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John Wesley’s Three Rules Quoted
As it turns out, before Wesley settled on “Do no harm, do good, attend to the ordinances of God,”
the three rules were:
Show up every week
Arrive on time
Start on time
"Do No Harm”: How it became Wesley's Prime Directive, and then Standard Medical Practice
If you grew up Methodist — or anywhere near Methodist — you've heard the three General Rules.
Do no harm. Do good. Stay in love with God.
They sound like a bumper sticker. They're not. They're a protocol. And the ordering matters more than almost anyone realizes.
I used to think "do no harm" was just a nice way to start a list. Like stretching before a run. Important, sure, but the real work was in the next two — do good, stay in love with God. The action stuff. The exciting stuff.
Then I became a hospital chaplain.
One Chaplain's Definition of “Harm”
I know what you're thinking. "Do no harm" sounds like it could mean anything. And you're right — if I don't tell you what I mean by harm, then anyone can fill in their own definition and use it against whoever they want. "Being gay does harm." Done. Framework dismantled.
In other words, I could just point at whatever my opponent is doing, and say “look! That’s harm!”
So let me share a definition of harm.
Not from a theology book. From a hospital.
In the hospital, you learn something about life that changes how you see everything else. You learn that in a clean, nourishing, safe environment, life tends toward certain things. Wounds tend to heal. Muscles tend to relax when the situation relaxes. Hearts tend to hear each other when the room is quiet enough.
You don't make a wound heal. You can't force it. But you can stop making it worse. You can clean the environment. You can remove the thing that's still cutting. You can let the body do what bodies do when they're given half a chance.
That's what I mean by harm: the thing that's still cutting.
And that's what I mean by "do no harm": first, stop making a messy situation worse.
Confirmation Part 5/10: Foundational Methodist Teachings
Foundational Teachings in Methodism
What Do Methodists Believe?
This isn't a simple question. Methodists don't agree on all aspects of doctrine. In general, though, Methodists tend to agree on major Christian teachings.
(Where do these teachings come from? The Bible, Wesley's writings, the Articles of Religion, the Confession of Faith, the Book of Discipline, the United Methodist Hymnal, and the work of theologians and educators across the centuries.)
United Methodists share a common heritage with other Christians:
Conviction that God has mercy and love for all people
Belief in the Triune God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
Faith in the mystery of salvation through Jesus Christ
Celebration of the Sacraments
Some Foundational Methodist Teachings…
Confirmation Part 6/10: Advanced Methodist Teachings
Justification by Grace Alone
In Christianity, "justification" is the event or process by which sinners are made or declared to be righteous in the sight of God. During John Wesley's time, two common Reformation teachings shaped the conversation: "Justification by Faith Alone" (sola fide), meaning that justification comes on the basis of faith, and "Scripture Alone" (sola scriptura), meaning that the Bible is the sole infallible source of authority for Christian faith and practice.
Wesley affirmed the importance of both faith and Scripture, but his teachings emphasized something distinctive: Justification by Grace Alone — salvation comes by divine grace, or "unmerited favor" only, not as something merited or earned.
Confirmation Part 7/10: A History of Methodism
Every church has a story. Here's ours.
The United Methodist Church shares its history with the ancient Jewish faith, the early Christian Church, the Anglican Church (English), the Methodist church (English), the Evangelical and Moravian Churches (German), the United Church of Canada, and other Methodist bodies in the U.S.
United Methodist faith and doctrine are based on the Word of God — the Holy Bible.
"We believe the Holy Bible, Old and New Testaments, reveals the Word of God so far as it is necessary for our salvation." — The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church, 2012
Confirmation Part 8/10: Methodist Sacraments — Baptism and Communion
Methodist Sacraments — Baptism and Communion
A sacrament is a sacred act instituted by Christ — a visible sign of God's love and grace acting in our lives. Like most other Protestants, United Methodists recognize two sacraments: Baptism and the Lord's Supper (also called Communion or the Eucharist). United Methodists also celebrate other important acts of worship, including confirmation, marriage, funerals, family devotions, and the laying on of hands — but baptism and communion hold a unique place because Jesus himself participated in them.
Confirmation Part 9/10: Methodist Promises
Confirmation
Confirmation is the occasion for public profession of faith in Christ, commitment to lives of Christian discipleship, and acceptance of the responsibilities of church membership.
In Confirmation, God reaffirms the divine promise given at baptism, members make a personal commitment to God before the congregation, and participants strengthen their faith and relationship with God.
Membership Vows
New members are asked to covenant together: