Kirk Cameron Joins Rick Warren, Billy Graham on Strict Female Rule
[Updated 1:07 pm, Feb. 14, 2012]
"Growing Pains" star and born-again Christian Kirk Cameron made news for not only what he said at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Thursday, but also for what he did off stage.
Cameron, who was there to speak about his new documentary "Monumental: In Search of America's National Treasure," was reported to have a strict rule of not taking photos with a woman alone. The actor and Christian evangelist was being interviewed by Washington Examiner's political gossip columnist Nikki Schwab when TWT's opinion editor Emily Miller tried to take a photo of Cameron talking to Schwab, according to Mediabistro.
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But one of Cameron's people reportedly quickly pushed Miller to prevent the photo (she has a blurry photo instead). His people reportedly told Miller that "He can't be photographed alone with a woman."
A representative from the film "Monumental," however, disputed Miller's account of the event. The spokesperson, who was present during the time of the incident, told The Christian Post that the alleged pushing report is a "total fabrication." The woman never identified herself as a photographer with a paper, the spokesman asserted. Rather, she stepped into the crowd and took a quick photo, which would explain why the photo was blurry, he noted. The spokesperson did confirm that Cameron does have a rule of not taking photos alone with a woman.
Several prominent male Christian leaders also have strict rules when it comes to being alone with a woman other than their wife.
Rick Warren, for instance, told American radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt in 2009 that he avoids being in a situation where he could be tempted to compromise his faithfulness to his wife.
"[Y]ou have to set up the parameters that keep you from even being tempted in those areas, which means for instance, I'm never alone, ever, ever, alone with a woman, or even by myself when I'm traveling," said Warren on "The Hugh Hewitt Show" on April 8, 2009.
Warren said he follows the same rule as Billy Graham. Graham adhered to the rule of never being alone in a room with a woman other than his wife, which became known as the Billy Graham Rule, to avoid even giving the appearance of any wrongdoing.
It is unclear if Cameron also abides by the Billy Graham Rule on top of his photo rule.
SEE VIDEO OF KIRK CAMERON SHARING THE GOSPEL
As for his speaking at CPAC, Cameron outlined some major issues he thought were hindering the nation and advocated for concerns that have been specifically affecting him lately. Among such issues were the economy, decreased spirituality, and moral decline.
"As I look around I get this sinking feeling that we're off track, that there's something sick in the soul of our country," Cameron said at the conference, according to Politico. "I examine the fruit that's hanging on the tree of America and I can see that it's rotting. And that deeply concerns me."
"The family is falling apart. Divorce is at an all-time high," he said. "Teenage pregnancy, drugs, alcohol – things that used to be shameful 50 years are now normalized in public school and celebrated on television."
The "Fireproof" star says he is "probably not" endorsing anyone in the GOP race despite him coming to the political event. Instead, he explained that he came to the conference because he wanted to enlighten people about the rich history of the United States.
His new film, "Monumental: In Search of America's National Treasure," is set to be released March 27. The film gives a thorough analysis of why America has been forgotten as a great nation and examines early U.S. history, while formulating a solution to help America's foundation succeed again.
"What I discovered is the seeds that blossomed into this great nation really began with the faith of the Pilgrims," Cameron discussed on MSNBC.
On the Web: www.monumentalmovie.com
