Against the backdrop of an overwhelming number of Christian single ladies unable to find husbands even when they are long due for marriage, Pastor Odekunle Epaphras has advised Christian ladies that they can marry married men, contradicting traditional church doctrines on marriage. Pastor Epaphras argues that not all women will find single men and some should consider married men if they are willing to formalize the relationship. This controversial advice has drawn diverse reactions and criticism, with some urging pastors to focus on scriptural teachings. Others however, say the pastor is right as the bible is replete with many men of God who married more than one wife and yet were very close to God. These respondents point to the fact that polygamy is a way of life for those in the region where Christianity originated from, and that the concept of monogamy in Christianity is a European culture imported into Christianity even when it is not in the bible.
Contrary to the doctrine of monogamy,
for which the church is known for, Epaphras advised single ladies to date
married men who are willing to meet with the ladies’ families and formalise the
relationship.
According to Epaphras, not all ladies
would be opportune to marry single men, as a result, some of them should look
inwards the direction of married men.
The cleric gave the piece of advice
while responding to some of the questions raised by his followers.
“Not everyone will marry single men.
Some people will marry married men. If a married man wants to marry you
accordingly, ready to meet with your family, and has made necessary
arrangements with his family, you can go ahead and marry him,” the pastor
stated.
”Some people may criticise this but it
is my candid advice,” he added.
The 51-year old pastor hosts several programmes
on social media, with the most prominent being the Online Radio Broadcast.
These programs are largely broadcast
live on his Facebook page, Odekunle Epaphras Baba Mi O, and his YouTube channel.
However, other religious leaders, such
as Prophet A.T. Joel, have opposed this view, encouraging believers to follow
biblical standards rather than seeking human solutions to companionship, noting
that polygamy is not commanded in scripture.
“I agree that
salvation is the only thing that will take us to heaven but those who are
genuinely saved will follow the word of God,” Prophet A. T. Joel said in a Facebook
post.
“Polygamy is
man's creation and like many other human errors, God isn't its author. God is
faithful to sort us all. I know how painful it is for eligible singles
especially sisters but we must not keep breaking God's Word to satisfy
ourselves,” he added.
Prophet Joel
went on: “No man’s word is superior to the scriptures, the Bible is the final
authority over all things. One thing
every pastor must do is to help our brethren to fully trust God and flee
ungodly desires and expectations.
Responding to
Prophet Joel, a Facebook user with the name Abiodun William Shobowale said, “I commented
on that post yesterday actually. Was sad to hear that from the man. It’s one
temptation faced by men of God because
their ministerial focus is on women and marriage. Seeing many single ladies
thronging his programme and yet having no ready suitors who will become
husbands might have been the factor
responsible for such straying from the word of God. Since they wont allow him
to rest, he had to look for a solution from his mind so that they can let him
rest . May the Lord help him to correct himself.”
Some people who
spoke with Lagos Today Extra, however, did not agree with Prophet Joel’s
criticism. According to them, the bible does not condemn anyone for marrying
more than one wife.
“If you
carefully look through the bible, you would notice that those who where very
close to God were polygamous in nature,” Ijeoma, who resides in the Yaba area
of Lagos stated, adding that the concept of monogamy in Christianity was
imported into the church by European missionaries who used it as an avenue to
further expand the European cultures through Christianity.
“it’s sad that
those in the Middle East where Christianity originated from, are a polygamous society;
the Europeans who took the religion from them and brought it to us infused
their monogamous culture and we Africans, who have a polygamous heritage,
swallowed it hook, line and sinker,” Ijeoma told our correspondent.
Another respondent,
Evangelist Adeleke, said even the New Testament of the bible does not forbid
polygamy except for those occupying some ministerial positions in the church.
“You hear some
people say polygamy in the bible is a doctrine of the Old Testament but the New
Testament does not forbid it either. Look at 1 Timothy 3:2, Titus 1:6 and 1 Timothy 3:12. Paul writes that if anyone aspires to the
office of pastor or deacon, he must be ‘the husband of one wife’. What does
that tell you? It simply means that any Christian, except those occupying those
offices, can marry more than one wife. And it is easy to understand why the
bible puts such a restriction on occupiers of those offices. A pastor or deacon
is someone who should be focused on the ministry and not being diverted by
family issues. It’s not because it is a sin to marry more than one wife. If marrying
more than one wife is something detestable to God, he would never have gone
near the likes of Jacob, David and many others who married more than one wife,”
Adeleke said.
He however said he could never muster
enough courage to publicly tell this to his church as he would be
excommunicated if he did that.
Editor’s Note: Please, we urge readers, especially Christians, to frankly express their views on the comment section below. We intend to make a compilation and do a critical analysis of the issue from the standpoint of readers.
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