Maryland megachurch Baptist preacher, Dr. Delman Coates, recently contended that the Bible does not prohibit premarital sex contrary to popular opinion among Christians and Bible translations.

In a May 4 Sunday sermon titled Don't Die Like Weezy as part of his Let's Talk About Sex sermon series, Coates, who leads the 9,000 member Mt. Ennon Baptist Church in Clinton, Maryland, referenced "problematic translations" of the Bible, including NRSV and the Living Bible translation, that leaves "readers the impression that the text is saying that sex before or outside of marriage is wrong."

"But the Bible is not saying that," he argued. "It is critiquing prostitution, the immoral and unjust sexual and economic exploitation of poor people, slaves, women, and young males who are oftentimes forced into prostitution in the first century."

The pastor further explained that the Greek word 'pornea', which is translated as fornication in the New Testament, is referring to prostitution.

"It is not talking about or condemning consensual sexual relations," he reiterated. "I told y'all, this the first time you have ever heard this preached in a church. Therefore, teaching Christians that sex before outside of marriage is a sin, may be tradition, it may be something that's been passed down from generation to generation, it may be something that you learned from an esteemed Bible preacher or teacher, but it is not something supported by the Word of God."

Overall, Coates says he does not find "no biblical basis" for abstinence until marriage and fully supports premarital sex as long as it's consensual, Church leaders reports.

"I really believe that some Christians think that being boring makes them holy," he said.

Citing a personal story, Coates spoke about his old family dog, Weezy, whom the sermon is titled after, and how she passed while he was away at college. He explained that the dog didn't go outside to socialize with other dogs and was never spayed.

"She died because she was never able to release," Coates said, explaining that Weezy died from having high levels of sex hormones that built up and caused lumps and tumors.

In a 2020 sermon series titled, Entanglement, Coates stated that it's not healthy to stay in a marriage solely for comfort, fear, or religious tradition, including outlining three steps for anyone who is stuck in a "bad marriage."

"Marriage is a wonderful institution, but it is not God's will for you to remain in bondage," he said.

Coates has also been outspoken about supporting same-sex legislation and marriage equality in the state of Maryland. In a 2015 article for The Root, he explained how his views on same-sex marriage changed "meeting with a lesbian couple who had joined our church."

The couple initially attended Coates' church on separate Sundays to avoid raising red flags. Coates explained that he later sat down with them to express his support and hear their story as a couple and their challenges dealing with the legal classification of marriage in the state of Maryland.

"I grew increasingly disturbed that those in the Black church so vocal in their opposition to matters of personal morality seemed noticeably silent on matters of public morality," he said, "issues like poverty, criminal justice reform, banking reform, and the range of other social justice issues confronting Black America."

Moreover, Coates pointed out how the matter intertwined with additional matters of equality.

"I determined that on the question of marriage equality, I did not want my silence to be interpreted as consent," he said. "As a person of faith, I aim to live in my faith, not to legislate it. Marriage equality for me is primarily a public policy issue, not a theological one."

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