Streams of Living Water
Richard Foster's comprehensive survey of Christian spiritual traditions emerged from his conviction that the modern church had become fragmented, with different denominations and movements emphasizing isolated aspects of spiritual life while losing sight of the whole. Writing as both a Quaker minister and ecumenical bridge-builder, Foster sought to demonstrate how six distinct streams of Christian spirituality could flow together to nourish contemporary believers seeking deeper formation.
Foster identifies and explores what he terms the six great traditions of Christian faith: the Contemplative tradition focused on prayer and intimacy with God, the Holiness tradition emphasizing virtue and character formation, the Charismatic tradition celebrating the gifts and power of the Spirit, the Social Justice tradition pursuing compassion and mercy for the marginalized, the Evangelical tradition grounding faith in Scripture and proclamation, and the Incarnational tradition finding God through sacrament and creation. Rather than treating these as competing approaches, Foster argues that each represents an essential dimension of Christian maturity that the others cannot provide. He traces the biblical foundations, historical development, and contemporary expressions of each stream, showing how figures from Teresa of Avila to William Wilberforce to Pentecostal pioneers each contributed indispensable insights to the church's understanding of spiritual growth.
The book has remained influential as both an introduction to Christian spiritual diversity and a call for integration across denominational boundaries. Foster's irenic approach appealed to readers frustrated with narrow sectarianism while his scholarly grounding provided credible analysis of each tradition. This work serves readers who feel drawn to spiritual practices outside their own denominational background but want to understand how different approaches to faith can complement rather than contradict each other. Those seeking a systematic theology or preferring deep immersion in a single tradition may find Foster's broad survey too general for their purposes.