A Baptist pastor has come under fire after delivering a 'sexist' sermon urging married women to practice 'weight control' and look less 'butch' to keep their husbands' attention — though he admitted that not everyone can be an 'epic trophy wife' like Melania Trump.
Stewart-Allen Clark, 55, a preacher at the First General Baptist Church in Malden, Missouri, delivered his damning speech on Sunday, February 21, holding what appeared to be a Bible as he targeted the female members of the congregation.
The Friendly Atheist was the first to report on the now-viral video of Clark's controversial sermon claiming each man needs 'an attractive wife' — prompting wide-spread outrage over his 'misogynistic' and 'offensive' message.
Under fire: Stewart-Allen Clark, a preacher at the First General Baptist Church in Malden, Missouri, is facing backlash for his 'sexist' sermon telling women to focus on 'weight control'
Thoughts: Clark noted that not every woman can be 'the epic trophy wife of all time, like Melania Trump,' but they 'don't need to look like a butch, either'
At the start of the clip, he pulled up a popular meme on the screen behind him that shows a man checking out another woman.
'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? Don't give him a reason to be looking around,' he said, asking: 'Why is it so many times that women after they get married let themselves go?'
Clark went on to say that women don't have to be the epitome of beauty, but they should try harder to look attractive.
'Now, look, I’m not saying every woman can be the 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.
'I don't know, but all I can say is not everybody looks like that! Amen! But you don’t need to look like a butch, either!
Questions: Clark is reportedly taking a leave of absence following the backlash. It's unclear if he will continue to be a pastor at First General Baptist Church (pictured)
Clark - who, according to a Facebook user who said they knew him, is 'married to a beautiful woman with three beautiful children' - admitted that he no longer provides counseling to couples before sharing the first piece of advice he'd give to married women.
'If you were sitting in my office, here's the first thing I'd say to you, and boy I'd hate to say it — this is why I don't do marital counseling anymore — and that is "weight control,"' he said.
'So how important is this? Let me tell you something, I have a friend. He has put a "divorce weight" on his wife — that's how important this is.
''You know makeup? Makeup is a good thing!' he continued. '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.'
Clark also sprinkled in a misogynistic joke at the end, saying: 'Scientists have discovered, by the way, a food that diminishes a woman's sex drive: It's called wedding cake.'
Hitting back: Critics took to the comments to slam the pastor and mock his appearance, with many noting that he needs to heed his own advice if he's so concerned about looks
First General Baptist Church has since shuttered its social media accounts and removed past content, including contact details and clips of Clark's previous sermons, according to the New York Post.
But the video shared by the Friendly Atheist is still posted on YouTube, where it has been viewed more than 22,000 times.
Critics took to the comments to slam the pastor and mock his appearance, with many noting that he needs to heed his own advice if he's so concerned about looks.
'This is so inappropriate on so many levels. Imagine telling sexist and misogynist jokes as a PASTOR in front of a CONGREGATION. Not very Christian like is it????' one person wrote.
Another replied: 'Given how the Pastor isn't exactly God's gift to the human race in the looks department, he has a goddam nerve to pronounce on others.'
Not a one off: Clark has shared similar messages in previous sermons, which have been deleted by the church
Say what? Clark allegedly shared these memes in his Mother's Day 2019 sermon
'Disgusting, this man should be removed from his congregation. His fat shaming stand-up routine has no place in the house of God or in society.' someone else commented.
Apparently, Clark's insulting sermon wasn't a one-off. Before the videos of him were removed, an unverified clip featuring the pastor's alleged Mother's Day 2019 sermon was shared on Facebook.
Clark claimed in the speech that all women want to be beautiful, adding: 'I wouldn't want to just be beautiful. I'd want to be hot.'
'There's not a man alive that doesn't want a beautiful woman on his arm,' he continued, saying that if he were a woman he wouldn't 'mind being arm candy.'
Clark said he'd want to be a size zero to four and be a 'natural blonde' — but he's not against women dying their hair to look more attractive. He also advised that they 'know their body type' and 'know their skinny jeans ain’t working.'
Official: General Baptist Ministries, First General Baptist's national organization, issued a statement on Facebook about Clark's recent sermon
Following backlash over the pastor's sermon from February 21, General Baptist Ministries — First General Baptist's national organization — issued a statement on Facebook saying Clark's speech 'included comments that are not consistent with the positions and values of General Baptists.'
'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 organization wrote on March 2.
The post stated that Pastor Clark was supposed to be the moderator of the General Association of General Baptist meeting in July 2022, but 'he has resigned from that position.'
'General Baptists believe that every woman was created in the image of God, and they should be valued for that reason. Furthermore, we believe that all individuals regardless of any other factors are so loved by God that Christ died for them,' the organization added.
'Each General Baptist church has autonomy from the national organization, and as a result General Baptist Ministries does not have authority related to the employment of any pastor or church leader in a local congregation.'
Clark has also reportedly 'taken a leave of absence and is seeking professional counseling' as of March 2. It's unclear if he will continue to be a pastor at First General Baptist Church.
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