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Course 26 · Lesson 6.3

Writing a personal Christian rule of life

9 minute read

Lessons in this course

Course 26 outline

Module 1: Comprehensive Biblical Knowledge Examination

  1. Preparing: a review plan for the whole Bible
  2. The examination: books, story, genres and key passages
  3. Sample questions and what a good answer contains
  4. Evaluating your answers and planning review

Module 2: Historical Theology Examination

  1. Preparing: a timeline, key figures and key councils
  2. The examination: periods, controversies and primary texts
  3. Sample questions and what a good answer contains
  4. Evaluating your answers and planning review

Module 3: Systematic Theology Examination

  1. Preparing: an outline of the doctrines
  2. The examination: God, Christ, humanity, salvation, church and last things
  3. Sample questions and what a good answer contains
  4. Evaluating your answers, especially on fairness across traditions

Module 4: Philosophical Argument Evaluation and Historical Apologetics Assessment

  1. Evaluating a philosophical argument: premises, validity and objections
  2. Exercises: cosmological, moral, evil and hiddenness arguments
  3. Assessing historical evidence: sources, dating, witnesses and bias
  4. Exercises: the resurrection, the reliability of the New Testament and the canon

Module 5: Written Defense of Three Christian Propositions

  1. Choosing three propositions and defining the terms
  2. Building the case: arguments, evidence and sources
  3. Stating and answering the strongest objections
  4. Evaluating your defenses against the criteria

Module 6: Statement of Faith and Rule of Life

  1. Writing a personal statement of faith
  2. Relating the statement to the creeds and the traditions
  3. Writing a personal Christian rule of life
  4. Making the rule concrete and reviewable

Module 7: Reflection on Theological Development

  1. Mapping your development: beliefs held at the start and now
  2. Changes of mind: what changed and what caused the change
  3. Writing the reflection

Module 8: Strengths, Uncertainties and Continued Study

  1. Scoring the results of the components
  2. Naming your uncertainties without shame or evasion
  3. A plan for continued study, with dates for review

All courses

Program / Course 26: Comprehensive Assessment / Lesson 6.3

What you will learn

  • Explain what a rule of life is and where the idea comes from.
  • Identify the areas of life a rule usually covers: prayer, Scripture, worship, service, rest, work and relationships.
  • Draft a modest rule suited to your actual circumstances.
  • Understand that a personal rule does not replace church life or the duties you already have.

The big idea

A rule of life is a short plan of the practices a person intends to keep, so that daily life is shaped by what they believe. The idea comes from monastic traditions, in which a rule such as that of Benedict ordered prayer, work, study and community. A personal rule for a person outside a monastery is much simpler and must fit real duties to family, work and neighbors. It is a private document of your own. It does not replace church life, and nothing about it is submitted or approved.

Key terms

Rule of life
A set of practices a person intends to follow regularly, to order life around their faith.
Rule of Benedict
A guide for monastic communities written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century. It has influenced Western Christian life for many centuries.
Daily office
Set times of prayer through the day, common in Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican practice.
Spiritual discipline
A regular practice, such as prayer, fasting, study or service, aimed at growth in faith.
Sabbath
A day of rest and worship, observed in various ways by Jews and Christians.
Vow
A solemn promise to God. A personal rule is not a vow and should not be treated as one.

Background

The word rule comes from a Latin word, regula, for a measure or guide. Benedict’s rule is famous for its moderation. It asks monks to pray, to work, to study and to live in community, in a balance that avoids both laziness and excess. Other rules, such as those of Basil, Augustine and Francis, and the Eastern prayer rules, show different styles. The library includes the Rule of Benedict, and it is a useful model of how a rule is written.

A personal rule for a person in the world must be modest. It should fit the student’s actual life: job, family, health and church. Common elements are a set time of prayer each day, regular reading of Scripture, attendance at worship where possible, regular service to others, a weekly rest, care in speech and money, and time with friends. A rule that asks too much leads to failure and discouragement, which is why many guides advise beginning small.

A rule also has limits. It does not replace the church or the sacraments for those who belong to churches that regard them as necessary, and it does not release a person from duties to their family or neighbors. A rule that leads to withdrawing from others misses its purpose. If the rule feels like a burden or a source of pride or anxiety, it needs to be revised. Where a person has a pastor, priest or spiritual guide, that person may help; this is optional, and nothing is reported to the program.

Step-by-step explanation

Step 1: Look at your life as it is

Write down a typical week: when you work, sleep, eat, care for others and rest. Mark the places where a short practice could fit. Be realistic. A plan that ignores real duties will fail.

