Jesus' teachings on adultery: A case study of contemporary practice in Baptist churches of the Ibadan Metropolis

Abstract

This study examined Jesus' teachings on adultery in the Synoptic Gospels to determine the extent to which they aligned with Baptist church traditions and the effects of these on the churches. The study was premised on the model of contextual hermeneutics. Baptist Churches of the Nigerian Baptist Convention in the Ibadan metropolis, Oyo State, Nigeria were purposively sampled. This was because the denomination adequately represented the Evangelical Churches. Five hundred and fifty-four copies of a questionnaire were administered. In-depth in interviews were also conducted. Mark 10:1-12, Matthew 19:3-12 and Luke 16:18 were exegetically analysed, while the quantitative data were subjected to percentages. The Baptist Churches situated sex within marriage and monogamy. However, in practice, none of them aligned with Jesus' standards completely- sex is a mono-partner affair, which precludes adultery (Matthew 19:4; Mark 10:8) and fornication (Mathew 5:27-30).