At a recent Turning Point USA event held at the University of Mississippi, Vice President JD Vance found himself at the center of a national conversation about faith, marriage, and respect. Addressing a packed college arena on November 7, 2025, Vance candidly shared that he hopes his Hindu wife, Usha Chilukuri Vance, will one day convert to Christianity. The statement, while personal and perhaps well-intentioned, has sparked intense debate about the complexities of interfaith relationships—especially when lived out in the public eye.
Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019—five years into his marriage with Usha—spoke openly when a member of the audience asked how the couple navigates raising their children without suggesting that his religion supersedes hers. "Do I hope that eventually she is somehow moved by what I was moved by in church? Yeah, honestly, I do wish that, because I believe in the Christian Gospel, and I hope eventually my wife comes to see it the same way," Vance answered, according to the Associated Press. He quickly added, "But if she doesn't, then God says everybody has free will, and so that doesn't cause a problem for me."
The vice president’s comments were met with swift criticism, most notably from the Hindu American Foundation. In a statement, the group cited a longstanding history of Christian attempts to convert Hindus and pointed to the recent rise in anti-Hindu rhetoric, often from Christian sources. "Both of these underpin the sentiment that your statements re: your wife's religious heritage are reflective of a belief that there is only one true path to salvation—a concept that Hinduism simply doesn't have—and that path is through Christ," the foundation stated.
Vance’s office declined to comment further for the Associated Press, but the vice president did take to social media to defend his wife and clarify his views. Responding to a critic who accused him of dismissing his wife's religion, Vance posted, "She is not a Christian and has no plans to convert, but like many people in an interfaith marriage—or any interfaith relationship—I hope she may one day see things as I do. Regardless, I'll continue to love and support her and talk to her about faith and life and everything else, because she's my wife." He called his wife "the most amazing blessing" in his life, emphasizing that she encouraged him to reengage with his own faith journey.
The Vances' story is far from unique in modern America. According to a 2015 Pew Research Center survey—the most recent of its kind—39% of Americans who married since 2010 have a spouse from a different religious group. That’s a dramatic increase from the 19% reported among couples who wed before 1960. Susan Katz Miller, author of "Being Both: Embracing Two Religions in One Interfaith Family," told the Associated Press that the number of interfaith couples has only grown in the past decade. Miller, herself the child of a Christian mother and Jewish father, said that interfaith couples today have a wide range of options: "They can choose one or both religions. They could choose a new religion or choose no religion, which is a choice a lot of couples are now making."
But Miller and other experts caution that wishing or, worse, pressuring a spouse to convert can be deeply damaging. "To respect your partner and everything they bring to the marriage—every part of their identity—is integral to the kind of honesty that you need to have in a marriage," Miller said, adding, "Having secret agendas is not usually going to lead to success." She’s not alone in this view. Dilip Amin, founder of InterfaithShaadi.org, an online forum serving primarily South Asians, argued that conversion for the sake of a marriage only works if it’s driven by authentic personal conviction. "If you convert because you've had an authentic change of heart, that's fine. But if it occurs because of constant pressure and proselytizing, that's wrong. My advice is: Don't let a religious institution drive your actions. Talk with each other. You don't need a third party to interpret the situation for you."
The Vances’ approach to raising their children reflects the sometimes-complicated agreements interfaith couples must reach. Vance told the audience at the University of Mississippi that he and his wife decided to raise their children as Christian. The family attends a Christian school, and their eldest son received his First Communion in 2024. This aligns with Catholic Church requirements: as John Grabowski, a theology professor at The Catholic University of America, explained, the Church expects interfaith couples to raise their children Catholic as a condition for marrying outside the faith. Yet, he emphasized, "the Catholic Church does insist that spouses should not be coerced or pressured into the faith. It's a delicate line."
These tensions aren’t limited to Christianity and Hinduism. Ani Zonneveld, founder and president of Muslims for Progressive Values, has officiated numerous interfaith weddings and seen the strain that can arise when one partner’s religious beliefs shift after marriage. "I've seen that strain ... where a Muslim husband who didn't care much about practicing Islam became orthodox after having children. That's unfair to the other person."
For some, the challenge is not just about faith but also about the broader meaning of partnership. The Rev. J. Dana Trent, a Southern Baptist minister married to a Hindu monk, knows this firsthand. "The goal of an interfaith marriage is not to convert each other," she said. "But to support and deepen each other's faith traditions and paths." Trent and her husband, who have been married 15 years, co-authored a memoir, "Saffron Cross: The Unlikely Story of How a Christian Minister Married a Hindu Monk," reflecting on their journey together. Trent acknowledges that some Christians cite biblical passages—like 2 Corinthians 6:14, which says, "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers"—as evidence against interfaith marriage. But she argues that such interpretations are out of step with the realities of modern relationships. "In 2025, being in an interfaith marriage often is not isolating," Trent said.
Even pop culture is wrestling with these themes. The Netflix series "Nobody Wants This" follows the romance between a Reform rabbi and an agnostic woman, exploring the pressures and possibilities of religious conversion in interfaith relationships. While fiction, the show’s scenarios echo the real-life dilemmas faced by couples like the Vances.
John Grabowski, who prepares interfaith couples for marriage with his wife, believes Vance handled the sensitive question at the University of Mississippi "fairly well" by addressing the challenges openly, though he notes the vice president didn’t reveal exactly how he and his wife manage their differences. "It was fascinating listening to that exchange," Grabowski said. "Because we normally don't get a prominent political figure thinking out loud about grappling with these issues as a Catholic while trying to respect his faith and his wife's conviction."
As more Americans enter interfaith marriages, the conversation about faith, respect, and partnership is likely to grow louder. The Vances’ story—public, complicated, and deeply human—reminds us that the heart of any relationship is not conversion, but understanding and support.
