Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
FaithJesuitical

Podcast: Two Christians get married—what happens when one spouse leaves the church?

JesuiticalApril 09, 2021
Photo by Zoriana Stakhniv on Unsplash

Stina Kielsmeier-Cook had a plan. Or more accurately, she thought God had a plan: She would marry her college sweetheart, and their shared love for Jesus and radical Christian commitment to serving the poor would anchor their marriage in something real and eternal.

But a couple of years into their marriage, her husband, Josh, lost his faith, and now Stina is navigating an increasingly common reality: mixed-faith marriage.

We talk to Stina about her new book, Blessed Are the Nones: Mixed-Faith Marriage and My Search for Spiritual Community, in which she grapples with the challenges (and opportunities) of sustaining a marriage, raising kids and nourishing her own faith life in a new state of “spiritual singleness.” Along the way, she meets women saints, Catholic nuns and religious “nones” who point the way to a reimagined Christian community for an increasingly secular world.

In Signs of the Times, the influential (and controversial) Vatican II theologian Hans Küng has died at 93 and a look back at the Vatican’s Easter Triduum.

Links from the show:

Hans Küng, influential Vatican II theologian censured by John Paul II, dies at 93
Cardinal: Too many Catholics don’t understand that some church teachings can actually change
Don’t call Dorothy Day a saint. But a ferry? Sure.
Stina’s book: Blessed Are the Nones: Mixed-Faith Marriage and My Search for Spiritual Community
The Great Courses Plus (Get a month of unlimited access for free!)
Subscribe to America
Join our Patreon community.

What’s on tap?

Ginger Shrub cocktail

Jesuitical

A podcast from the young, hip and lay editors of America Media. Hosted by Ashley McKinless and Zac Davis.

Provide feedback on this article

We don’t have comments turned on everywhere anymore. We have recently relaunched the commenting experience at America and are aiming for a more focused commenting experience with better moderation by opening comments on a select number of articles each day.

But we still want your feedback. You can join the conversation about this article with us in social media on Twitter or Facebook, or in one of our Facebook discussion groups for various topics.

Or send us feedback on this article with one of the options below:

We welcome and read all letters to the editor but, due to the volume received, cannot guarantee a response.

In order to be considered for publication, letters should be brief (around 200 words or less) and include the author’s name and geographic location. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

We open comments only on select articles so that we can provide a focused and well-moderated discussion on interesting topics. If you think this article provides the opportunity for such a discussion, please let us know what you'd like to talk about, or what interesting question you think readers might want to respond to.

If we decide to open comments on this article, we will email you to let you know.

If you have a message for the author, we will do our best to pass it along. Note that if the article is from a wire service such as Catholic News Service, Religion News Service, or the Associated Press, we will not have direct contact information for the author. We cannot guarantee a response from any author.

We welcome any information that will help us improve the factual accuracy of this piece. Thank you.

Please consult our Contact Us page for other options to reach us.

City and state/province, or if outside Canada or the U.S., city and country. 
When you click submit, this article page will reload. You should see a message at the top of the reloaded page confirming that your feedback has been received.

Most popular

1
Cardinal Fernández faced tough questions at synod meeting on women’s ministries
Colleen Dulle
2
Interview: E.J. Dionne on the Catholic vote and the future of Catholic politics
Connor Hartigan
3
Transcript: Cardinal Fernández’s meeting with synod members on the workings of Study Group 5
America Staff
4
Pope Francis to make late Italian teenager Carlo Acutis the first millennial and digital saint on April 27
The Associated Press
5
What happened last month at the synod—and what does it mean for U.S. Catholics?
America Staff

Your source for jobs, books, retreats, and much more.

Streaming Now! – Martin Scorsese Exclusive: The Saints
Movies / Films
St. Joseph’s Seminary and College
Seminaries & Theology Studies
University of Scranton – Faculty Specialist, Theology/Religious Studies
Jobs
Joy is Blooming – New from Sister Ave Clark, O.P.
Opening the Holy Door – Hope filled Scripture Reflections from St. Peters Basilica
Ave Maria Press, Books
See all Classifieds

The latest from america

Pope Francis on Gaza: We must investigate allegations of genocide
In this week’s episode of “Inside the Vatican,” Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell discuss a new book being released this week in which Pope Francis calls for the investigation of allegations of genocide in Gaza.
Inside the VaticanNovember 21, 2024
What happened last month at the synod—and what does it mean for U.S. Catholics?
An exclusive conversation with Father James Martin, Gerard O’Connell, Colleen Dulle and Sebastian Gomes about the future of synodality in the U.S. church
America StaffNovember 20, 2024
Worldy kings fight humiliation with violence. Christ the King does the opposite.
A Homily for the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, by Father Terrance Klein
Terrance KleinNovember 20, 2024
Cardinal Fernández faced tough questions at synod meeting on women’s ministries
Pope Francis’ doctrinal chief faced criticism for synod delegates over his office’s lack of diversity, clear communication and transparency when it comes to the question of women deacons.
Colleen DulleNovember 20, 2024