Streams of Living Water
Historically, there have been six dimensions of the spiritual life that have been emphasized or de-emphasized in the church based on geography, time-period, leadership, culture, and theology.
Here are the six traditions:
- The Contemplative Tradition
- The Holiness Tradition
- The Charismatic Tradition
- The Social Justice Tradition
- The Evangelical Tradition
- The Incarnational Tradition
In this blog, I want to highlight each tradition so you can see what they are, how they’ve influenced the church over the years, what opportunties each one brings to our spiritual growth, and what possible threats to growth that may arise if not properly understood.
I am curating this content from Richard Foster’s excellent book on this topic Streams of Living Water.
The Contemplative Tradition
Discovering the Prayer-Filled Life
What is it?
The contemplative tradition is a life of loving attention to God.
Why should we explore it?
We should explore it because through it we experience the divine rest that overcomes our alienation.
Character Studies:
Biblical Influence: The Apostle John
Historical Influence: Antonius of Egypt (c. 251-356)
Contemporary Influence: Frank C. Laubach (1884-1970)
The two most common words used to describe the contemplative way of life are fire and love. Purging, purifying fire. Enveloping, comforting love.
Opportunities for Growth:
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it constantly fans the flames of our “first love”
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it forces us beyond merely a cerebral religion
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it stresses upon the centrality of prayer
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it emphasizes the solitariness of our life with God
Threats to Look Out For:
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the tendency to separate it from ordinary life
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the tendency to consume asceticism
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the tendency to devalue intellectual efforts to articulate our faith
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the tendency to neglect the importance of the community of faith
The Holiness Tradition
Discovering the Virtuous Life
What is it?
The holiness tradition is a life that functions as it should.
Why should we explore it?
We should explore it because through it we are enabled to live whole, functional lives in a dysfunctional world.
Character Studies:
Biblical Influence: The Apostle James
Historical Influence: Phoebe Palmer (1807-1874)
Contemporary Influence: Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945)
Holiness means the ability to do what needs to be done when it needs to be done.
Opportunities for Growth:
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a focus on the ultimate goal – transformation
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a focus upon the heart, the wellspring of action
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a hope for genuine progress in character formation
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an understanding of how to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18)
Threats to Look Out For:
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legalism
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Pelagianism
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perfectionism
The Charismatic Tradition
Discovering the Spirit-Filled Life
What is it?
The charismatic tradition is a life immersed in, empowered by, and under the direction of the Spirit of God.
Why should we explore it?
We should explore it because through it we are empowered by God to do his work and to evidence his life upon the earth.
Character Studies:
Biblical Influence: The Apostle Paul
Historical Influence: Francis of Assisi (1182-1226)
Contemporary Influence: William Seymour (1870-1922)
Opportunities for Growth:
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it offers an ongoing correction to our impulse to domesticate God
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it offers a constant rebuke to our anemic practice
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it offers a continuing challenge toward spiritual growth and development
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it offers a life of gifting and empowering for witness and service
Threats to Look Out For:
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the danger of trivialization
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the danger of rejecting the rational and the intellectual
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the danger of divorcing the gifts of the Spirit from the fruit of the Spirit
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the danger of linking our walk in the Spirit to highly speculative end-time scenarios that lack theological foundation
The Social Justice Tradition
Discovering the Compassionate Life
What is it?
The social justice tradition is a life committed to compassion and justice for all peoples.
Why should we explore it?
We should explore it because through it God develops in us the compassion to love our neighbor freely and develops in our world a place where justice and righteousness prevail.
Character Studies:
Biblical Influence: The Prophet Amos
Historical Influence: John Woolman (1720-1772)
Contemporary Influence: Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)
Three Great Themes of Social Justice:
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mishpat = justice
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hesed = loyal love
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shalom = peace
Three Great Arenas of Social Justice:
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personal
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social
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institutional structures
Opportunities for Growth:
- Calls us to a right ordering of society (right relationships + right living).
- Enhances our ecclesiology, our doctrine of the Church.
