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.
