Perspectiva Sistemática en las Instituciones Educativas

Polygamy is a practice of having more than one wife or husband at a time. The NBC stresses that a polygamy is a man who is married to more than one wife at the same time; a man who is divorced or separated from his first wife and married to another while his first wife is alive; a woman who separated or divorced from her husband and married to another while the first is still alive; a woman who is married to a man who is already married and the wife is still alive.⁶¹

Polygamy, to the Africans, is not a sin but a social and cultural practice that is acceptable. The coming of Christianity brought about biblical teaching that propagates

60 S.A. Ajayi. 2009. Baptists of Nigeria: their genesis, identity, doctrinal beliefs and practices. Ibadan:

BookWright publishers. 49-50.

61 Nigerian Baptist Convention. 2001. Book of reports for the 88^th annual session Kwara state stadium complex Ibrahim Taiwo road, Ilorin April 21-26. Ibadan: Baptist Press,218.

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monogamy against polygamy without respect for the feeling of polygamists. The policy of the NBC on acceptability of polygamists into the membership of the local church and participation in baptism and the Lord‘s Supper over the years has been an issue that causes dispute. They were not were allowed to participate in baptism and the Lord‘s Supper.⁶²

Jegede⁶³ also observes that controversy on the membership and participation status of the polygamists in the Lord‘s Supper and baptism is an age-long controversy in NBC.

The problem then was should there be privileged or preferential baptism for the polygamists? If that was done, would it not be subverting the teaching of the Bible, especially the New Testament on Christian marriage, and modernizing to make it acceptable and less serious? The Convention, according to the constitution, recognizes monogamy as the ideal state of Christian family according to the New Testament. The policy initially was that no known polygamist would be admitted into the church membership and neither would they hold any office in the Body of Christ. Each member was expected to adhere to monogamy. As it was earlier said, in the past, those who were known polygamists were not accorded membership in the Baptist. They were not allowed to hold any office in the church or to serve as lay preacher. The challenge this policy posed to the church was enormous. Mr Olaogun⁶⁴ of Iranlowo-Oluwa Baptist Church noted that the NBC policy on polygamy was a latent source of conflict in his church. He said that he quitted being a Sunday School teacher and member of the church EC because of what he suffered as a polygynists. It is a serious challenge on the evangelization of pre-conversion polygamists. Oroniyi⁶⁵ observed the threat that the policy may constitute to reaching sinners for Christ although he agreed that polygamy has a lot of crises and troubles.

In order to resolve the conflict generated as a result of NBC policy on polygamy, a special committee on policy review was constituted. In its findings some people said that the present stance of the NBC has helped to keep polygamy in check, therefore, the stance should remain. Others were of the view that any change in the status quo in favour of accepting polygamists into church membership would mean encouraging

62 Nigerain Baptist Convention. 2005. Constitution and bye-laws of the Nigerian Baptist Convention.

Ibadan: Baptist Press. 6

63 T. Jegede. 1998. Ed. Editor‘s note. Policy on polygamy may threaten ORA success. The Nigerian Baptist. September. 76, 9. 4.

64 Olaogun aged 72 years interviewed

65 J.A.Oroniyi. 1998. Policy on polygamy may threaten ORA success. The Nigerian Baptist. September, 76,9. 3- 4.

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polygamy and moral decadence in the church. Another group said that there may be schism in the NBC if polygamists are accepted into church membership. A group postulated that failure to accept polygamists into church membership would have negative impact on the spread of the Gospel.⁶⁶ The above submission shows that the issue of the status of polygamy in the Baptist Church was conflict-inducing.

The above assertion is easier said than done in Baptist churches. Many members do not adhere to the position of the denomination. In some instances, polygamists do not only hold positions in the local churches, but also in the conference. In practice, whenever pastors want to implement this policy, polygynists are in the offensive and defensive angles. Such was the case at Ebenezer Baptist Church Lagos while observing the Lord's Supper. Some polygynists forcefully took the bread and wine served for the Lord‘s Supper. They told the pastor that he should leave them alone with Jesus who is the owner of the table on the Day of Judgment. Ayegboyin captures it well:

One beautiful Sunday evening, he was to lead the Church into eating the Lord's Supper (Holy Communion). He had given a warning during the morning service that all those who were polygamists and all women whose husbands had more than one wife would not be allowed to partake of the Lord's Supper. That was the policy and practice in the Baptist Church. Nobody complained until that evening as the directive had been largely ignored. When Pastor Akande broke the bread and asked the distributors to serve same, the polygamists were ready with their own game plan, unknown to him. They were seated on one side of the Church and when the deacons refused to serve them, according to Pastor Akande's instruction, the polygamists reacted. They beckoned to the distributors and before anyone could stop them, they had taken the bread. The same pattern followed with the distribution of the wine. Pastor Akande was naturally furious after the service as this was the first time some members of his congregation would disobey him as a Pastor. Bro. Olaofe Tubi approached Pastor Akande … Rev. Akande, he said, you know the bread belongs to the Lord and represents the Body of the Lord and the wine represents His Blood. Is it your bread? Is it your wine?

When we get to Jesus, let him ask us why we participate in His Body and Blood, then we would explain to Him. ⁶⁷.

66 Nigerian Baptist Convention. 2001. Book of reports for the 88th annual session Kwara State Stadium Complex, Ibrahim Taiwo Road, Ilorin. April 21-26. Ibadan: Baptist Press. 218.

67 Deji Ayegboyin. The Eucharist: then and now. Ecclesiastes: the preacher, the church and the contemporary society.Ibadan: Sceptre limited. 29-30.

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After years of reconsideration on the policy and practice on polygamy, there was a review and amendment. Below is the amendment:

Believing that polygamy is a sin but in accepting the sinner and not the sin, it is recommended that the Executive committee of the Nigerian Baptist Convention reconsider the principle relating to Polygamy as stated in the Constitution.

Our position is that polygamists who hear the gospel and respond by repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal saviour should not be banned from church membership or from participating in the ordinances, and that the authority of the local church relating to decisions and discipline regarding polygamy be practised.⁶⁸

Having restudied the policies of the NBC with regard to the status of polygamists in church membership, at the Ilorin Convention-in-session in 2001, it was agreed that, since the need of new converts for church ordinances should take priority over marital status, whoever believes in the Lord, polygamists inclusive, should not be denied baptism, church membership and participation in the Lord‘s Supper. However, polygamists should not hold a church office or position. Any church officer who becomes a polygamist should be relieved of such office.⁶⁹

4.4.2. Policy on non-allowance of pastors to engage in herbal/traditional medicine