Couples' Experiences and Perspectives on Interracial Marriage: A Phenomenological Study Among Adventists

Abstract

Today’s world is often defined as a world without borders, or a global village. The distance between countries and continents seems to get shorter with the innovation of faster means of transportation and telecommunication. This new reality has given a different face to the world; meeting different people and mixed communities is no longer strange. In this new configuration, interracial marriages in both Christian and non-Christian communities have increased significantly, but very few studies look at the interracial marriage from the couples’ perspective. This study probes experiences and perspectives of interracial Christian couples. A phenomenological study design among eight Seventh-day Adventist couples living in Silang, Cavite, Philippines, helped explore their joys and challenges, as well as their perceptions about interracial marriage. The study found that Adventist interracial couples have a distinct foundation of marriage. This plays an important role in the way they experience and overcome their challenges.