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The dilemma of Three Simple Rules
By Kimberly Reisman

General Conference was a remarkable blend of celebration & struggle with the struggle redeemed in large part by tremendously meaningful worship experiences, powerful preaching and the blessing of new relationships. Our bishops focused a great amount of attention on Wesley’s three simple rules—do no harm, do good, love God. That focus provided a profound foundation for a conference whose primary theme was hope, specifically A Future with Hope. It was easy to rejoice in the ability of our church to make a difference for God’s kingdom and to provide a catalyst to move us forward in that kingdom work in a more focused way.

The United Methodist global health initiatives to address the killer diseases of poverty (with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), our continued Nothing But Nets program (which has broken records for giving and is such a simple and effective way to address a deadly problem), and the strength of the UM Church in Africa (where the growth is so fast you can hardly keep track of it) are some of the many signs of the missional momentum that’s taken hold of the UM Church.

Sadly, in the midst of that exciting momentum is the giant elephant sitting quietly in the room—our continued struggle over the issue of homosexuality. That’s a struggle made more poignant by the same three simple rules that do so much to energize us—do no harm, do good, stay in love with God. Even as delegates sought to remain true to our existing teaching, and by doing so follow the second rule, others perceived that very commitment to our standards as violating the first. What a painful dilemma—that a person trying to do good might be perceived by another to be doing harm.

It’s in the midst of that struggle that I continue to affirm that our God is a God who acts in powerfully transformative ways. Yet, also in the midst of that struggle, I realize that we’ve been debating this issue for more than 35 years with little change in the end result. While our doctrine continues to be in harmony with the church throughout the ages, neither side has been transformed in the way it relates to those it opposes.

For both sides the question seems to be the same, why has God not acted to transform the heart of the other? Why do we remain divided in such a painful and counterproductive way?

 The reality of our struggle might imply that God is unable to transform hearts and minds. But I don’t think so. That answer is just a bit too easy. I think the reality points to a very different truth—a truth that’s probably pretty difficult for us to bear regardless of where we stand on the issue. For reasons unknown to us, God has chosen not to act to transform the thinking of either side. Those on the “left” remain on the “left;” those on the “right” remain on the “right.” It’s a difficult truth to ponder, not because it raises the issue of God’s power to act, and not even because it raises the issue of the rightness of our commitment one way or the other. It’s difficult because it raises the issue of how we relate to one another in the time until God acts.

General Conference, our quadrennial time of ritualized argument, has once again come to a close and our doctrine remains intact. But what of this time that stretches before us? What of the relationships within this expression of the Body of Christ known as the United Methodist Church? How will we live together? How will we embody those three simple rules?

Kimberly D. Reisman serves as Conference Evangelist for the North Indiana Conference of the United Methodist Church and Executive Director of Next Step Evangelism Ministries.



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