscuring relevant differences both within and between the three religious traditions. Finds that individuals in religiously homogamous marriages report a higher level of marital happiness, but that the overall difference in marital happiness between homogamous and heterogamous marriages is not statistically significant. Suggests that religious bodies may have become more like one another, and that there is considerable social, cultural, and demographic convergence between Protestants and Catholics. Reports that Protestants married homogamously within each of five doctrinally different categories were found to be happier with their marriages than were those married across doctrines.

Petersen, Larry R. "Interfaith Marriage and Religious Commitment among Catholics." Journal of marriage and the Family: 48 (1986): 725-35. Finds no significant difference between the general religiosity of the offspring of heterogamous marriages and the general religiosity of the offspring of homogamous marriages. Concludes that Catholic offspring of interfaith marriages are as strongly committed to Catholicism as are those whose parents were both Catholics. Finds that Catholics in homogamous marriages score higher on mass attendance and reception of communion than Catholics in heterogamous marriages. Seriously doubts the common assertion that interfaith marriages have a secularizing effect on family members, and maintains that, at least among Catholics, interfaith marriages have relatively inconsequential effects on most aspects of religious commitment.

Pivonka, Leonard Do "Ecumenical or Mixed Marriages in the New Code of Canon Law.":143 (1983) 102-24. Discusses recent developments and current Roman Catholic canon law concerning ecumenical marriage. Concludes that the current norms on mixed marriage are sensitive to the good faith and conscience of the non-Catholic party. States that couples in ecumenical marriages should regard their personal efforts at understanding and patience as symbolic of and a participation in the broader efforts toward unity among the separated churches. Suggests that the 1983 Code of Canon Law seems to be in harmony with the direction set by the Second Vatican Council's "Decree on Ecumenism.”

Schiappa, Barbara D. Mixing: Catholic-Protestant Marriages in the 1980's. Ramsey, NJ: Paulist, 1982. A guidebook for Catholic-Protestant couples. Profiles a twenty-year and a five-year marriage; addresses dealing with parents, raising children, and birth control. Concludes by offering a pattern for success which stresses communication, shared worship, and prayer .

Schmidt, Wayne E. "The Lutheran Wedding Service." Concordia Journal (1980): 54-70. Reviews the wedding service of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod and its theology of marriage. Includes extensive discussion of its perception of the Roman Catholic theology of marriage and its interpretation of conflict between the Lutheran and Roman Catholic understandings of marriage. Projects a highly critical view of Roman Catholic theology. Strongly discourages Lutheran clergy from participating in any inter-faith marriages: sinful unionism compromises the divine imperative to contend for the truth.

Shehan, Constance L., E. Wilbur Bock, and Gary R. Lee. "Religious Heterogamy, Religiosity, and Marital Happiness: The Case of Catholics. " Journal of marriage and the Eami1.Y 52 (1990) 73-79. Assesses the relationship between religious heterogamy and the marital happiness of Catholics. Finds that heterogamy does not appear to adversely affect marital happiness for Catholics, but that religiosity, only among homogamous Catholics, does have a positive effect on marital happiness. Suggests that heterogamous couples may compensate for lower levels of religiosity by engaging in other couple-centered activities that are equally effective in promoting marital solidarity.

Sunderland, Edwin. The Pastoral Care of Ecumenical Marriages-the Episcopal Perspective". Journal of Ecumenical Studies 16 (1979) 619-28. Suggests that the pastoral care appropriate to a mixed marriage depends upon two factors: the religious commitment of the couple and the religious commitment of each partner. Discusses baptism, religious education of the children, and the theology of marriage. Calls for canonical changes, and suggests that promises on the part of both parties should be required: children will be baptized in either church and exposed to the teaching of both churches. Also suggests that the requirement of canonical form should be dropped, that the marriage of persons whose only connection with a church has been baptism in infancy should not be regarded as a sacramental marriage, and that a baptized non-Roman Catholic spouse should have the right to receive communion at a nuptial mass.

Sweet, James A. and Larry L. Bumpass. Religious Differentials in Marriage Behavior and Attitudes (NSFH Working Paper No.15). Center for Demography and Ecology, University of Wisconsin: Madison, WI, 1990. Provides a detailed comparison of marriage and divorce attitudes and behavior among religious denominations.

Thompson, Don. "Interchurch Marriages: Support and Catechesis." One In Christ 26 (1990) 215-25. Elaborates upon the Anglican Church's Pastoral Guidelines for Interchurch Marriages. Speaks about interchurch marriage within the context of an ecclesiology of koinonia and from an eschatological perspective. Makes recommendations for church support of couples who propose an interchurch marriage and for follow-up support of interchurch marriages.

Yates, Wilson. "The Protestant View of Marriage. " Journal of Ecumenical Studies 22 (1985): 41-54. Article, which presents a mainline Protestant understanding of marriage, is one of several presenting a particular religious tradition's understanding of marriage. Describes a convenantal image of marriage and suggests that much of this image is also found in Roman Catholic and Orthodox understandings of marriage. Suggests that a certain but slow convergence in the understandings of marriage that respect genuine differences is unfolding. See related articles by Bernard, Callahan, Carmody, Chittick, and Constantelos.