Missouri Pastor Tries To Justify Polygamy—But Does the Bible Back Him Up?

At the heart of the debate: can the Bible truly support plural marriage? Tidwell says yes, but Scripture and history say otherwise.

Pastor Rich Tidwell of Canton, Missouri, recently drew attention after questioning whether polygamy can be biblically justified. The discussion, reignited by Tidwell’s sermon exploring whether polygamous families should be welcomed in church, has resurfaced an age-old theological argument — one that Scripture has already settled.

Let’s make it plain: polygamy cannot be biblically justified. The fact that it appears in the Bible doesn’t mean God condones it. Scripture records sin to reveal its consequences, not to provide moral cover for it.



The Biblical Record Is Clear

Throughout the Old Testament, we see polygamy — Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon — but never with God’s approval. Every instance ends in jealousy, conflict, or tragedy.

• Abraham’s family fractured when Sarah and Hagar turned against one another.
• Jacob’s home became a battleground between Leah and Rachel.
• David’s many wives led to rivalry and rebellion among his sons.
• Solomon’s hundreds of wives turned his heart away from God.

Polygamy isn’t a story of success — it’s a story of sin. It’s a record of what happens when humanity tries to rewrite God’s design.

God’s Design Hasn’t Changed

When Jesus was asked about marriage, He didn’t reference Abraham or David. He went back to the beginning — to Genesis:

“For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24, NASB)

One man. One woman. One covenant.

That’s not cultural. That’s divine.

Polygamy Never Works — Then or Now

Even in modern history, attempts to normalize polygamy fail. Look at Mormonism. The movement’s early practice of plural marriage produced not holiness, but abuse and division. The mainstream LDS Church abandoned it long ago, yet splinter groups that persist in it continue to bear the same destructive fruit Scripture warned about.

Pastor Tidwell’s recent remarks may sound compassionate, but they follow a familiar pattern: justifying sin under the guise of grace.

The Sermon and the Backlash

During his sermon, Tidwell suggested churches should reconsider how they treat polygamous families, framing it as a question of inclusion. But Pastor and Bible teacher Mike Winger called the sermon “a misrepresentation of Scripture and church history,” noting that grace never changes God’s design — it calls us back to it.

That’s the key point many miss. The church is called to welcome sinners, not validate sin. Compassion without correction isn’t grace—it’s compromise.

The Danger of Twisting Scripture

This approach isn’t new. People have misused the Bible for centuries to justify all sorts of behavior—slavery, greed, and sexual immorality among them. But Scripture doesn’t hide human failure to normalize it; it reveals it so we can learn from it.

When pastors cite David or Solomon to defend moral confusion, they’re forgetting something crucial: David wasn’t a pastor. He was a king living under an ancient covenant, not a church leader accountable to the standards of the New Testament. Comparing modern ministry standards to David’s failures isn’t just misguided—it’s absurd.

Truth and the Foundation of Society

If the Church begins reshaping God’s Word to fit modern comfort, truth becomes relative. And when truth becomes relative, society crumbles with it.

The same biblical truths that define marriage also shaped the foundations of justice and law in this country. The Constitution itself was built upon moral principles rooted in Scripture. The farther we drift from those principles, the easier it becomes to justify anything—so long as it feels right.

That’s exactly how sin works.

Final Word

Pastor Rich Tidwell’s attempt to give polygamy a biblical defense isn’t new—it’s a recycled argument with a modern twist. But truth doesn’t evolve. God’s standard hasn’t changed since Eden, and neither has His definition of marriage.

Polygamy isn’t biblical. It’s broken.

And the Church must have the courage to keep saying so.