{{Short description|Rule of some evangelicals to avoid isolated time with women other than their wife}} {{Use American English|date=January 2019}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2020}} [[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 194-0798-29, Düsseldorf, Veranstaltung mit Billy Graham.jpg|thumb|Graham speaking at a Crusade in [[Düsseldorf]], Germany on June 21, 1954.]]
The '''Modesto Manifesto''' or '''Billy Graham rule''' is a [[code of conduct]] among male [[evangelical Protestant]] leaders, in which they avoid spending time alone with women to whom they are not married. It is adopted as a display of [[integrity]], a means of avoiding sexual temptation, to avoid any appearance of doing something considered morally objectionable, as well as for avoiding accusations of [[sexual harassment]] or [[sexual assault|assault]]. In 2017, it began to be also called the '''Mike Pence rule''', after [[Mike Pence|the former US vice president]], a practicing Christian, who also supported the idea.
== History == In 1948, [[Billy Graham|Graham]] held a series of evangelistic meetings in [[Modesto, California]]. Together with [[Cliff Barrows]], [[Grady B. Wilson|Grady Wilson]] and [[George Beverly Shea]], he resolved to "avoid any situation that would have even the appearance of compromise or suspicion".<ref>Seth Dowland, [https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/the-modesto-manifesto/ The “Modesto Manifesto”], Christian History Institute, USA, 2014</ref><ref name="Graham 1999 https://archive.org/details/justasiam00grah/page/128 128">{{Cite book|title=Just As I Am|last=Graham|first=Billy|url=https://archive.org/details/justasiam00grah |url-access=registration|publisher=HarperOne|year=1999|isbn=978-0060633929|pages=[https://archive.org/details/justasiam00grah/page/128 128]}}</ref>
By Graham's own admission, though, 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 did 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.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/justasiamautobio00grah/page/651|title=Just As I Am : the Autobiography of Billy Graham.|last=Graham|first=Billy|date=1997|publisher=Harper Collins|isbn=9780060633875|pages=[https://archive.org/details/justasiamautobio00grah/page/651 651]|oclc=883482847}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bltnotjustasandwich.com/2017/03/30/when-hillary-clinton-persuaded-billy-graham-to-break-the-billy-graham-rule/|title=When Hillary Clinton Persuaded Billy Graham to Break the 'Billy Graham Rule'|last=Gayle|first=J.K.|date=March 30, 2017|website=BLT – Bible * Literature * Translation}}</ref>
In 1979, the [[Billy Graham Evangelistic Association]] was inspired by the manifesto for the founding of the [[Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability]].<ref>Yonat Shimron, [https://religionnews.com/2018/02/23/billy-graham-made-sure-integrity-never-question/ Billy Graham made sure his integrity was never in question], Religion News Service, USA, February 23, 2018</ref>
[[File:Karen & Mike Pence (33096706126).jpg|thumb|Vice President [[Mike Pence]] with his wife, [[Karen Pence|Karen]], in 2017.]] In March 2017, ''[[The Washington Post]]'' noted that U.S. Vice President [[Mike Pence]], a practicing Evangelical, never eats alone with a woman other than his wife, [[Karen Pence|Karen]], and that he will not attend events featuring alcohol without her by his side.<ref name="Relevant" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/karen-pence-is-the-vice-presidents-prayer-warrior-gut-check-and-shield/2017/03/28/3d7a26ce-0a01-11e7-8884-96e6a6713f4b_story.html|title=Karen Pence is the vice president's 'prayer warrior,' gut check and shield|last1=Parker|first1=Ashley|date=March 28, 2017|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=April 2, 2017|author-link=Ashley Parker}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.christianpost.com/news/mike-pence-ridiculed-for-practicing-billy-graham-rule-179044/|title=Mike Pence Ridiculed for Practicing 'Billy Graham Rule'|last1=Showalter|first1=Brendan|date=March 30, 2017|work=[[The Christian Post]]|access-date=April 2, 2017}}</ref> 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".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/03/pence-wife-billy-graham-rule/521298/|title=How Mike Pence's Marriage Became Fodder for the Culture Wars|last1=Green|first1=Emma|date=March 30, 2017|work=[[The Atlantic]]|access-date=April 2, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Men at Work Wonder if They Overstepped With Women, Too|first=Nellie|last=Bowles|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/10/business/men-at-work-wonder-sexual-harassment.html|work=The New York Times|date=November 10, 2017|accessdate=November 10, 2017|quote=Still, some workers said they were starting to follow "the Pence rule," which was formerly known as the Billy Graham rule, after the evangelical preacher, but is now named for Vice President Mike Pence. Mr. Pence has said he does not eat alone with women who are not his wife or attend an event without her if alcohol will be served.