Mike Pence pushes back on 'deeply offensive' criticism of his wife's Christian school job

Vice President Mike Pence defended his wife Karen's employment at a Christian school Thursday, after she was criticized by LGBTQ advocates for being employed at an institution that does not allow openly gay or transgender students or teachers, according to The Hill.

Pence pointed to the constitutional right to freedom of religion and the nation's storied history of successful and productive Christian schools, and pushed back at criticisms from mainstream media outlets.

"My wife and I have been in the public eye for quite a while but I have to tell you, to see major news organizations attacking Christian education is deeply offensive," Pence told EWTN's Lauren Ashburn. "We have a rich tradition of Christian education and, frankly, religious education broadly defined. We celebrate it. The freedom of religion is enshrined in the Constitution of the United States. The Constitution prohibits a religious test for holding public office, so we'll let critics roll off out backs."

What's this about?

Pence is referring to his wife's employment at Immanuel Christian School in Virginia, where she will teach art. HuffPost first brought attention to the fact that the Christian school adhered to biblical beliefs in the area of sexuality.

Specifically, the school's policy prohibits "moral misconduct" including "heterosexual activity outside of marriage (e.g., premarital sex, cohabitation, extramarital sex), homosexual or lesbian sexual activity, polygamy, transgender identity, any other violation of the unique roles of male and female, sexual harassment, use or viewing of pornographic material or websites."

Karen Pence taught at Immanuel for 12 years while Mike Pence was in Congress, and their daughter, Charlotte, attended the school.