Evangelism among Resistant Peoples with Deeply Entrenched Polygamy

This.article.has.to.do.with.the. problem.of.polygamy.in.the.evangelization.of.peoples.in.societies. which.are.resistant.to.the.gospel.. Examples.of.these.are.some.Muslim.societies.in.the.Middle.East,. Africa,.and.Indonesia,.and.some. ethno-religionist. societies. such. as. the. Southern. Nilo-Hamites. (including. the. Maasai). of. East. Africa..While.the.focus.is.on.polygamy.in.a.few.select.societies,. an.introductory.overview.is.given. of.some.aspects.of.the.dealings. of.the.churches.and.mission.societies.with.polygamous.families. over.the.years..This.is.followed.by. a.review.of.the.trajectory.of.the. Adventist.experience.and.of.the. biblical/theological.foundations. of.the.issue.in.order.to.provide. a. background. for. discussion. regarding.an.appropriate.course. of.action. The.way.missionaries.respond. to. the. polygamy. problem. has. always.been,.and.remains,.a.particularly.sensitive. issue. for.two. main reasons: first are the deeply entrenched. views. in. the.Christian.West.regarding.the.theology. and.forms.of.marriage..Second,. there. is. fear.that.an.accommodating.position.will.undercut.the. standard. of. monogamy. in. the. church,.and.reduce.the.security. of. the. monogamous. status. of. Christian.women.in.polygamous. societies..