Streams of Living Water

 I    I've recently read a book by Riichard Foster, Streams of Living Water. This book has been sitting on my shelf unread for quite some time. Once I started reading the book I realized what a mistake it was not to have read it sooner.

It is a wealth of information and inspiration. It describes what the author terms as six great traditions of Christian faith. The six traditions are the contemplative, the holiness, the charismatic, the social justice, the evangelical, and the incarnational traditions. The book devotes a section to each of these traditions. Each section begins with a timeline showing the significant people and movements in the church that have contributed to each tradition. This is followed by stories; portraits of people that provide a living paradigm for each tradition. He describes with significant details an historical, a biblical, and a contemporary model that exemplifies each tradition.

Each section goes on to define the characteristics of each of the traditions followed by a description of the major strengths and the major perils of each. Each section concludes with suggestions as to how to practice each of these traditions.

The book contains two appendices the first describing critical turning points in church history, the second giving brief definitions and descriptions of notable figures and significant movements in church history. Have you had your fill of information?

As for inspiration, his portraits of the people he selects as model are extremely moving. The first section of the book, entitled Imitatio: The Divine Paradigm, shows how Jesus in his lifetime exemplified each of these major streams of spirituality. In the section on the contemplative stream he writes a portrait of John, the Apostle, and his relationship with Jesus. Reading the section evoked in me the feelings that derive from close personal relationships and the sense of loss we experience when death separates us from a close personal friend. In the chapter on the social justice tradition his choice for the biblical paradigm is Amos the Prophet. Foster's description of Amos and the life and times in which he lived and the people among which he prophesied not only inspires but provides a wealth of insights into how Amos’ prophecies can relate to our lives nearly 3000 years later.

  

The author selects many well-known figures in order to describe the spiritual streams; for instance St. Augustine as an evangelical, St. Paul as charismatic, Dietrich Bonhoeffer as a model for holiness, and Dorothy Day exemplifying social justice. But he selects as well some very obscure (at least to me) figures in the history of Christian traditions. He chose a man named Frank Laubach as a contemporary example of living the contemplative tradition. He selects William Joseph Seymour as a model for the charismatic stream. John Wollman, a Quaker, as a model for the social justice tradition, and Susanna Wesley as exemplary of the incarnational tradition.

Just one example of how the author provides ways to practice which struck me as particularly meaningful is found in the chapter on the holiness tradition. Foster outlines three perils of the holiness tradition, legalism, Pelagianism, and perfectionism. He offers the following councils to keep these pitfalls in check. With respect to legalism, its rules and its judgments, replace them with love. In order to counter Pelagianism and its emphasis on salvation through works he prescribes a growing appreciation of God's grace and how it empowers us to right action. And he asks the perfectionist to realize that perfection is attained through growth, and growth is attained by leaving behind past errors and continually striving to become better.