31.04.12a Speaking in Tongues

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31.04.12a.01 Overview

(1) Speaking in tongues was a sign given to the unbelieving nation of Israel in which the message of the sign was that God had ceased using Israel as His cherished instrument for the accomplishing of His Will and Work. Like any sign, once the message has been completed, there is no need for the sign. If a road dead ends in a lake, the sign is correct before and just at the end of the road. But nobody puts the same sign 100 yards, a 1000 yards, and 1000 miles into the lake that the road has ended.

(2) Biblical Hermeneutics forces us to interpret the Scripture in a prescribed correct way. That being the case, the clear explanation of Tongues is in Acts 2, where it is without any doubt, places biblical speaking in tongues as speaking in a normal foreign language, not any kind of heavenly language, or language unknown to those hearing it. All other verses of Scripture that might be construed as referring to speaking in tongues are less clear that Acts 2, and therefore they must be interpreted to absolutely be known foreign languages and not something else. On Acts 2, God's purpose of giving tongues was to evangelize the unsaved Jewish people visiting Jerusalem from the dispersion of the Jews among the nations. These Jews spoke in foreign languages, and they were present visiting Jerusalem for Pentecost. The point being that God was moving His center of attention away from Israel and Jerusalem (Hebrew language) and placing it on the Gentiles (foreign languages) which is an introduction to Acts and the ministry of Paul and the other evangelists and missionaries.

(3) History and science verifies that speaking in tongues (or something similar to it) was active in many non-biblical groups, including mentally deficient people, animists, witchcraft, and others. All of these groups had a tongues-like event that was always distinguished by a loss of control of the person, usually unintelligible speech (not a foreign language), and a supernatural element of a spiritual nature (demonic). The most notable group that made inroads on putting their type of tongues in the Christian church is the mystery religions. 1 Corinthians 14 does not deal with valid legitimate tongues which by the time of 1 Corinthians had disappeared, but rather with discerning, identifying, and rejecting this false tongues speaking that had crept into the church under the guise of Acts 2 tongues.

(4) Speaking in Tongues has ceased and will not return. Paul's comments in 1 Corinthians 13:8-10 that biblical love is superior to fragile, passing things that people put importance on (tongues, knowledge, and prophesy) refer to the central themes of the mystery religions (knowledge or "gnosis" being understood as mystery). Tongues had a limited use, and that use has ended before 1 Corinthians or around that time. If we put the New Testament writings in historical order, we find the last mention of tongues in 1 Corinthians. We see no mention of tongues in any of the epistles to the N.T. churches, we find no further instruction on tongues, no comments on the presence of tongues, and following through secular church history we find no mention of tongues until the 1900s with the "rebirth" of tongues and miraculous gifts (i.e. the Pentecostal movement). History clearly shows that no church claiming to follow the New Testament teachings knew anything of tongues, neither in seeing it in others nor in actually practicing or experiencing tongues in the time period of the NT churches until the 1900s. The exception was a brief event centering around Montanus in 150 A.D. who was a formerly a priest in the Mystery Religions, and his speaking in tongues followed exactly the modern demonic speaking in tongues as taught by the Charismatic movement, and was exactly identified by the churches and pastors of his day as demonic possession, not anything to do with the Holy Spirit although Montanus taught it was the manifestation of God's Holy Spirit.

(5) The biblical defense of the reliving of speaking in tongues and miraculous gifts called the "latter rain movement" is untenable, unbiblical, and is not referring to a biblical prophecy of these gifts but rather a forced interpretation of a general and ambiguous passage that has nothing to do with spiritual gifts like tongues, healing, etcetera.

(6) The Bible clearly teaches that those prophets who "peep" and "mutter" (Isaiah 8:19) making unintelligible sounds are false prophets, and that the false prophets of the end times will rise up claiming the power and personage of Christ (Mat. 24:24), and specifically will call attention to their own personal endowment of power from God in signs and wonders, trying in a masterful way to deceive the church of Christ. See also 2 Thess 2:9. This will terminate in the presentation of the antichrist, the beast, the false prophet, etc. who will likewise manifest great supernatural power (Rev. 13:13; 19:20).

(7) Since Paul gives us the biblical (inspired by God) criteria for discerning what originates from God and is to be accepted by us, and what does not originate with God and therefore is carnal or demonic as being control over one's own spirit, then modern speaking in tongues is not of God because it contradicts the clear teaching of Scripture that the Holy Spirit's presence is seen in self control, not the lose of self control. The loss of self control is clearly presented in the Bible as the activity of demons (Mat. 17:15) and the fruit of the Holy Spirit is temperance or self control (Gal. 5:23). This being the case, God never will use the lose of a person's control and self for His glory, but God will always desire that men serve God under their own will. Because of this, Paul's criteria in 1 Corinthians 14 is clearly marking God's hand and working on the person who controls his own spirit, not who loses control over his own spirit (1 Cor. 14: 30, 32 "the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets", 33).

