SAFM invited me to take part in an hour-long debate on radio, Wednesday 29 July, on the subject of polygamy. The other panel guests included a professor of Islamic Studies at Kwazulu Natal University and a chief from the Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders.

Pragmatic Arguments
Some of the justifications given for polygamy included: that because of war and other factors, men tend to die more frequently and earlier than women, and there are more women than men. Therefore, for the provision of these women, men should be able to take more wives.

Exclusive Love
In response I pointed out that Christianity has always rejected polygamy because it inhibits, and in fact exterminates, exclusive, devoted love. Christians have always maintained that love between a man and a woman must be exclusive. Otherwise marriage is degraded, in essence, to mere physical lust. No woman who loves her husband, and wishes to be loved in return, can tolerate “another wife”.

Protecting Women and Children
Polygamy erodes the concept of a Biblical family. Christianity has always maintained that monogamy alone gives the woman the recognition, status and value that she needs. Monogamy provides the environment for raising children in a stable and loving home.

"But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children's children, to such as keep His covenant, and to those who remember His commandments to do them."
Psalm 103:17-18

The Bible tells us that God seeks

"godly offspring."
Malachi 2:15. 

​When God established His covenant with Abraham, He said: 

"And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations for an everlasting covenant.you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations." 
Genesis 17:7-9

A PARENT'S PRIORITY
As a father, one of my greatest desires and priorities is to bring up my children "in the training and instruction of the Lord." Ephesians 6:4.  I am to "train a child in the way he should go."  Proverbs 22:6.  My greatest concern is that my children grow up to love the Lord with all their heart, with all their soul, with all their mind, and with all their strength.  I pray that my children will grow to love, trust, obey, worship and serve God more consistently and effectively than I have done. 

We are to

"tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power and the wonders He has done.so that the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn will tell their children.  Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget His deeds but would keep His commands.  They would not be.stubborn and rebellious.whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to Him." 
Psalm 78:4-8

"Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God Who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His command-ments."
Deuteronomy 7:9