A Part of the Body
Because APU is an ecumenical community composed of many different strands of the Christian faith, some students wonder how their local church fits within the larger body of Christ. A former APU professor, Richard Foster (1998)*, has developed a kind of compass for understanding the main streams that have been flowing throughout the history of the church, which taken together compose the full expression of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: Contemplative, Holiness, Charismatic, Social Justice, Evangelical, and Incarnational.
Many denominations emphasize more than one stream, and local churches may identify with more than one as well, but all streams have something to contribute to a balanced spiritual formation. Here is a brief explanation of the six streams:
Charismatic: The Spirit-Empowered Life (CH)
The Charismatic Stream focuses on experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit through worship as well as receiving the gifts and fruit of the Spirit.
Contemplative: The Prayer-Filled Life (CO)
The Contemplative Stream focuses on spiritual intimacy with God through various forms of prayer, meditation, and spiritual reading.
Evangelical: The Word-Centered Life (E)
The Evangelical Stream focuses on the importance of Scripture through preaching, Bible study, and evangelism.
Holiness: The Virtuous Life (H)
The Holiness Stream focuses on lifestyle transformation through spiritual friendships, confession, accountability, and disciplines designed to form new habits in response to God’s grace.
Incarnational: The Sacramental Life (I)
The Incarnational Stream focuses on creation as a means of grace through liturgy, the arts, creation care, and vocation.
Social Justice: The Compassionate Life (SJ)
The Social Justice Stream focuses on acts of justice and mercy done in the name of Jesus, and participating in God’s work in the world.
*Foster, R. (1998). Streams in the Desert. San Francisco: HarperCollins.
(For more information on the streams, visit http://renovare.org/.)