These being the clear facts surrounding tongues, all other unclear and ambiguous verses must be interpreted to agree with these clear facts of Scripture.

31.04.12a.02 Historical Perspective of Acts 2

31.04.12a.03 Significance of Speaking in Tongues

31.04.12a.03.01 From the biblical perspective

31.04.12a.03.02 From the Pentecostal Perspective

The typical Pentecostal perspective is that speaking in tongues is a manifestation of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. (See The Time Individually of the Spirit Baptism for a further discussion of this).

31.04.12a.03.02 Should Tongues be a Universal Gift?

Within many Pentecostal circles, there is a teaching that everybody must or ought to speak in tongues. The gist here is that you must speak in tongues to show that you are saved, or that you are spiritual, filled with the Holy Spirit.

If you understand the connection between modern tongues and the Mystery Religions, then you understand that they held that a spiritual ecstasy was essential to being "in" their group. Those without this supernatural experience of losing bodily control to the demon they called god meant you really were not one of them. Here this presses through to the modern speaking in tongues and seeks to make speaking in tongues the equivalent or the manifestation of "salvation" (however they may define it, right or wrong).

1 Corinthians 12:7-11 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. 14 For the body is not one member, but many.

What we find contrary to all this is the Scriptures painting the picture of the each believer being a member in a body, and no member has all the spiritual gifts, and each member has its own gift. Here gift is clearly a spiritual capacity to do some in the Lord's work. We consider the gift of salvation being a universal gift, as is the gift of the Holy Spirit. But these two are not the same as the gift of tongues. God gives gifts as He desires, and this is different gifts to different people. In 1 Cor 12 Paul argues that the Christians are parts or members of the body of Christ, and one may be a tongue, but not everybody is a tongue. Bodies are composed of many different members. Varity is exactly what makes the body what it is.

Tongues advocates will quote Paul "forbid not to speak with tongues" 1 Cor 14:39.

But this is not the same as commanding all to speak in tongues.

The tongues advocates want to make tongues the manifestation of spirit baptism, but tongues were a sign to the Jew, therefore tongues is a transitional manifestation of God's judgment on the Jewish nation. This follows the very same history of speaking in foreign languages that occurred from time to time in history. The Tower of Babel is not a blessing but a curse of God on the stubbornness of man's heart. Every time that God judged the Jews with a foreign power coming into Jerusalem to take them captive, they heard foreign languages as a judgment of God. Far from being a good thing we would desire for all, tongues was a sign of judgment, of God's cutting short his mercy towards some group of people.

31.04.12a.04 Definition of what is speaking in tongues

Hodge, Charles (Author profile) - On the Nature of Tongues (a) 98K (3 pages)
Holland, John - Biblical Tongues, Their Nature and Duration (a) 94K (3 pages)

If this is a biblical activity, what was its nature? What exactly was speaking in tongues when they did it in Acts 2 and 1 Corinthians 14? There are only two different positions here. One is that speaking in tongues was the speaking in a known foreign language, and the other is that it was ecstatic speech. There is some variation in views on the known foreign language as far as if the miracle was in the speakers or in the hearers. The text does not make that very clear. But if the miracle was in the hearers, then it is not a gift a saved exercises (i.e. there would be no "speaking" in tongues, but "hearing" in tongues) but an unsaved person.

31.04.12a.04.01 Known Foreign Languages

Among some groups of modern tongues speakers there are ignorant people who actually see the miraculous speaking in tongues (foreign languages) as a great boost to world evangelism. The fact of the matter is that this has never materialized by any tongues speaking Pentecostal group although many thought it would be at first. They simply cannot understand and speak in other people's languages without learning those languages in a language school. Speaking in tongues never granted this ability to witness in an unknown language to the people who speak that language. Here people who commonly speak in tongues often cannot copy Acts 2 tongues, preaching in other languages to foreigners. This aspect or belief was dropped by modern tongues speakers as it became apparent that when these tongues speakers went abroad, they could not communicate with speakers of other languages.

If we look at Acts 2, we find that Luke clearly present speaking in tongues in this monumental day as foreign languages and nothing else. According to Luke it can be no other thing. Luke actually mentions all the languages that were used in this tongues event.

