Pastor Alex Mutagubya (PhD) (L) and Pastor Moses Solomon Male (R) share thoughts on the bible and polygamy during the NTV Men show on 2nd October, 2019.
Talk on polygamy spread across multiple social networks on Wednesday, partly due to TV show that sought clarity on whether the practice is a moral and valid expression of marriage in the Bible?
Among the guests on ‘NTV Men’ was Pastor Moses Solomon Male, a strong advocate for polygyny, who said if its true God in the Old Testament allowed the practice, then how can one say that marriage is defined as being only between one man and one woman?
Pastor Male claimed there is no clear and unequivocal word of scripture in either the Old or the New Testament which condemns polygyny as unchristian.
“We tend to hide our heads in the sand and refer to scripture selectively. From the Biblical context right from Genesis to Revelation, there is no single scripture that openly condemns polygyny,” he claimed.
“In Timothy 1 chapter 3, where Apostle Paul talks about leadership, he says that if someone wants to be a Bishop, he should be with one wife. However, this does not include everybody,” Pastor Solomon Male asserted.
Adding: “Jacob married two sisters, Racheal and Leah plus their slaves, Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines, David and others were also polygamous, these are in the scriptures we always refer to in the Bible. So, do you think they aren’t in heaven?”
According to the 2014 Census of Uganda, around 8.3% of all women aged 18 years or more, were currently married or cohabiting in a polygamous relationship.
Uganda is one of the few predominantly Christian nations to legally recognize polygamous unions, with others being the Republic of the Congo, Zambia, and Central African Republic.
Today’s theologians have reached varied stances of nays and ayes regarding polygamy. Pastor Alex Mutagubya (PhD), the Founder and President of Transform African Ministries challenged Pr Male’s submission on the bible and polygyny during the show.
Dr Mutagubya stated that each man is to love and be faithful to one woman in the same manner that Christ is faithful to one bride-the church. The preacher called polygyny sin, adding that such an arrangements is no where close to the “model family” Christ intends for believers.
“There is no way you can fight sin with sin. Polygamy was practised in societies where a woman was objectified or considered to be a property rather than a person to relate with,” he said.
“God introduced marriage in the context of a relationship, not a transaction. A woman is not supposed to be a commodity that men own, a woman is supposed to be a co-labourer,” Pastor Mutagubya continued. “God created a man and a woman. He then introduced Adam to Eve and not to ‘Eves’. Look at every scripture that talks about marriage, there is no line that talks about marriage in plural terms.”
Dr Alex Mutagubya noted that families are stronger and work together when a man and a woman are in oneness.
“That is why polygamous families have strained relationships,” Dr Alex Mutagubya observed.
In his submission on polygamy published by desiringgod.org, popular theologian John Piper says that God allowed polygamy until the coming of Jesus due to the “hardness of our hearts.”
“A husband cannot be all that he should be in one-flesh union with his wife if he must divide his affections among several women. That is certainly not the way Christ treats the church. He does not divide his affections among several different wives,” he said.
“The standards were raised and the undeniable simplicity of marriage was given to us with Jesus’ coming,” he said.
Piper explained that in the gospel of Jesus, “the mystery of the meaning of marriage is clarified and we should be committed to making plain the beauties of Christ and His church through our covenant faithfulness between one husband and wife.”
“I don’t believe that the will of God today as revealed in the New Testament and, rightly read, the Old Testament is to give permission or promotion to polygamy,” Piper said.
“Paul’s description of marriage as a picture of Christ and the church is seriously compromised by polygamy. When Paul opens this truth, namely Genesis 2:24, he describes it as a mystery. Now a mystery in Paul’s language was something that was partly revealed in the Old Testament, but now has become clear. And he says, “‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two should become one flesh.’ This mystery is profound, and I am saying it refers to Christ and the church” (Ephesians 5:31–32).
“The most basic and significant meaning of marriage in the New Testament is that a husband and a wife represent one Lord and one church. Since this is now more clearly revealed than ever, it is more important than ever to renounce polygamy and hold fast to the original intention of marriage as one man, one woman — one Lord, one church — as long as they both shall live,” he said.
