The Secret History of Christian Polygamy
A religion says it’s against multiple spouses. So why do church leaders keep having them?
Published in
7 min readFeb 17, 2024
If you ask Christians if the religion allows polygamy and polyamorous relationships, they’d be quick to say ‘no’. Of course the Bible itself has many such stories, but the religion knows better.
To look around Christianity, however, is to see many leaders with multiple spouses. The religion has a long history of polygamy. It’s kept secret.
Consider Karl Barth, called the “father of Evangelical Protestantism.”
A Swiss theologian who lived from 1886 to 1968 married a wife, Nelly, in 1913. She was the mother of his five children. Then Barth took another wife, Lollo. She was the one he actually loved, travelled with, as they worked together on his theology.
When Barth travelled to speak at Christian seminaries, Lollo was there. They roomed together. Everyone knew—and kept it quiet.
