Franklin Graham has praised Vice President Mike Pence for following the "Billy Graham Rule" - refusing to dine with a woman without his wife present - warned that "no one is immune" to Satan's attacks on marriage.
In a recent Facebook post, Graham revealed that like Pence, he, too, adheres to the rule named after his 98-year-old father.
"I'm thankful we have a Vice President who respects and protects his marriage!" the leader of Samaritan's Purse wrote. "My parents had rules, as my wife Jane and I have, and as the Pences have."
As reported, while doing a profile of Indiana's former First Lady, a Washington Post reporter, Ashley Parker, cited a 2002 interview with Pence in The Hill in 2002. In it, he said he never ate alone with a woman other than his wife, Karen. Pence, a devout Catholic, also said he wouldn't attend an event where alcohol would be served without her by his side.
The elder Graham followed a similar rule of not traveling, meeting or eating with another woman alone. Thus, the practice is often dubbed "The Billy Graham Rule" and is common among many evangelicals today, including Pastor Rick Warren, Fox News pundit Erick Erickson, and more.
Continuing his Facebook post, Franklin Graham said Pence has been unfairly derided for his stance.
"Satan is perpetually trying to destroy homes and marriages-we have to be alert and on guard," he said "Proactively setting boundaries for protection of your marriage is important to avoid Satan's traps. No one is immune or beyond failure."
The evangelist rejected the idea that the "Billy Graham rule" is sexist, as many have suggested: "It's not sexist, as some in the media want to make it out-it's just smart," he said. "You protect and guard the things you cherish. Marriage should be one of those things."
Graham is not the only evangelist to come to Pence's defense; on the Family Talk radio program Monday, Christian author James Dobson called the attacks on the VP the "stupidest" he has ever heard.
"I have seen some crazy things, but this has got to be one of the stupidest that I have heard," Dobson said. "I have known Mike Pence for 25 years. He is a godly man, a good family man, husband and father. He lives by the highest standards of ethics."
Dobson added: "Are [job] promotions more valuable than a lifetime of a committed, loving marriage?" he responded, when asked about women who would be worried of missing out on a promotion by not meeting privately or having lunch with a male boss.
"How silly is that? It just takes my breath away," he said.
