|
|---|
Speaking in Tongues During the Apostolic Period The practice of speaking in tongues (Glossolalia) is a common practice today among self defined "Pentecostal" Christian churches. It is normally demonstrated as an individual claiming to be overtaken by a holy spirit and in turn that person begins speaking in an incoherent language that only God, or some divine "interpreters" can understand. The event can be quite passionate and bizarre, and is no doubt confusing to those outside of the church or the Christian religion as to how such a practice could be ever construed as having anything to do with a belief in Christ.
"..Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me" There are only a few recorded instances where speaking in tongues is referenced in the New Testament. In all cases the actual event was never of incoherent babble but in actuality the ability of the inspired individual to speak in a foreign language so that those listening who were from a foreign area could understand what was being said. The most famous of instances and the one most Pentecostal churches leverage as a foundation for this practice is found in Acts on the day known as Pentecost.
The Day of Pentecost
"And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mig And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? " 1
These passages have been used for the last century to endorse the Pentecostal practice of speaking in tongues, but the problem with their usage of it is obvious at first glance, even to the casual observer. The passage does not in any way imply nor even remotely suggest of any sort of "secret language" or "holy language" that only God and the interpreter can understand. The passages instead are clear that what was occurring was the even more miraculous ability for those upon whom the spirit fell to speak in a foreign language so that those who spoke another language could understand and hear the Gospel in their own tongue.
Thus we see that this event was no mystical language being spoken to the crowd wherein an "interpreter" would then interpret some secret language that only he or a select few could understand. What it was was a simple, much more logical event where those speaking in tongues spoke to every man in that mans "own language". This of course makes perfect sense and was a fulfillment of Christ's prediction that his Gospel would be preached in every tongue. Other passages leveraged to support speaking in tongues include Pauls epistle to the Corinthians. In 1st Corinthians, chapter 14 verse 27 we read;
"If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret
This verse is routinely referenced by Pentecostals and evangelical Christians to endorse the bizzare ritual of speaking in tongues practiced in churches throughout the world today. The problem of course lies with selectively picking this verse while ignoring the surrounding context and verses. Reading the passage in its entirety we see that Paul was actually rebuking the practice of speaking incoherently or out of order in church. He admonished the church at Corinth to refrain from speaking in "unknown tongues" unless someone understood the language being spoken. He was of course referring to dialects and foreign language, not incoherent babble or secret languagues. It was understood since the day of Pentecost what speaking in tongues referred to, that is the gift of speaking a foreign language or dialect that one was not theretofore trained or skilled in.
Paul is clear when in verse 6 he likens speaking in languages or dialects unknown to the congregation to playing unknown tunes to rally for battle;
Paul makes it clear in no uncertain terms that speaking in unknown dialects or languages is not helpful to the church and does no good for the congregation. He likens it to incoherent sounds coming from a pipe or harp and to calling men to battle with a trumpet yet playing a tune that is not known to them. A modern day equivalent could be a bugler, playing something other than revelee to awaken the sleeping troops. If they hear the bugle, but the song is not revelee then what good does do? The men would not climb out of bed until the proper tune is played. So it is with speaking in dialects that are unknown to the congregation.
Later in verse 11 Paul drives the point home by declaring such a person speaking in an unknown tongue would appear as a barbarian to the listener (a term used for anyone not skilled or cultured in the proper language) and the meaning of any such communications would be utterly worthless.
But Paul doesn't stop there. He continues to drive the point home with unmistakable irony. In verse 16 he asks how a person in the congregation would even know how to say "Amen" when the sermon or giving of thanks was complete since he wouldn't even know what was being said.
In verse 19 Paul drives the point home by declaring he would rather speak only 5 words in the language of the listener than 10,000 words in a language unknown to them.
The remaining passages are no less ardant in their fervor in driving home the point that the only communications in church should be coherent langauge that is understood by the listeners. Clearly in Pauls day there was the same problem of members speaking in tongues that made no sense or in languages not known to the congregation. It was an issue of order, and Paul admonished the church membership to do all things in order and clarity.
"For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints."