Step 2: List the areas

Take the areas a rule often covers: prayer, Scripture, worship, service, rest, work, relationships, money and speech. For each, write what you do now and what you would like to add or change.

Step 3: Choose a few practices

Select four to six practices only. For example: ten minutes of prayer each morning, one chapter of Scripture each day, worship each week with a community, one act of service each week, one day of rest, and a call to a friend or relative each week.

Step 4: Write the rule in plain words

State each practice in a sentence. Give a reason for it. Add a short opening paragraph on the purpose of the rule: that it is meant to serve love of God and neighbor and is not a way of earning anything.

Step 5: State what the rule is not

Add a line saying that the rule is not a vow, not a test of worth and not a replacement for church or for duties to others. Add a line saying what you will do if you miss a day: return to it without self reproach.

  1. Which of my duties must the rule respect?
  2. Which practices am I really able to keep?
  3. Does the rule point me toward other people, or away from them?
  4. What will I do when I fail to keep it?
  5. Is the rule meant to serve love, or to prove something?
  6. Who, if anyone, might help me think about it?

Examples

A modest rule

A parent with young children chooses five minutes of prayer after the children are asleep, one psalm each evening, weekly worship with a congregation, a meal with others on one evening each week and a day each month for a longer rest. (A constructed example.)

A rule that asks too much

A new student plans two hours of prayer and study every morning, a weekly fast and daily Mass or service, and abandons it in a week. The better course is to begin with a fraction of this. (A constructed example.)

A rule that turns inward

A person’s rule has no mention of other people, and the practices take most of the free time, so that family and friends see less of the person. The remedy is to add practices of service and to cut back on others. (A constructed example.)

Different perspectives

Catholic

Catholic tradition has many rules, from Benedict’s to those of the mendicant orders, and lay people may follow a rule as third order members or on their own. The Liturgy of the Hours, the Mass and the sacraments are central.

Orthodox

Orthodox practice often includes a personal prayer rule given or approved by a spiritual father or mother, with morning and evening prayers, fasting seasons and regular worship. A student would normally consult such a guide.

Protestant

Protestant traditions differ. Some, such as Anglicans and Lutherans, use daily prayer and the church year. Others stress personal devotions, Bible reading and fellowship. Wesley’s early Methodists kept methodical rules of practice and accountability.

Jewish and secular observers

Jewish practice has long included daily prayer and weekly Sabbath rest, which the Christian practice of a day of rest draws on. Some secular writers also recommend rules of life or routines as aids to purpose and well-being.

Why it matters

Belief shapes life only when it is practiced. A rule of life connects the statement of faith to the week and makes the beliefs of the student visible in what they do. A modest rule that is actually kept is worth more than an ambitious one that is not.

Common misunderstandings

Misunderstanding: A rule of life is only for monks and nuns.

Correction: The idea began in monastic life, but many lay people use simpler rules. The form must fit the person’s duties.

Misunderstanding: Keeping a rule earns God’s favor.

Correction: In every major Christian tradition, practices are meant as responses to grace and ways of growing in love, not a means of earning acceptance.

Misunderstanding: A personal rule can replace church and community.

Correction: It cannot. The program does not claim that private practice replaces communal or sacramental life, and a good rule usually includes worship with others where that is possible.

Knowledge check

What is a rule of life?

A short set of practices a person intends to follow regularly so that daily life is shaped by faith. The idea comes from monastic rules such as Benedict’s, which ordered prayer, work and community. A personal rule is simpler and must fit the person’s actual duties and circumstances.

Why should a rule begin small?

Because a rule that asks too much is likely to be dropped, leading to discouragement. A few practices that can be kept are better than many that cannot. The rule can be extended later, once the first practices have become habits.

What does a rule not do?

It is not a vow, not a test of personal worth and not a way of earning God’s favor. It does not replace church or sacramental life, and it does not release a person from duties to family and neighbors. It also should not lead to isolation.

Who approves the rule?

No one. The program does not receive or approve it. A student may discuss it with a pastor, priest, spiritual guide or friend, but this is optional. The student decides what to include and when to revise.

Think it through

  1. Which practices already shape your week, whether you chose them or not?
  2. What makes it hard for you to keep a regular practice?
  3. How would your family or friends notice a change if you kept this rule?
  4. What is the first practice you would add?

Independent assignment

A first draft of a rule

In your own notebook, write about 400 words. Describe your typical week, choose four to six practices, write each with a reason, add a short statement of what the rule is not, and state what you will do when you miss a day. Do not send this to anyone or post it anywhere.

Further study