A PASTOR was slammed for telling women in his congregation to "lose weight" and hailing Melania Trump as the ultimate "trophy wife."
Baptist preacher Stewart-Allen Clark, 55, made the disparaging remarks during a sermon at the First General Baptist Church in Missouri last month.
A video of the speech, in which Clark claimed women "let themselves go" after marriage, went viral online – and led to mass backlash and the preacher being put on a leave of absence.
"Ladies, here's the thing you need to know about men: Don't give him a reason to be like this 'distracted boyfriend.' You hear me?" Clark says in the video.
"Don't give him a reason to be looking around. Why is it so many times that women, after they get married, let themselves go?
"Now, look, I'm not saying every woman can be epic – the epic trophy wife of all time like Melania Trump – I'm not saying that at all," he continued.
"Most women can't be trophy wives … but maybe a participation trophy."
The pastor acknowledged that not everyone can look like Melania, but urged women that they should at least avoid looking "butch."
Clark continued to provide unsolicited marriage advice for women, which included watching your weight, wearing makeup and wearing perfume.
"You know makeup? Makeup is a good thing!" Clark said.
"My little boy said, 'Why do girls wear makeup and perfume?' Because they're ugly and they stink. You don't want to be ugly and stink," he said.
He also shared an anecdote about a friend of his who gave his wife a "divorce weight" limit.
Video of the misogynistic sermon was shared so widely online that the General Baptist Ministries released a statement on Monday condemning the pastor.
"[Clark's] sermon included comments that are not consistent with the positions and values of General Baptists," the statement says.
"In keeping with our structure, the Executive Committee recommended that the Council of Associations and the MoArk Presbytery research the statements and take appropriate action."
The statement confirmed that Clark will no longer be the moderator of the General Association of General Baptist meeting next year, but also noted that the ministries do not have the power to remove Clark from his church directly.
After video of the sermon went viral this week, Clark's Twitter account was flooded with comments about his hypocrisy and using religion to shame women.
"I find it hilarious that an extremely overweight man is lecturing women about gaining weight after they get married," Twitter use Amyana Mills wrote.
"He looks like he fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch in the way down."
"Real pastors don't fat shame women," wrote user David Gough.
Malden First General Baptist Church confirmed on Tuesday that the pastor was taking a leave of absence.
"As of March 2, 2021, Pastor Stewart-Allen Clark has taken a leave of absence and is seeking professional counseling," the church said.
Source: Read Full Article
