Tim Maas Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

I would say that it would be up to each individual church body as to how they would handle such cases. However, in writing to the same Corinthian congregation to which the verse cited in the question had been written earlier, St. Paul cautioned (in 2 Corinthians 6:14) against a Christian marrying a non-Christian, comparing it to light having fellowship with darkness, or righteousness with iniquity.

In light of that guidance, I would say that, as a minimum, the pastor of a Christian congregation would be justified in requiring that the non-Christian spouse (even though already civilly married to the Christian) receive and accept catechetical instruction in the particular denomination's teachings before blessing the marriage, or allowing the non-Christian spouse to become a member of the congregation.

(In my own case, even though my wife and I had been married in a Christian ceremony (rather than in a registry), she was still required to receive such instruction prior to acceptance into a congregation of the denomination in which I had been raised and confirmed (despite the fact that I had been a long-time member of the denomination, and she had been a Christian all her life), because she had not previously been a member of that denomination.)

January 12 2018 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report