I am sure many of us have heard of the Pence Rule. Mike Pence the vice president of the United States and a professing Christian, has a rule that he never allows himself to be alone with a woman.
I don’t think this should be interpreted to mean that he is unable to control himself around attractive females. Nor do I think he sees himself as such a hot dish that they are unable to keep their hands to themselves. Obviously he is concerned to uphold high moral standards, a good reputation, and not open the door to accusation or temptation. In light of the many high profile scandals involving sexual harassment, one would think that such an approach was a breath of fresh air. But of course anything that smacks of Biblical morality and the leftists jump into gear with Pavlovian predictability – Pence is denigrating women; he treats women as a threat etc. While this response is hardly surprising, even Christians have been critical of the Pence Rule.
One wonders how it is that people who claim to believe the Bible can object to sanctified common sense. But they do. Is Pence saying that males and females outside of marriage can’t enjoy one another’s company; is he saying they can’t talk one on one in any situation? He is simply seeking to put in place safeguards. Sexual sin doesn’t occur unless a man and woman are first alone.
There are a myriad of verses which undergird the Pence Rule and many other rules which believers apply to themselves in order to live upright before the Lord and the world.
A wise man fears and departs from evil, but a fool rages and is self-confident.” (Prov 14:16)
A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches” (Prov 22:1)
You are the salt of the earth…….you are the light of the world” (Matt 5:13-14)
Abstain from all appearance of evil.” (1 Thess 5:22)
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)
It is a sad day when those in the church mock a man for seeking to live above reproach. Then again, we live in a day when some of the most popular celebrity pastors seem more at home in the company of Bill Clinton than Mike Pence.