Rich Tidwell is the pastor of Ormond Church, a small non-denominational gathering in Canton, MO, that was founded more than a decade ago.
According to his website, he is a husband, father, YouTube Apologist, polemicist, and is a “passionate follower of The Way.” Married to his wife Brandi more for more than 14 years, they have have seven childen together, some adopted.
He believes “proper hermeneutics are derived from examining original languages, cultural context, and multi-verse coherence” and that “Crippled by fear and compromised by tradition, Rich is convinced the status-quo Church is due a second reformation.”
At first glance everything looks pretty normal, but a quick perusal of his Instagram account instantly raises eyebrows with this announcement from this past June, where Tidwell dropped this blockbuster.
So here’s the big announcement: my name is Rich Tidwell, I have two beautiful wives, and my second wife is expecting my 8th child! We’re thrilled for what the Lord has done for our family (see Luke 18:29-30)!
This announcement of having aquired a new wife was followed up with an article on his website on “Biblical Polygyny,” where he writes:
In 2019 I discovered the surprising fact that God not only never prohibited polygyny throughout the entire Biblical narrative (as He did with polyandry or homosexuality), He divinely ordained it in several cases including David (2 Sam 12:7-8), Jacob (Gen 30:18), and Joash (2 Chron 24:2-3), among others. In contrast with homosexuality–which is outright prohibited (Lev 18:22, Rom 1:26-27)—God lawfully regulated the practice of plural marriage (Ex 21:10, Deut 21:15-17, Lev 18:18).
Mark and avoid this church for sure.