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2017/04/02/522247794/beyond-the-mike-pence-misogyny-debate-the-3-billy-graham-rules-you-havent-read|title=Beyond The Mike Pence Misogyny Debate, The 3 'Billy Graham Rules' You Haven't Read|website=NPR.org|date=April 2, 2017 |accessdate=September 17, 2021|last1=Kurtzleben |first1=Danielle }}</ref><ref name="Sizemore2020">{{cite book |last1=Sizemore |first1=Vic |title=Goodbye, My Tribe: An Evangelical Exodus |date=2020 |publisher=[[University of Alabama Press]] |isbn=978-0-8173-2057-7 |page=127 |language=English |quote=In 2017 it was considered newsworthy that Vice President Mike Pence, a conservative white Evangelical, followed the "Billy Graham Rule"--no eating alone with a woman other than his wife, no meeting alone with a woman other than his wife, and no attending events without his wife where there would be both women and alcohol.}}</ref>
Polish science fiction writer [[Jacek Dukaj]] called this rule inevitable and likely to grow in popularity as an outcome of the [[MeToo movement|#MeToo movement]] and [[cancel culture]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wyborcza.pl/Jutronauci/7,165057,25453074,dukaj-wyrazam-niewiare.html|title=Dukaj: Wyrażam niewiarę w moc sprawczą państwa i człowieka w ogóle|date=November 30, 2019|website=wyborcza.pl|language=pl|access-date=March 10, 2020}}</ref>
In the late 2010s, the rule entered the [[Korean language]] lexicon via "Pence Rule" ({{Korean|hangul=펜스 룰|labels=no}}), and is currently featured in a moderated crowd-sourced online dictionary operated by the South Korean government called [[Urimalsaem]].<ref name=":7">{{Cite journal |last1=Nam |first1=Kilim |last2=Lee |first2=Soojin |last3=Jung |first3=Hae-Yun |date=2020 |title=The Korean Neologism Investigation Project: Current Status and Key Issues |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/153/article/755105 |journal=Dictionaries: Journal of the Dictionary Society of North America |volume=41 |issue=1 |pages=105–129 |doi=10.1353/dic.2020.0007 |s2cid=219407560 |issn=2160-5076|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
== Features == The rule itself is actually one of four rules that Graham and his associates developed during his time in Modesto: the others involved depending on funds raised prior to a meeting (as opposed to offerings held during meetings), performing the work in conjunction with local churches (as opposed to apart from them), and to provide honest reports (as opposed to exaggerated figures).<ref name="Graham 1999 https://archive.org/details/justasiam00grah/page/128 128"/><ref>Randall Herbert Balmer, ''Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism: Revised and expanded edition'', Baylor University Press, USA, 2004, p. 462</ref><ref>Jon Sharman, [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/billy-graham-rule-what-mike-pence-presidents-men-women-room-alone-dead-a8221416.html What is the Billy Graham rule?], independent.co.uk, UK, February 21, 2018</ref>
== Controversies == The rule has been criticized for viewing women as potential objects of lust, as well as restricting opportunities for women to network with any male colleagues who happen to implement this rule.<ref name=Relevant>{{cite news|title=Twitter Tangles With the Billy Graham Rule|url=https://relevantmagazine.com/slice/twitter-tangles-with-the-billy-graham-rule/|access-date=April 2, 2017|work=[[Relevant (magazine)|Relevant]]|date=March 30, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Turner|first1=Laura|title=The religious reasons Mike Pence won't eat alone with women don't add up|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2017/03/30/the-religious-reasons-mike-pence-wont-eat-alone-with-women-dont-add-up|access-date=April 2, 2017|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=March 30, 2017}}</ref> When applied to workplace dinners or meetings in the United States, it could result in illegal labor discrimination under Title VII of the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.vox.com/the-big-idea/2017/3/31/15132730/pence-women-alone-rule-graham-discrimination|title=Vice President Pence's "never dine alone with a woman" rule isn't honorable. It's probably illegal.|last=Grossman|first=Joanna|date=December 4, 2017|work=The Big Idea|access-date=December 5, 2017|publisher=Vox}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2017/10/30/stop-trying-to-limit-the-way-men-and-women-work-together-its-illegal/|title=Stop trying to limit the way men and women work together. It's illegal.