A Missouri pastor is on leave after a video of him appearing preaching that wives should strive to be thin, make-up, well-dressed and satisfying in the bedroom to keep their husbands interested because “God made men attracted to beautiful women “.
“I want you to know a need that your man has and that he will never talk about, but since I am the pastor, I will say: your man needs an attractive wife,” pastor of First Baptist General Stewart-Allen Clark said. from the pulpit at the beginning of the sermon, according to a video posted on Facebook.
The date and target audience of the sermon is unclear.
A statement posted by the First Baptist General Church deacon ministry staff said that “on March 2, 2021, Pastor Stewart-Allen Clark took a leave of absence and is seeking professional advice.”
Clark did not respond to several requests for comment from NBC News.
The Baptist General Ministries, to which the church is affiliated, said that Clark’s sermon “included comments that are not consistent with the positions and values of the Baptist Generals.”
The comments were under review, and Clark resigned as moderator at the General Baptist Conference meeting in 2022. But Baptist Ministries General have no control over the employment of independent congregations, the statement said.
“General Baptists believe that every woman was created in the image of God and that they should be valued for that reason,” said the statement.
The Facebook user who posted the sermon said a friend drew his attention to the video. It is not clear whether the video shows the full sermon. The user did not immediately respond to NBC News’s request for comment.
“I’m not saying that every woman can be the epic trophy wife of all time, like Melania Trump,” Clark said in the video, as a photo of the former first lady was projected on a screen behind him. “Maybe you’re a participation trophy … But you don’t have to look like a male either.”
“You need to know that, men need their women to look like women. Sweatpants don’t cut all the time, huh,” said Clark. “Men want their women to be well at home and in public. Can I have an amen?”
Clark said it is up to the woman to keep her weight down, wear makeup and dress well to prevent her husband from cheating.
“Don’t give him a reason to be like this distracted boyfriend,” he said, showing an image of the ubiquitous meme.
“Why do women so often get married after getting married,” Clark asked.
“Don’t give him a reason to look around … I don’t really believe that women understand how visual men are,” he added. “I don’t think women understand how important it is for a man to have a beautiful woman in his arms.”
“You can call it juvenile, immature, sexist,” said Clark.
But “God made men to be attracted to beautiful women. We are made this way, we cannot help ourselves,” he said, without a reference to the scriptures.
On weight, he commented on an occasion when he advised a couple.
“She looked like a sumo wrestler and he was a little boy,” said Clark, adding that after his wife lost 45 pounds, the marriage was saved.
He said his wife had three children and became “robust”, so she started Weight Watchers and lost up to 50 pounds.
“She wants me to look at her and no one else. One of her favorite expressions is ‘food never tastes as good as it feels like a skinny’,” said Clark, citing the controversial mantra. “I am happy to have a wife who understands that this is how I am.”
He added that he has a friend who has imposed a “divorce burden” limit on his wife.
“What’s the difference between a man’s wife and a man’s girlfriend? About 100 pounds,” said Clark, laughing.
Clark said that when it comes to makeup, hairstyles and clothes, women should wear whatever their husbands find attractive.
“Praise be to God for the makeup … It’s like crack filling for drywall,” said Clark.
“How about you ask your husband, not your girlfriend, not your hairdresser, not your mother. Why don’t you ask him what makeup looks good on you?” Clark said. “It is important that he thinks you are hot.”
In one of two references to the scriptures in more than 20 minutes, Clark quotes 1 Corinthians to preach about sex.
“The wife has no authority over her own body, but she hands it over to her husband,” says the scripture referenced by Clark.
“After you get married, men, put this on the headboard of the house,” said Clark. “Whenever she doesn’t feel like it, get her Bible.”
Clark finally conceded the rest of the passage: “Likewise, the husband has no authority over his own body, but hands it over to the wife.”
He said that men will look elsewhere if they are not sexually satisfied with their wives, saying at least for the eighth time: “We cannot help it, God made us this way.”