A Cleveland-area church announcement has the internet debating marriage, religion and what exactly the Bible says about having more than one wife.
Pastor Lydia Ford stood before the congregation at LifeWorks Church and revealed that she and her husband, Pastor Israel T. Ford, have been living in what they describe as a “polygynous marriage.”
Then she introduced another woman as her husband’s second wife.
Minister Shakayla Ford walked to the front of the church as Lydia described her as both her husband’s wife and her own “sister in marriage.”
And apparently, this is not a new arrangement.
Israel says he and Shakayla have been together in this arrangement for nearly three years, but the family had kept it private until now.
Shakayla told the congregation she believes the relationship reflects God’s will, while Israel later defended the arrangement on social media.
He argued that the belief that a man can only have one wife is “unbiblical” and said he plans to explain his interpretation of Scripture in greater detail.
That statement has sparked plenty of debate.
Critics have pointed to New Testament passages that describe church leaders as the husband of one wife, while supporters of plural marriage point to several Old Testament figures who had multiple wives.
There is also a legal distinction. Having multiple legal spouses is not recognized under U.S. law, regardless of how the family describes its spiritual or personal arrangement.
Still, Lydia appears to be fully supporting the relationship and helped introduce Shakayla herself.
Could you ever willingly share your spouse with someone else?