|last=Hirshman|first=Linda|date=October 30, 2017|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=October 7, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/edge/story/2018/jan/01/following-pence-rule-workplace-will-get-you-s/460060/|title=Following the 'Pence Rule' in the workplace will get you sued |last=Spiggle |first=Tom |work=[[Chattanooga Times Free Press]]|access-date=October 7, 2019|date=January 1, 2018}}</ref> American [[pastor]] Tracey Bianchi says that one result is that "women are marginalized and cut out of opportunities to network, share their ideas, and advance in the organization."<ref name="Bianchi">{{cite news|last1=Bianchi|first1=Tracey|title=Ladies Who Lunch—with Men|url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/women-leaders/2016/june/ladies-who-lunch-with-men.html?paging=off|access-date=April 2, 2017|work=[[Christianity Today]]|date=June 23, 2016}}</ref> Bianchi also says that the rule conflicts with the practice of Jesus himself, who spent time alone with the [[Samaritan woman at the well]].<ref name="Bianchi" /> American pastor Ty Grigg says that the rule (assuming all American pastors implemented it) has not been "effective at curbing infidelity". He says 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".<ref>{{cite news|last1=Grigg|first1=Ty|title=How I Learned to Stop Worrying About the Billy Graham Rule and Love Like Jesus|url=http://www.missioalliance.org/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-about-the-billy-graham-rule-and-love-like-jesus/|access-date=April 2, 2017|agency=Missio Alliance|date=July 18, 2014}}</ref> Others, though, suggest that unfaithful pastors must have failed to implement the rule.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Russell|first1=Bob|title=After 50 Years of Ministry: 7 Things I'd Do Differently and 7 Things I'd Do the Same|date=2016|publisher=[[Moody Publishers]]|page=84|isbn=9780802493712 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-s6UCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT84|access-date=April 2, 2017}}</ref> In 2017, the manifesto was accused of sexism by ''[[Christianity Today]]'' editor Katelyn Beaty.<ref>Katelyn Beaty, [https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/15/opinion/pence-rule-christian-graham.html A Christian Case Against the Pence Rule], nytimes.com, USA, November 15, 2017</ref> [[Messianic Jewish]] author [[Michael L. Brown]] responded to this criticism by saying there was a misunderstanding about the manifesto.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Brown|first1=Michael|title=Why the Mike Pence Rule is as Christian as it is Wise|url=https://stream.org/mike-pence-rule-christian-wise/|access-date=May 4, 2018|agency=The Stream|date=November 20, 2017}}</ref> He says that the rule prevents third parties from suspecting that an illicit romantic relationship exists (avoiding the appearance of evil). It also protects against any future accusations should the other party become embittered and seek to attack the innocent boss. Finally, it does protect both parties from developing natural attractions and potentially falling into adultery.
== U.S. public opinion == According to a 2017 poll conducted by the [[Morning Consult]] for the ''[[New York Times]]'', 53 percent of women and 45 percent of men believe that it would be inappropriate to have dinner alone with someone of the opposite sex who is not their spouse, compared to 35 percent of women and 43 percent of men who would consider it appropriate.<ref>{{cite news |title=It's Not Just Mike Pence. Americans Are Wary of Being Alone With the Opposite Sex. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/01/upshot/members-of-the-opposite-sex-at-work-gender-study.html |access-date=August 14, 2018 |work=The New York Times|first=Claire|last=Cain Miller |date=July 1, 2017 }}</ref>
==See also== * [[GRACE (organization)]] * [[Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability]] * [[Appearance of impropriety]] * "[[Caesar's wife must be above suspicion]]" * [[Islam and gender segregation]] * [[Yichud]]
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Billy Graham}} {{Mike Pence}}
[[Category:1948 in Christianity]] [[Category:1948 introductions]] [[Category:Billy Graham|Rule]] [[Category:Christian practices]] [[Category:Christian terminology]] [[Category:Christianity and society in the United States]] [[Category:Controversies in the United States]] [[Category:Gender and Christianity]] [[Category:Marriage in Christianity]] [[Category:Men in the United States]] [[Category:Mike Pence]] [[Category:Religious controversies in the United States]] [[Category:Sexuality in Evangelicalism]]