When we take a broad look over all the Scriptures, the word tongue is always one of three things, the physical member in the mouth, the things which one says good or bad in a known language, or a general term for a nation's language. We never see the word "tongue" or "tongues" used in any other way in Scripture.

When we look to the Scriptures, we cannot put our interpretations into them, but must get out of them what God has clearly placed there. If this is true, then we can deposit a rule of hermeneutics (rules to interpret Scripture) that would read like this: "When one passage clearly teaches a doctrine, we cannot first establish the doctrine from an unclear, obscure, or debated passage, and apply the dubious interpretation over and override the clear interpretation."

If speaking in tongues is clearly preaching the Word of God (a message) in a foreign language, then we cannot accept any other definition of it without a scriptural basis. That scriptural basis must be ordered by the most important and clearest first. This means Acts 2 is always at the top of the list.

31.04.12a.04.01 Ecstatic Speech

We should note that speaking in ecstatic speech is not a phenomena limited only to Christianity, but is a practice among many different peoples, religions, the mentally ill, and historically has its roots going way before the New Testament. We cannot help but separate biblical speaking in tongues (foreign languages) from this speaking in ecstatic (non-understandable) speech. We always go back to the Bible and find Act 2 that biblical tongues was preaching the word of God in foreign languages to people who evaluated the content of the message logically. This is not ecstatic speech, but just preaching.

In Babylon, a worshipper of Amon, the Egyptian god, around 1117 B.C. is the first mention of tongues that I can find.

DCox - Mystery Religions in Ancient Corinth

 

31.04.12a.04.03 Bodily Control in Tongues Speaking

We need to understand that the practice of speaking in tongues is not a practice that the Christian church always has done. Simply put, tongues as they happened in the New Testament terminated apparently after Paul's comments to the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians. Historically 1 Corinthians is one of the early New Testament epistles, and the rest of the New Testament written after 1 Corinthians does not even mention tongues speaking. 2 Corinthians is an epistle that has Paul touching on the same problems as 1 Corinthians except for tongues. Apparently this problem or practice had even disappeared from this church by the time of the second epistle.

Paul clearly states that tongues will cease at some future date in 1 Corinthians 13. This happened between the two Corinthian epistles for all we know. In the history of the Christian church after the New Testament, we do not see tongues as a practice in any Christian church, and no Church father commented on tongues as being visible, known, or as happening in his day, but all comments are something to the effect that we know nothing of tongues because they no longer exist. The exception to this is Montanus which was clearly a heretic and not the norm at all.

The Bible makes it clear that we are not to worship, praise, or pray to God with babbling. This is what the false prophets do, but not true Christianity.

The false prophet who peeps and mutters is obviously not from God. The concept of peeping and muttering is that the speech is not clear nor understandable (ecstatic speech like modern tongues speaking). These are not just false prophets, but it is a sign of demon possession.

What we see as a rule in the NT churches is that nobody ever loses control of his body and spirit. We bring our bodies under submission to Christ. Always in control, and never losing control of nothing, but subduing and turning it over to Christ. A key point in modern tongues (obviously this modern stuff is not biblical tongues) is that in modern tongues, it is ecstatic speech (not foreign languages like Acts 2) and that the person speaking in tongues loses control of his body to the spirit. But we never see this loss of control as something that the Holy Spirit does, only demons in demonic possession and demonic influence on Christians.

31.04.12a.04.04 The Nature of Spiritual Gifts.

One of the issues within the Charismatic position is that all spiritual gifts are supernatural in the sense that they are beyond any working of nature, or the natural course of things. In other words, it is not a supernatural "Holy Spirit" gift if you had to put forth a lot of effort on your part to manifest the gift. For example, the gift of pastor is not a gift normally talked about by the Pentecostals as being a gift of the Spirit even though it clearly is. Yet the gift of miracles, of healings, of speaking in tongues, of interpretation of tongues, etc all are heavily discussed and promoted because they have a strong miraculous element. Simply put, the Charismatic mindset is that they only see the Holy Spirit when there is miraculous supernatural power. This power cannot be clearly identified when it happens (as coming from God or from Satan), so they err with the Spiritualists in saying any supernatural power has to be of God (if it is in them, but they regularly identify supernatural power or problems as demons in others).

"Prophesying is not preaching. There can be an element of prophecy in preaching sometimes, but these are supernatural gifts. If prophesying were preaching, then you wouldn't have to make any preparation to preach. But you have to study... You don't have to study to speak with tongues or to interpret. You don't have to study to prophesy. It comes by inspiration of the Spirit." "Ten Reasons for Speaking in Tongues" by Kenneth Hagin  (barr-family.com)

The litmus test for making something a manifestation of the Spirit to Hagin is whether it comes spontaneously "from the spirit" or if you have to work to achieve it.

