US Pastor Marries Second Wife, Claims Monogamy Is Unbiblical

A United States-based pastor, Israel Ford, has sparked controversy online after introducing a second wife and claiming that teaching monogamy is unbiblical.
 
Ford, who leads LifeWorks Church in Wickliffe, Ohio, announced his marriage to his second wife, Shakayla Ford, in a Facebook post on Sunday, October 25, 2026.
 
In a video recorded at the church with his first wife, Lydia Ford, and Shakayla, the pastor defended his decision, stating that society’s insistence that a man marry only one wife contradicts biblical teachings.
 
“As a nation, we have been taught that a man should have one wife only. This is unbiblical,” Ford wrote. “I understand that this is an unpopular truth ...