The Dilemma of Polygamy in Nigerian Pentecostal's Theology of Marriage

Résumé

This paper examines marriage and polygamy in the teachings of two Nigerian Pentecostal denominations. Prior to the advent of the nineteenth-century missionaries in Africa, Africans practised polygamous marriage for its economic and social benefits. The missionaries’ ideal of Christian marriage was monogamous marriage. The missionaries did not hesitate to take up the battle against the traditional marriage system and impose their belief in monogamy on their African converts. Polygamists who were converted to Christianity were compelled to send away all their wives except only the first wives. While many Christian denominations founded by the missionaries have either abolished or amended this position, certain Pentecostal and charismatic churches still hold on to it. Moreover, existing studies on polygamy in African Christianity barely focus on Pentecostal and charismatic churches. Hence, this article examines the views of two leading Pentecostal denominations’ leaders, Pastor W. F. Kumuyi of Deeper Christian Life Ministry and Dr D. O. Olukoya of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, on marriage and polygamy. The two denominations are chosen because of their pronounced viewpoints on polygamy and how widespread their branches are in Africa. By examining the denominations, this article does not only fill a gap in the studies of polygamy in African Christian theology, it also shifts the focus of studies on polygamy from the mainline protestant denominations to Pentecostal and charismatic denominations which have been overlooked in many studies.  Using the content-analytical method, the paper identifies illogicality and incompatibility with biblical teachings in any theology of marriage that encourages polygamists to ‘divorce’ all their wives except the first ones.