Billy Graham rule

Billy Graham in 1966

The Billy Graham rule is a practice among male Protestant Christian leaders, in which they avoid spending time alone with women to whom they are not married. It is named after Billy Graham, the most notable proponent of the practice. It is adopted as a display of integrity, a means of avoiding sexual temptation, and to avoid any appearance of doing something considered morally objectionable, but has been criticized as being sexist.

Origins

In 1948, Graham held a series of evangelistic meetings in Modesto, California. Together with Cliff Barrows, Grady Wilson, and George Beverly Shea, he resolved then to "avoid any situation that would have even the appearance of compromise or suspicion."[1] The accountability agreement, which has become known as the "Modesto Manifesto,"[2] covered not only their interactions with women, but also commitments to integrity with respect to finances, their interactions with local churches, and publicity.[3] Since that time, Graham made a point of not travelling, meeting, or eating alone with a woman other than his wife Ruth.[4] Graham biographer Grant Wacker observed that "Over the years Graham received intense media scrutiny, but hardly anyone accused him of violating any of those four principles."[5] However, by Graham's own admission he was not an absolutist in the application of the rule that now bears his name: his autobiography relates a lunch meeting with Hillary Clinton that he initially refused on the grounds that he does not eat alone with women other than his wife, but she persuaded him that they could have a private conversation in a public dining room.[6][7]

Criticism

The rule has been criticized for viewing women merely as potential objects of lust as well as restricting opportunities for women to network with male colleagues.[8][9] Tracey Bianchi argues that it means "women are marginalized and cut out of opportunities to network, share their ideas, and advance in the organization."[10] Bianchi also argues that the rule conflicts with the practice of Jesus himself, who spent time alone with the Samaritan woman at the well.[10]

Ty Grigg suggests that the rule has not been "effective at curbing infidelity". He argues that the rule "has framed relating with the opposite sex with fear", and that this leads to a diminished mutual respect, which in turn creates "the kind of environment where inappropriate relating is more likely to occur."[11] Others, however, suggest that unfaithful pastors must have failed to implement the rule.[12]

In March 2017, the Washington Post noted that U.S. Vice President Mike Pence had previously adopted a version of this rule, in that he will not have dinner alone with any woman other than his wife Karen.[8][13] Pence received both ridicule and applause for his position.[14] Emma Green, writing for The Atlantic, noted that the controversy was an example of how "notions of gender divide American culture": while "socially liberal or non-religious people may see Pence's practice as misogynistic or bizarre," for "a lot of conservative religious people" the "set-up probably sounds normal, or even wise."[15]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Graham, Billy (1999). Just As I Am. HarperOne. p. 128. ISBN 978-0060633929.
  2. ↑ Dowland, Seth (2014). "The 'Modesto Manifesto'". Christian History. 111.
  3. ↑ Taylor, Justin (March 20, 2017). "Where Did the 'Billy Graham Rule' Come From?". The Gospel Coalition. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
  4. ↑ "What part did the Modesto Manifesto play in the ministry of Billy Graham?". Billy Graham Center Archives. January 31, 2007. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  5. ↑ Wacker, Grant (2014). America's Pastor. Harvard University Press. p. 11. ISBN 978-0674052185.
  6. ↑ Graham, Billy (1997). Just As I Am : the Autobiography of Billy Graham. Harper Collins. p. 651. ISBN 9780060633875. OCLC 883482847.
  7. ↑ Gayle, J.K. (March 30, 2017). "When Hillary Clinton Persuaded Billy Graham to Break the 'Billy Graham Rule'". BLT — Bible * Literature * Translation.
  8. 1 2 "Twitter Tangles With the Billy Graham Rule". Relevant. March 30, 2017. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
  9. ↑ Turner, Laura (March 30, 2017). "The religious reasons Mike Pence won’t eat alone with women don’t add up". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
  10. 1 2 Bianchi, Tracey (June 23, 2016). "Ladies Who Lunch—with Men". Christianity Today. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
  11. ↑ Grigg, Ty (July 18, 2014). "How I Learned to Stop Worrying About the Billy Graham Rule and Love Like Jesus". Missio Alliance. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
  12. ↑ Russell, Bob (2016). After 50 Years of Ministry: 7 Things I'd Do Differently and 7 Things I'd Do the Same. Moody Publishers. p. 84. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
  13. ↑ Parker, Ashley (March 28, 2017). "Karen Pence is the vice president’s ‘prayer warrior,’ gut check and shield". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
  14. ↑ Showalter, Brendan (March 30, 2017). "Mike Pence Ridiculed for Practicing 'Billy Graham Rule'". The Christian Post. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
  15. ↑ Green, Emma (March 30, 2017). "How Mike Pence's Marriage Became Fodder for the Culture Wars". The Atlantic. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.