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       Three

       Simple Rules

      for Christian Living

       Jeanne Torrence Finley

      ABINGDON PRESS

      NASHVILLE

       THREE SIMPLE RULES FOR CHRISTIAN LIVING

       Copyright © 2008 by Abingdon Press

      All rights reserved.

      No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed in writing to Permissions Office, P. O. Box 801, 201 Eighth Avenue South, Nashville, Tennessee 37202-0801, or emailed to [email protected].

       This book is printed on acid-free paper.

      ISBN 978-1-426-70025-5

      All Scripture quotations unless noted otherwise are taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

      08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17—10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

      MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

      Introduction

      Since it was published in 2007, Bishop Rueben Job's Three Simple Rules has been widely read and studied. Extended reflection on the three rules can lead us to a more faithful way of living as disciples of Christ. This study, Three Simple Rules for Christian Living, is an effort to provide such extended reflection.

      John Wesley believed that following Christ in a way that renews both individuals and communities required disciplined practices. These were outlined in the "General Rules" that Wesley wrote for the class meetings that were the core communities of the early Methodist movement. These disciplined practices gave power and strength to people of the early Methodist movement to live as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.

      Bishop Job, in lifting up these "three simple rules," helps us return to those early Wesleyan roots and find resources that can transform us and the world in which we live. Job calls us to consider these three rules as an alternative to the often frenzied, divisive, and destructive lifestyle our culture offers us. This alternative way of life is accessible to everyone regardless of age, financial standing, education, health, relative power, or theological understandings.

      Our culture has forgotten the importance of community and stressed ndividualism too much. Often we in the church have not taken the gospel seriously but have focused on trivialities and divisions that distract us from loving God and neighbor. We drain our witness to God's redemptive power as we find ever new ways to harm each other. Bishop Job calls us to remember who we are: people who know about practices of forgiveness, reconciliation, transformation, and new life.

      Job calls these three rules "a way of holy living that is constantly reforming and renewing the individual and the community" (Three Simple Rules; p. 17). They are Christian practices that also heal the wounds of the world and work for justice. Loving God results in loving the world. Job writes, "Spiritual disciplines not only include practices that bind us to God every day; but they also include actions that heal the pain, injustice, and inequality of our world. It is impossible to stay in love with God and not desire to see God's goodness and grace shared with the entire world" (Three Simple Rules; p. 58).

      As you read and reflect on these rules, you'll notice that they are interrelated. The first two rules, "do no harm" and "do good," are ways of keeping the commandments to love God and neighbor. When we explore rule three, "stay in love with God," we'll see that the particular disciplines that keep us in close relationship to God are practices through which God empowers us to love God and neighbor.

      In these pages we will be reflecting on what these rules meant to Wesley and the early Methodist movement and what they can mean to us today. Then we will explore ways we can practice them in our own lives. I invite you to take this journey of exploration and reflection so as to discover ever deepening ways you can be formed and renewed in the Christian life.

      —Jeanne Torrence Finley

      Jeanne Torrence Finley is a clergy member of the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church, co-chair of the Virginia Conference Board of Church and Society, and director of Collegial Communications. She has worked as a campus minister, pastor, college English teacher, workshop leader, and communications consultant. Finley writes regularly for FaithLink. Her work has appeared in the Journal of Presbyterian History, Worship, The Mennonite, Christian Science Monitor, the Virginia Advocate, and Christian Social Action.

       Chapter 1

      Do No Harm –

       Understanding the Rule

      Focus Question:

      Most Christians do not intend to harm anyone; however, we sometimes are not aware of the harm we do. What does it mean to "do no harm"?

      A Prayer

       God of love, we know you want us to love your creation: neighbors, friends or enemies, strangers, the natural world, and ourselves. Yet we do harm, often unintentionally. Help us to be more aware of the harm we do. In Christ we pray. Amen.

      WHAT DOES THE RULE SAY?

      Unintended Harm

      When we moved into our current house, we realized our basement stairs weren't build to present-day code. Most of the treads were shorter than the average adult foot; and in the turn of the stairway, the treads were even shorter. In addition, the risers weren't built in correct proportion to the treads; and halfway down, anyone over six feet tall had to duck to avoid the ceiling. When we had guests, I'd put a sign on the door that said, "Beware! Weird stairs!"

      A look through a daily newspaper will reveal all kinds of unintended harm. A driver hasn't kept her car in good repair, the brakes fail, and a pedestrian is injured. A distracted nurse gives a patient medicine intended for another, and the patient's condition worsens. A pet owner tells the neighbors that his dog won't bite, but the dog attacks a child.

      The first rule, "do no harm," is easy enough to understand; but following it can be challenging. The builder of the weird stairs didn't intend to hurt anyone, but the potential for harm was there. The driver, the nurse, and the dog owner didn't intend harm; but people were hurt. Most of us most of the time don't intend to harm anyone, but we are often unaware of the harm we do. What does it mean to do no harm?

      Reflect on the Ride

      How Aware Are You? Assess your awareness of what it means to do harm by writing responses to the following questions.

      Where is harm being done? (Use an example from your household or circle of friends, your family, your congregation, your community, your city, your state, a group of people with whom you identify, your nation, or the world.)

      Who is being harmed?

      What harm is being done?

      Who is doing it or causing it? (The "who" may be one or more people, groups, corporations, institutions, states, or nations.)

      Why is it happening?

      How

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