Tony Dungy challenges pastor who claims monogamy is 'unbiblical'

Former NFL coach and outspoken Christian Tony Dungy insisted that the Bible forbids polygamy as an Ohio pastor has drawn national attention for introducing his second wife to his congregation. 

In a reply to an X post on Tuesday, Dungy weighed in on the controversy surrounding Ohio Pastor Israel Ford, co-founder of LifeWorks Church, who revealed to his congregation on Sunday that he's been married to two women simultaneously for nearly three years.

Ford claimed Christians were wrong to believe that “a man should have one wife only,” calling such doctrine “unbiblical.” 

One commenter on X challenged Christians to explain to him why polygamy is wrong: "I’m still waiting for someone to show me ONE Bible verse that explicitly forbids polygamy. Not opinions. Not church traditions. Not personal interpretations. Chapter and verse. I’m waiting…"

In response, Dungy offered Ephesians 5:31-32 as an example of a Scripture passage that forbids polygamy, noting in his X post that the verses state: “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.”

Dungy also pointed to Mark 10:11, where Jesus said, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery against her.” The former NFL coach asked, “Do you think if divorcing your wife and then getting married is a sin it would be ok to get married again while still married?” 

The X commenter remained unconvinced by Dungy’s response, adding, “My question remains: Where does the Bible explicitly forbid a man from having more than one wife? Chapter and verse.” 

While Dungy didn't respond to the X user’s reply, he responded to someone else who asserted: “Just like Jesus has many followers, a man can have many wives.”

Dungy once again cited Ephesians 5:31-32, summarizing the passage as teaching that “Jesus has only one bride the — church.” The former NFL coach also quoted from Ephesians 5:6, which states: “Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey Him.”

In a post on social media, Ford claimed that, “As a nation, we have been taught that a man should have one wife only. This is unbiblical.”

However, the Christian apologetics website Got Questions states that not only is polygamy wrong, but a pastor who enters into such an arrangement is disqualified. "In the New Testament, a polygamist is ineligible for church leadership (1 Timothy 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6)."

In a Facebook post on Thursday, Ford announced that he was hosting a live conversation with his wives Friday night where viewers would have the opportunity to ask them questions.