Speaking in Tongues Today : Teaching for Doctrines the Commandments of Men Anyone witnessing a Pentecostal church today where speaking in tongues is practiced quickly sees that "peace" is not part of the offering, and confusion and anarchy rules the meetings in these churches. Today this practice has been perverted into a mystical, almost demonic like practice of speaking in pure gibberish, and then a lone interpreter supposedly translates the babble into whatever message he or she decides upon. This is a great way of course to deceive the masses and sell a dogma or doctrine, but it clearly has no actual foundation in Christian scripture, other than of course Paul's condemnation of the practice for any other purpose other than speaking in the language of the listener. Anyone witnessing this practice today will quickly see the almost demonic nature of it. It was not something practiced by Christ nor his apostles. It is yet another example of how Christ's pure Gospel has been corrupted by the introduction of false teachings and practices of men. The following videos are just a few examples of this practice in modern Pentecostal churches.
The videos show the disturbing, almost demonic nature of the practice, and how the encouragement of the crowd leads to a form of mass hysteria. Perhaps most troubling is how these adults prey routinely on young children who's minds are susceptible. We see nothing of the peace Paul refers to in Corinthians that would and should exist in a church of God and no languages are actually being spoken. Instead incoherint babble is rampant and complete anarchy and chaos is the result. It is the opposite of not only what Paul preached, but what Christ preached as well.
WARNING: The following videos may be disturbing to some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.
|
|---|
hty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. | Speaking in Tongues Today : Teaching for Doctrines the Commandments of Men
Anyone witnessing a Pentecostal church today where speaking in tongues is practiced quickly sees that "peace" is not part of the offering, and confusion and anarchy rules the meetings in these churches. Today this practice has been perverted into a mystical, almost demonic like practice of speaking in pure gibberish, and then a lone interpreter supposedly translates the babble into whatever message he or she decides upon. This is a great way of course to deceive the masses and sell a dogma or doctrine, but it clearly has no actual foundation in Christian scripture, other than of course Paul's condemnation of the practice for any other purpose other than speaking in the language of the listener. Anyone witnessing this practice today will quickly see the almost demonic nature of it. It was not something practiced by Christ nor his apostles. It is yet another example of how Christ's pure Gospel has been corrupted by the introduction of false teachings and practices of men. The following videos are just a few examples of this practice in modern Pentecostal churches.
The videos show the disturbing, almost demonic nature of the practice, and how the encouragement of the crowd leads to a form of mass hysteria. Perhaps most troubling is how these adults prey routinely on young children who's minds are susceptible. We see nothing of the peace Paul refers to in Corinthians that would and should exist in a church of God and no languages are actually being spoken. Instead incoherint babble is rampant and complete anarchy and chaos is the result. It is the opposite of not only what Paul preached, but what Christ preached as well.
WARNING: The following videos may be disturbing to some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised. Note how music is often played in the background to help induce a more trancelike hypnotic state. The hysteria of the crowd is employed as a primer and small groups add pressure to the one "inspired" to demonstrate their closeness to God by speaking in the incoherent babble they pretend is of the holy spirit. While the scriptures above clearly demonstrate that the original practice had little to do with this satanic like ritual, one does not need any scriptural basis to see that this practice is as far from the teachings of Christ as anything could possibly be. There is nothing orderly, pious or positive about these events. They are mass hysteria, bordering on mass insanity and the participants are no doubt scarred by these events and confused beyond any easy repair. Children as we see in the 3rd video are often an easy target of these soothsayers, ...cheap hucksters in sheep's clothing that they are. It is frightening to contemplate that many of our government leaders today encourage and even participate in such actions, and thus it is incumbent on those who have read the Gospel of Christ to dispel the myth of speaking in tongues as it is being promulgated by these evangelical fanatics.
Summary
The practice we see today of speaking in tongues has nothing to do with the actual event on the day of Pentecost. The illegible babble being heard in Pentecostal and other fanatical evangelical churches has no scriptural foundation in the New Testament and is the opposite of what was spoken on the day of Pentecost to the people. The gift of speaking in tongues was the ability to speak in a foreign language so that those who speak another language can hear the gospel in their own language, as the book of Acts clearly and plainly states. The apostles received the Holy Ghost in a manner permitting them to speak to the language and dialects of those present. They didn't babble incoherently or scream unintelligible nonsense. They preached the Gospel of Christ in multiple languages and dialects.
The practice we see today in these churches is a far cry from the events on the day of Pentecost, and are potentially dangerous when exposed to young, impressionable minds. |
|---|
|
 |
 |