Are Tongues for Today?



Are Tongues for Today?

Introduction

Regarding the gifts of miracles in the Christian belief, one is able to see three contrasting views that held by the believing Christians. These three groups of Christians are segregated under three names, the Continuationists, Cessationists, and the Open but Cautious. The origins of the 'miracles' go back to the time of Abraham, when the Prophets used to perform miracles so as to prove their authenticity as the ones who were indeed selected by God and charged with delivering his message to the people at large.

Discussion

Continuationists

These people consist of three particular 'waves'. The First wave also known as Pentecostal revival started in 1901 in the United States. It dictated that any and all the 'gifts' that have been talked about in the New Testament are indeed in operation even in modern times. The gift which gets the most publicity is the gift of tongues. The modernists believe that any new Christian believer is filled with the Holy Spirit the moment of his salvation and it is this which allows the believer to go through special 'empowering' experiences. The gift of the tongues is one of the results of such blessings or experiences actually taking place. The other two 'waves' of this culture emerged in the 1960's and the 1980's respectively. Each of these waves had a short difference in than the last which allowed them to segregated separately from one another but however they still held firm to a common belief that miracles life the gift of tongues are indeed something which continue to happen in the modern time as well.

Cessationists

The is another very popular belief regarding this phenomenon, which is that there are no more occurrences of people getting 'gifts of prophecies, apostles, tongues, healings' or performing any other miracles. People who subscribe to this doctrine of thought are known as

Cessationists.

The Cessationists do indeed prescribe to the idea that God is more than capable of performing miracles today as He were at the time of Christ. He does indeed deliver his people from their woes, for instance illnesses when they pray and beseech Him, by channeling the Holy Spirit. Yet the fact remains that God has decided to limit such activities and to model it along particular patterns.

Open but Cautious

The third particular viewpoint claims that there is no specific and particular verse that is present in the New Testament that would ...