A United States-based pastor, Israel Ford, has announced his marriage to a second wife, arguing that the belief that a man should have only one wife is unbiblical.
Ford, who is associated with LifeWorks Church in Wickliffe, Ohio, made the announcement in a Facebook post on Sunday, sharing a video recorded at the church.
In the post, he introduced his new wife, identified as Shakayla Ford, and said he was with her and his first wife, Lydia Ford, at the church.
“I would like to introduce to the world, my second wife, Shakayla Ford!!!” he wrote.
The pastor challenged the teaching that men should have only one wife, arguing that it was a belief passed down through society rather than a biblical requirement.
“As a nation we have been taught that a man should have one wife only. This is unbiblical,” Ford stated.
He encouraged followers to watch his church’s sermon on the subject, which he said would be uploaded later in the week, suggesting that the message would explain his position in greater detail.
Ford acknowledged that his views might attract criticism from fellow Christians and other members of the public, but insisted that he would not change his position to gain approval.
“I encourage you to watch today’s sermon in its entirety (uploaded later this week). I understand that this is an unpopular truth that we have gotten away from and many Pastors will not preach,” he wrote.
He added, “I have no plans to choose pleasing man over what God has revealed.”
The pastor also recognised that some people might disagree with his decision and distance themselves from him as a result.
“People may not accept this and choose to disconnect, and that is ok! This life will be over soon, and we can all laugh about it in Heaven. Until then, God bless,” he said.
Ford’s announcement has brought renewed attention to differing Christian interpretations of marriage, particularly the debate over monogamy and polygamy.
While polygamy appears in several accounts in the Bible, Christian traditions differ in how those passages should be understood and applied to marriage today. Many churches teach monogamy as the standard for Christian marriage, while interpretations of biblical examples of men with multiple wives vary among denominations and religious leaders.
Ford said he intended to explain his position further through the church’s sermon, but the full message was not included in the announcement.
𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐎: 𝐔𝐒 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐢𝐟𝐞, 𝐒𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐲 𝐔𝐧𝐛𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥
Credit: Facebook | Israel Ford
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His comments represent his personal interpretation of scripture and should not be taken as a position shared by all Christian churches or denominations.
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