Polygamous Pastor Says His Wives Can’t Have Other Men

Ohio pastor Israel Ford made headlines after publicly introducing his second wife to his congregation. Now, his latest comments about marriage are raising even more questions.

As previously reported by The Root, Ford and his first wife, Lydia Ford, revealed that they were living in a polygamous marriage with Minister Shakayla Ford, whom Lydia introduced as her “sister in marriage.” Now, the LifeWorks Church pastor is explaining why having multiple spouses is acceptable for him, but not for the women he married.

During an appearance on Larry Reid Live alongside both wives, host Larry Reid asked Ford whether Lydia and Shakayla would be allowed to have another husband. His response left little room for interpretation.

“If they want another husband, then they don’t want me,” Ford declared.

Reid pressed the pastor on whether people might consider that arrangement unfair, given that Ford has two wives while neither woman is permitted to pursue another husband. Ford laughed before explaining that he believes men and women carry different responsibilities in marriage.

“The husband doesn’t have the same responsibility as the wife,” he said.

According to Ford, a husband’s role is to lead and protect his family, while a wife’s responsibility is rooted in respect and commitment. He argued that those expectations justify the different rules within his marriage.

“He has the responsibility to guide. The wife’s responsibility is to respect,” Ford explained. “He has to die as a responsibility.”

The pastor continued by suggesting that a husband’s willingness to sacrifice his life for his wife gives him a greater stake in the relationship.

“If I’m responsible for dying for you but you just have to respect, I have a greater sacrifice and more skin in the game,” he said. “If I’m dying for you, you have to be committed to me.”

Ford ended his explanation by making it clear that this was his rule for their marriage. Although the pastor made his case for maintaining two marriages, folks in the comments suspect there’s more to the story.

“Have you ever had that feeling in your spirit that something ain’t right? Yeah, I’m feeling that right now,” wrote someone.

You can watch the full interview below.