A US conservative Christian pastor has come under fire for comments he made about interracial marriages.
On Saturday, Dale Partridge said in a post online that interracial marriage is not the "ideal", while praising his own marriage to a Mexican American woman, which has drawn backlash for potential hypocrisy.
Partridge, an author, shared his comments in response to fellow conservative pastor Joel Webbon, who argued that interracial marriage falls outside of God’s “normative design.”
He wrote: "Now, like Joel, I do not believe it is sinful, and if providence positions two Christians from different ethnic backgrounds to unite in marriage, it can be a glorious thing (which it has been for us), however interracial marriage does create a variety of additional hurdles in marriage and family life."
When talking about interracial relationships in a separate post, he added that: "Christ can help them overcome their racial/cultural differences, but should this be viewed as the norm or equal to the harmony of a non-interracial/cultural marriage [...] Of course not."
In response to his comments, one user shared that she completely disagrees with his perspective, saying: "The Bible doesn’t say anything about an ‘ideal’ marriage for a Christian except that a man must marry a woman and must not be unequally yoked." She added that while wisdom might dictate whether a couple are well suited, this "has nothing to do with skin colour".
Despite this, others have agreed with Partridge's sentiment, with one person saying that "there are some cultures that are compatible and some that are more difficult" to bring together.
Partridge, who revealed he has been married for 16 years, said that a husband must learn how his wife’s “ethnos has shaped her instincts, sensitivities, and assumptions".
He said there are also external factors from extended family which can feel "awkward or frustrating", adding that "all of this can extend to children and their lives".