Vice President JD Vance has come under fire lately from the far left. I know, I know, it seems a regular occurrence on every day that ends in a “y.” This time the criticism is focused on his marriage to Usha, an Indian and a Hindu. Much of the, ahem, “controversy” surrounds the response he gave to a student at Ole Miss in which he expressed his wish that Usha eventually convert to Christianity.
This is only a “controversy” for leftists and militant atheists, who, at the thought of a non-Christian being peacefully persuaded towards the faith, melted like Major Toht when the Ark of the Covenant was opened. Leftists only celebrate conversion in one direction, from any and all religion (except Islam) towards secular hedonism. And as James Hodgkinson, Audrey Hale, Robin Westman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, Ryan Wesley Routh, Tyler Robinson, Luigi Mangione, and so many others have demonstrated, leftists rarely bother with the “peaceful” part of their persuasion, preferring to cut right to the judgment and damnation.
But in many of the articles in conservative media defending Vance’s position, I noticed something unsettling among more than a few of the responses coming from self-declared Christians in the “Comment” sections. Unlike the left, their ire wasn’t directed at Vance for wanting Usha to accept Christianity. They were upset at Vance marrying a non-Christian to begin with. They cite various passages of Scripture (mostly Paul’s letters to the Corinthians) that,, while not forbidding marriage to non-Christians, certainly discourages it.
Full disclosure: I’m a practicing Catholic and have been since birth, so I certainly am not a neutral observer. But based on my understanding of the Christian faith (which, admittedly, is suspect to the misinterpretations and ignorance that bedevil every fallible human being), I see no theological contradiction at all with a Christian marrying a Hindu.
Now, I’m not going to call out screen names of the aforementioned Christians criticizing the Vance marriage, as I wholeheartedly believe that their opposition stems from a sincere faith and a desire to honor God. And I believe that we can disagree over theological interpretations and both be good Christians. But I also believe that the writings of the apostles, the martyrs, and the saints must never take precedent over the teachings of Jesus Christ. And when asked what His greatest commandment was, Jesus replied, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Matt 22:36-40).
Jesus didn’t say to love your neighbor only if they are Christian. Jesus didn’t say to love your neighbor only if they interpret the Bible according to the parameters of your specific interpretation. And Jesus didn’t say to love your neighbor just up until, but never crossing over into, the sacrament of marriage. And if the words of Jesus to His followers don’t line up in every single instance with the letters of St. Paul to the Corinthians, then I’m gonna go with the words of Jesus.
Jesus said to love thy neighbor as thyself. No qualifications. No exceptions. No excuses.
Many of us Christians have a problem. Subtly, slowly, but surely, we grow fond of the idea that our own personal, limited, and flawed understanding of God is ultimately superior to those, even Christians, especially Christians, who might have other ideas.
As I mentioned already, I’m Catholic, but I’ve always enjoyed going to churches of other denominations as well, just to see how they preach, what they teach, what makes them tick, etc. And as a practicing Catholic, my understanding of God has only been enriched, not hindered, by partaking in worship in the churches of Baptists, Lutherans, Evangelicals, and so many others. There hasn’t been one church service I’ve attended where I left without being a little wiser, a little more well-rounded, and a little more cognizant of different pathways to loving God.
But in visiting churches of various denominations, I have only one rule. If the pastor/minister/reverend/priest spends any amount of time criticizing other Christian denominations for being “wrong,” I’m done. I’ll be polite and sit through the remainder of the service, but once it’s over, I’m gone and I won’t be returning.
Such a simplistic, dismissive criticism of other denominations isn’t faith. It’s pride masking as faith. And it rots the Christian soul. As individuals, we can be sincere in our conviction that our personal understanding of God is as “correct” as reasonably possible given our finite comprehension, but we must always retain the humility to admit that the “Other” denomination down the street might be “correct” about some things as well.
The omnipresence of God, the metaphysics of His creation, the concept of free will, the divinity of Christ, the essence of the Trinity, the problem of evil, the debate between faith versus works, the existence of angels, and the salvation of the soul are all mind blowing ideas that human beings can barely begin to wrap their heads around. The least humble, least Christ-like reaction to all this is to arrogantly assume, and then to preach, that your specific interpretation is correct and that any deviation from your specific interpretation is a betrayal of the faith.
But what does any of this have to do with a Christian marrying a Hindu? What does that mean for Christians upset that JD Vance married Usha Chilukuri?
In C.S. Lewis’s The Last Battle — the seventh, final, and best book of the Chronicles of Narnia — there exists a Calormene soldier named Emeth. Emeth was raised to worship the false god Tash rather than the true god Aslan. However, after the ending of the world, the hero King Tirian and his friends are surprised to find Emeth among them in heaven.
Alsan explains that Emeth was a good, faithful man, though he erroneously believed that his goodness was serving the false god Tash. Aslan explains that no goodness can be truly done in the service of Tash, just as no evil can truly be done in the service of Aslan. If anyone does good and claims to do it in the name of Tash, they are really doing it for Aslan, though they might not know it at the time. And if anyone does cruelty and claims to do it in the name of Aslan, they are really doing it for Tash, though they might not know it at the time.
The point was that if a person were truly good, loving, merciful, and compassionate but did so under a flawed metaphysical understanding of God, it mattered less that he fully got all the theological details correct, and more that the person’s heart truly desired to do His will.
God knows Usha’s heart more than any of us do, and perhaps God finds more grace, more love, and more compassion in her heart than He finds in the hearts of her Christian detractors. Perhaps God has a plan for Usha that doesn’t involve “Christians” trying to break up their marriage and their family.
Does any of this mean that JD Vance shouldn’t continue praying for Usha to be persuaded to the Christian faith? Of course not. We all should continue to pray, and to work, and to proselytize in service of the Word of God. I think JD Vance is doing exactly what, as a Christian, he’s supposed to be doing.
And I have seen absolutely nothing whatsoever that would suggest that Usha’s heart does not desire God. From all appearances, she is an extremely accomplished and brilliant woman. She has volunteered in elementary schools. She has clerked for Brett Kavanaugh. She has given the world three beautiful children, whom she and JD are raising in the Christian faith. And she has consistently helped and supported her husband in his role as vice president and, by extension, his work in trying to steer this great nation back towards its Judeo-Christian roots.
Is this the woman you feel is unworthy to be married to a Christian?
Because the “Catholic” Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi are so much better? Or the “Methodist” Michelle Obama, Liz Cheney, and Hillary Clinton? Or the “Protestant” Eric Swalwell and Ketanji Brown Jackson? Or the “Baptist” Cory Booker and Raphael Warnock?
We Christians should be so lucky as to have Usha Vance as second lady. The merits of her marriage will be judged by God, not by us. Just leave her alone. We’ve been commanded to love our neighbors. And if you can’t find it in your heart to love her, you should be careful. It might just be that you’re serving Tash rather than Aslan.
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