As a prelude to the radical ideas that would follow, Christian author and itinerant speaker Richard Foster started out a two-day conference last weekend at Windham Assembly of God explaining why he had long hair tied in a ponytail.
“Some of you who have not seen me for awhile may be wondering about my long hair. Well, it’s a tribute to my Ojibwa Indian roots. It was my way of acknowledging those great Northern Great Lakes roots,” said Foster, author of Celebration of Discipline, which is one of the top ten Christian bestsellers.
The opening remarks set a tone for the two-day conference focusing on the “great streams of faith” that have guided Christianity through the ages. Foster, whose mission is to remind modern American Christians that balance and unity is the key to a strong witness, spent Friday night and all day Saturday preaching about the value of the various “faith traditions” within the Christian church and how accountability is lacking in the church.
Foster was the second Christian author to speak at Windham Assembly of God in as many months. Josh McDowell, well-known author of “More than a Carpenter” and “Evidence that Demands a verdict,” spoke in August.
Foster has been traveling America discussing the roots of faith and practical application of faith since 1988. The conference, called Renovare, which means “to renew” in the Latin Vulgate, focused on spiritual renewal. A specific focus of the weekend was convincing Christians that they need more accountability.
The accountability would come in the form of something Foster calls “spiritual formation groups.” Foster believes Christians should meet weekly in groups of two to six to keep each other accountable and provide needed encouragement.
“Small groups are essential,” Foster said. “In today’s large congregations, people can hide. This is an effort to bring the church to a more personal level so Christians can live the transformed life. Having the discipline to meet in small groups helps us do that.”
The conference climaxed on Saturday afternoon with the 200 or so audience members forming groups to get a flavor of what a spiritual formation group would be like.
Another focus of the weekend was exploring the six “traditions” of the devoted life including Contemplative, Holiness, Charismatic, Social Justice, Evangelical and Incarnational.
Foster described the Contemplative tradition as a life of intimacy with God. Foster recommended praying in silence for five minutes a day, writing down prayers in a journal, and reading devotional publications such as St. Augustine’s “Confessions” or Oswald Chambers’ “My Utmost for His Highest.”
Foster’s conference partner Marti Ensign, a former African missionary, described the Holiness tradition as living a functional and whole life in a dysfunctional world.
“God says, ‘Be holy like I am holy.’ Is that a joke?” Ensign said. “No, because God really cares about sin and he knows the destructive power of sin. He wants to keep us from it.”
She added that the Greek word for holiness is “arite,” meaning “the way things work.” Ensign said God can sin, but “Why would he? We can call plunge a knife into our chests, but why would we?”
In Foster’s description of the Charismatic tradition, the author likened it to “a life immersed in, empowered by, and under the direction of the Spirit of God.” He said all Christians should try to incorporate the Charismatic stream by praying for the Holy Spirit’s guidance, and listening to Him when making life decisions.
Under the Social Justice tradition, Foster said this most important but little appreciated stream is essential to living a Christian life. He said Christians who practice social justice will lead less self-centered lives because they will be “dedicated to the love and care of our neighbors.”
“White-hot love of God leads to the love of your neighbor. Be the Good News,” Foster said.
Foster described the fifth stream of Christianity, the Evangelical Tradition, as a “life founded upon the proclaimed and written word of God.” He said many American Christians have perhaps focused too heavily on this tradition that is grounded in learning Bible verses and using Scripture as a tool to convert non-believers. He warned that overuse of the Bible can lead people away from faith and that “arguing the Book is not as good. Personal testimony is best.”
The last “stream of faith,” Foster explored, is the Incarnational tradition. He recommended looking for God in daily life, doing your work in honor of God and enjoying rituals such as the Eucharist or communion.
One example Foster said the history of Christian music is one example of how God can be incarnate in this world. For about 15 minutes, worship leader George Skramstad, who has led the singing for Renovare conferences since 1993, narrated a comprehensive review of different musical traditions using a grand piano as musical accompaniment. He started with Martin Luther and his revolutionary conversion of pub songs, that locals were familiar with, into hymns like A Mighty Fortress is Our God.”
Skramstad dramatically told the audience of the prolific hymn writers Charles Wesley and Fanny Crosby, who wrote over 13,000 hymns combined. He then spoke of the great slave songs that gave Christianity the great hymn “Were You There?”
Describing the changing nature of the spiritual song tradition, Skramstad admonished modern Christians who lament the rise of “praise songs” such as “Awesome God” by the late Rich Mullins, instead preferring the old hymns. He said many great Christian artists have been pushed aside by those in the Church that fear change.
“The church can’t seem to contain these people, and so they choose lifestyles making you and I weep,” he said.
Foster and his itinerant crew are speaking at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in Menlo Park Calif. this weekend and will be back in the New England area on Nov. 18 and 19 for a local conference at Bethany Church in Greenland, New Hampshire. For more information check out Renovare’s Web site at www.renovare.org.
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