- Promotes harmony in relationships between peoples so that we can learn to live together not just with civility but with genuine appreciation.
- Provides a bridge between personal ethics and social ethics.
- Gives relevances and bite to the language of Christian love.
- Gives us a foundation for ecological concerns.
- Holds before us the relevance of the impossible ideal.
Threats to Look Out For:
- The tendency to become an end in itself.
- The tendency of strident legalism.
- The tendency to hold a political agenda.
The Evangelical Tradition
Discovering the Word-Centered Life
What is it?
The evangelical tradition is a life founded upon the loving Word of God, the written Word of God, and the proclaimed Word of God.
Why should we explore it?
We should explore it because through it we experience the knowledge of God that grounds our lives and enables us to give a reason for the hope that is in us.
Character Studies:
Biblical Influence: The Apostle Peter
Historical Influence: Augustine of Hippo (354-430)
Contemporary Influence: Billy Graham (1918-2018)
Opportunities for Growth:
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the evangelical call to conversion.
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the evangelical stress upon Christ’s missionary mandate to disciple the nations.
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the evangelical commitment to biblical fidelity.
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the evangelical witness to sound doctrine.
Threats to Look Out For:
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the tendency to fixate upon peripheral and nonessential matters.
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the tendency toward a sectarian mentality.
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the tendency to present too limited a view of the salvation that is found in Jesus Christ.
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the tendency toward bibliolatry.
The Incarnational Tradition
Discovering the Sacramental Life
What is it?
The incarnational tradition is a life that makes present and visible the realm of the invisible spirit.
Why should we explore it?
We should explore it because through it we experience God as truly manifest and notoriously active in daily life.
Character Studies:
Biblical Influence: Jesus & Mary
Historical Influence: Susanna Wesley (1669-1742)
Contemporary Influence: Dag Hammarskjold (1905-1961)
Opportunities for Growth:
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it underscores the fact that God is truly among us
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it roots us in everyday life
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it gives meaning to our work
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it is a valuable corrective to Gnosticism
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it constantly beckons us Godward
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it makes of our body a portable sanctuary
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it deepens our ecological sensitivities
Threats to Look Out For:
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idolatry
- managing God through externals (“come to this church and follow this ritual system to find God”)
Application
Each of these traditional streams emphasize a different aspect of God that we as apprentices of Jesus should pursue. If you grew up in a charismatic church, then you should probably learn more about the Desert Fathers and Mothers of the contemplative tradition and see what different ways of worship you are missing. It may enhance your view of prayer and worship. If you’re more comfortable with the evangelical tradition, then you should read about the social justice reformers like John Woolman, Sojourner Truth, and Florence Nightingale to learn about how you can be the hands and feet of Jesus to those who need Him.
As you can see, we stand on the shoulders of our spiritual fathers and mothers who have gone before us. Though they come from various traditions and church structures, we should look to them to see how we can grow in discipleship. How dare we say things like, “Since we have more knowledge of how the world works, we can just put these traditions off to the side,” or “My tradition is the most correct, so I’ll just stay over here.” In order to look forward to see what God has for the future of the church, we need to glance behind us to see what we’ve gone through.
My purpose in summarizing this book is to show my readers what our blind spots are and how we can grow in other areas of discipleship. Since each of these traditions have biblical foundations and have been explored over hundreds of years by many Christians, it would be helpful for us to (1) explore each tradition in depth including opportunities for growth and even possible threats if not practiced with the right heart, (2) understand which traditions you identify with the most and least, and (3) challenge yourself to grow in these new areas as an apprentice of Jesus.
Reflection Questions
- Which stream are you most comfortable with or identify with the most?
- Which stream are you least comfortable with or identify with the least?
- How can you grow more in this stream?
- Why do you think it’s important to understand each traditions opportunities and threats?
- Why do you think it’s important that learn about Christians from history and their apprenticeship to Jesus?
Matt Garcia
Matt is the creator of this website and curates resources on spiritual formation. He is a husband of Jesika and a father of 4 children. He also helps lead a house church. Follow him on Instagram to see what he's up to.