Simple living not necessarily simple

A UMNS Report
By Barbara Dunlap-Berg* 1:00 P.M. EST Nov. 19, 2010

John Wesley espoused three simple rules: Do no harm, do good and stay in love with God.

Though these rules sound — and are — incredibly simple, actually practicing them is anything but easy.

“I have a hunger for us to return to some of the original values and lifestyles of the early church and the early Methodist movement,” the Rev. Ryan Wieland, 28, said. He serves Ridley Park United Methodist Church in Pennsylvania.

He cited Acts 2:45 (The Message). “They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person’s need was met.”

Recently, United Methodist Communications asked 4,000 United Methodists how they felt about simple living, using the definition: “a lifestyle characterized by consuming only that which is required to sustain life.”

More than 500 people, both laity and clergy, answered the survey.

Living simply “is necessary for the survival of the planet and humankind, physically and spiritually,” the Rev. Nick Keeney, 31, wrote. He serves Dorranceton United Methodist Church in Kingston, Pa.

Another respondent said mission experiences prove eye opening. “I meet in my mission work persons to whom our surplus represents unimagined riches. Such an imbalance bothers me.”

The Rev. Douglas Dean, 64, of Faith United Methodist Church, Oregon, Ohio, agreed. “The ‘simple lifestyle’ is a part of the equation for a ‘balanced life,’” he said.

Different things to different people
For some, living simply offers an opportunity to strengthen one’s spirituality. Others choose this lifestyle to improve their health and alleviate stress, to have more “quality time” with loved ones, to reduce their personal ecological footprint or to save money. Socio-political goals such as conservation, social justice, ethnic diversity and sustainable development motivate some people.

However, talking and actually putting words into practice are two different things.

“In theory, I believe that living simply is what my faith requires, but in fact I don’t make it a priority,” a respondent admitted.

Another commented, “I try to reduce my usage of natural resources and to be more self-sufficient. But I use much more than is really needed to sustain life.”

Several noted that the U.S. infrastructure largely depends on locked-in resource-usage patterns.

“Alternatives to electricity, water, natural-gas usage and garbage recycling are seldom available in ways that have a measurable overall impact,” the Rev. Pat Dunbar, 52, said. She serves Dawsonville (Ga.) United Methodist Church.

“While I may be interested in a simple lifestyle,” she continued, “it is a fight against the very business and government forces we put in place.”

Continued at the following link: http://barefootpreachr.org/2011/01/10/simple-living-not-necessarily-simple-umc-org/