Are Tongues for Today

Are Tongues for Today

Paper Outline

This paper presents the Southern Baptist believes is the conventional Scripture doctrine about tongues for today or Glossolalia. The paper provides popular tertiary aspect presentation of rich biblical Spirit doctrine. This paper also provides an experiential and historical of the current tongue phenomena.

Speaking in the tongue is among the most studied phenomena of the Christian world. In the first section, three basic perspectives regarding tongue will take into consideration: (1) as a common known languages expression, other than inadequate for the circumstance, infringed the accepted model of naturalistic, (2) as an expression of supernatural of miraculous model (unfamiliar human languages), and (3) as an enthusiastic inarticulate speech expression (model of ecstatic).

Second section explains the biblical pattern that seems to align with the model of miraculous, but could take account of the ecstatic model elements. Both Paul and Luke stated that the gift of tongues is a stimulated utterance of intelligible with numerous purposes, content of doxological/ revelational, and one origin or source (the Spirit). Followed by a number of researches, the vagueness and uncertainty of this phenomenon still exists.

The third section highlights how does the Tongue for Today comparable to the Book of Acts examples. This phenomena focus on the language of prayer. In the New Testament the world refers to language. On the other hand, Paul considered tongue for a sign. Hence, question arises that tongues as a language of pray.

Later section explains controversies and influential regarding Tongues for Today in the 20th Century. Church in America was the charismatic movement emergence. With its focus on the Spirit gifts, the movement brought the significant element of tongues to Pentecostalism to non-Pentecostal churches. During 1960s, mainstream Catholic churches, and a number of non-Pentecostal evangelicals were having the problem of Holy Spirit power in the course of speaking in tongues, divine healings, prophecies and several physical phenomena. This directed the debate towards the rationale of these experiences and gifts in the life of Christian.

Last section argues about causes why Christians must neither seek nor want tongues. This section noted tongues were grouped as lowest gifts; most contemporary tongues are a learned behavior; God gives the gifts not on our seeking but on His own will; tongues ceased subsequent to 63-70 AD; speakers of tongues may be deceived; tongue is one of the temporary gifts; tongue was a sign of judgment, displeasure ...