Religion · Lawrence, KS Metro · October 6, 2026
Theologian at University of Kansas Argues Polyamory Is Biblically Faithful
Christian Century magazine's October issue carries an article by David Congdon, a religious studies lecturer at the University of Kansas and self-described ex-evangelical, titled "Understanding polyamory." Congdon argues Christians should accept "nonmonogamy," specifically polyamory, as a faithful expression of sexual union, citing Ephesians 5:31-32 to claim Paul's Christ-and-church analogy implies plural marriage. Congdon, a Wheaton College graduate with a Princeton Ph.D. in systematic theology, has a forthcoming book, "Poly Theology: In Praise of Unnatural Love," from Fordham University Press. John Stonestreet and Andrew Carico of the Colson Center responded in a Breakpoint article, "There Is No Christian Case for Polyamory," arguing Jesus's teaching in Matthew 19 and Genesis 2:24, along with Paul's instruction that an elder be "husband of one wife," leave no room for polyamory. The writers trace growing acceptance of polyamory to the 2015 Obergefell decision, noting cities including Somerville, Massachusetts, Portland, Oregon, and West Hollywood, California, have already extended legal recognition to multi-partner relationships.
Source: billygraham.org
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Why Bible-Believing Christians Should Care
This is not a fringe voice outside the church attacking marriage—it is a theologian trained at an evangelical college and a prominent Christian magazine giving a platform to the claim that polyamory is a faithful Christian practice. Scripture consistently presents marriage as the exclusive union of one man and one woman, from Genesis to Christ's own teaching to Paul's instructions for church leadership. When institutions carrying Christian names or histories begin reinterpreting plain texts to accommodate cultural trends toward nonmonogamy, believers who trust those names may be led astray without realizing the doctrine has changed. Christians must be able to distinguish historic teaching from theological innovation dressed in biblical language.
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. — Genesis 2:24
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From the book
Capture begins decades before a crisis becomes visible in the pew. It begins in the seminary. Activists understand a strategic reality that conservatives routinely ignore: whoever trains the clergy controls the future. By prioritizing academic theology, activists introduced critical theories under the banner of broadening the conversation. That produced a leadership pipeline in which the credentialed class held a theology fundamentally different from the theology of the people in the pews. The activist then leverages the prestige of the degree under Rule 3 to intimidate lay elders who hold to orthodoxy but lack the academic vocabulary to refute the new theories.
— Chapter 17, “The Mainline Model: Bureaucratic Infiltration”
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