A German Protestant pastor’s blessing of four men in a polyamorous “marriage” reveals how progressive churches have abandoned biblical marriage principles, sparking outrage among traditional believers who see this as the inevitable consequence of redefining sacred institutions.
Story Highlights
- Berlin youth pastor Lena Müller blessed four men in polyamorous relationship at pop-up wedding festival
- Church leadership defended Müller while clarifying the ceremony had no official ecclesiastical status
- Conservative critics argue this represents logical endpoint of dismantling traditional marriage definitions
- The blessing cannot be legally registered as polygamy remains prohibited under German law
Pastor Defends Polyamorous Blessing as “God’s Will”
Lena Müller, a 33-year-old youth pastor at Berlin’s Evangelical Church, conducted what she called a “marriage in the eyes of God” for four men during a summer pop-up wedding festival outside a Kreuzberg church. Müller, who describes herself as “a priest for inclusion and intersectional feminism, queer-friendly and anti-racist,” justified her actions by asking, “There was a lot of love between them. So we all agreed: what could God possibly have against the fact that there are four of them instead of two?” This reasoning exposes how progressive theology prioritizes personal feelings over scriptural authority and traditional Christian doctrine.
Church Scrambles to Control Doctrinal Damage
The Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg found itself in damage control mode, attempting to defend Müller against online criticism while simultaneously clarifying that the ceremony was not an official “kirchliche Trauung” (ecclesiastical marriage). Bishop Christian Stäblein rejected accusations that the church had legitimized polygamy, emphasizing that official church doctrine still reserves liturgical acts for two people only. This institutional backpedaling demonstrates the confusion created when individual pastors operate outside established religious boundaries, undermining denominational coherence and traditional Christian teachings about marriage as a covenant between one man and one woman.
Legal Reality Conflicts with Religious Theater
Despite Müller’s claims about divine recognition, German law remains clear: polygamy is prohibited under Article 172 of the German Penal Code, making the ceremony legally meaningless. The four men, described as “radiantly happy” and speaking English with one another, cannot register their union officially, highlighting the disconnect between progressive religious activism and legal reality. This situation illustrates how liberal churches increasingly operate in opposition to both civil law and traditional Christian teaching, creating confusion about the nature and purpose of religious marriage ceremonies.
Conservative Response Highlights Slippery Slope Concerns
Traditional religious commentators argue that Müller’s actions represent the inevitable consequence of abandoning biblical marriage definitions. Once marriage was redefined based solely on “love is love” principles rather than scriptural foundations, conservative critics note there remains “no valid argument” to defend limiting marriage to two people. This incident validates long-standing concerns among faithful Christians that progressive theological positions would eventually erode all traditional institutional boundaries, transforming sacred ceremonies into meaningless expressions of cultural trends rather than covenants rooted in biblical truth and divine design.
Sources:
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