31.04.12a.05 Modern Speaking in Tongues

For those in the middle of the modern tongues speaking movement, things are not so confusing as others think they are. For them tongues is exactly what is important in Christianity. Others want to accept tongues but put a minor emphasis on them. As Oral Roberts put it, "People are saying tongues are the periphery. I say they are the mainstream."

31.04.12a.05.01 Mystery Religions Connection

Let just interject here that you will never really understand the modern tongues movement until you study the situation at Corinth during the time of Paul. These mystery religions were exactly the problem which the modern Pentecostal-Charismatic movement has given rebirth to. It is not biblical Christianity, but an old heresy.

DCox - Mystery Religions in Ancient Corinth

Brennan - Another Look at Corinthian Tongues Movement pdf

31.04.12a.05.02 Demonic Connection

Returning to the losing of bodily control which all tongues speakers say is the only way you can know your tongues speaking is of God, we see a great and important contrast and division between biblical tongues speaking and modern tongues speaking.

Modern tongues speakers have also introduced the "slain in the Spirit" concept, where the person loses total control of his body and thrashes around on the floor. Since Christ's time, this type of thing has been identified by all pastors and preachers as a sign of demonic possession.

31.04.12a.05.03 Reasons to Reject Modern Tongues

by Pastor David Cox

First of all, let's clearly declare that modern tongues speaking is not biblical tongues speaking. If modern tongues speaking does not comply with Acts 2 tongues speaking then it is not biblical. Acts 2 tongues were: (1) definite foreign languages, (2) were done by the apostles, (3) were the sign of the end of God's dealing with the Jewish nation as the instrument of God's work, (4) because of #3, they were the first divine announcing of the Gospel to the Gentile nation rejecting the Jewish forms (Hebrew language).

Because modern tongues cannot comply with these requirements, we have to reject modern tongues. But there are more considerations as to why we reject tongues.

(1) God communicates His message through the faithful testimony of a man of God - The premise of modern tongues speaking is that God is speaking through many individuals. Most of them are women. God has clearly forbid women from speaking, preaching, teaching, or usurping authority over men in any religious context. In 1 Tim 2:11-12, the chapter division is not inspired, and part of the requirements of a man of God leading the people of God is that he not be a woman. Clearly no other interpretation is acceptable. In 1 Cor 14:34-35, Paul deals with the problem of tongues in Corinth. Tongues speaking in Corinth was not a exemplary thing that Paul was commending them for their situation, but Paul was rebuking them for unbiblical practices. 1 Cor 14 is a list of criteria that would aid them in discerning if something is from God. One of the criteria is because the women were totally and unbiblically out of their biblical place. Since the modern tongues experience promotes this, we reject it as part of whole of an unbiblical mess.

We note that it is unfortunate, but it is always true that speaking in tongues never is alone. It always comes with a host of other things that compose a Charismatic mindset. These other things promote tongues, and tongues promotes them. You cannot consider tongues aside from these problem companions.

Moreover, we observe that in all dispensations, God uses men of God (men not women), and these men and God's use of them is always the same. These men must be spiritual, and they must have a proven history of faithfulness and character. Although God does call these men outside of the normal religious establishment at times, we do not see a pattern in either the Old or the New Testaments of ungodly, unspiritual men being greatly used of God. God's men also trip up into sin and have their faults, but in general, they have an established lifestyle that is faithfulness and godliness. If God were to communicate new revelation to us today (and He doesn't because the ending verses of Revelation tells us it is finished to not be reopened or renewed), God would only use the same kind of spiritual men of God that he has used before. Those who speak in tongues and interpret pretend to be giving us new revelation equal to the Bible. Why would God use a church where there are not loyal and submissive men of God to do this? If there are men of God there, why are the women doing the speaking?

(2) We reject tongues because the modern tongues movement seeks to move our authority from God's Word to the unstable unemotionalism of tongues and feelings - Moreover how are we to evaluate and esteem our relationship with God, our conduct before our Maker? Is it to be based on how we feel at the moment? Is not our spiritual guide the infallible Word of God? If we seek tongues as an divine experience guiding our life through the feeling of a supernatural experience, does this not fight against the authority of God's Word to do this? Feelings are transitory and treacherous. They change from moment to moment, and if we allow tongues as an experience to guide and impact our lives, then we fall into the emotionalism that is a shifting sand that will never allow faithfulness and spiritual and emotional stability.

(3) Tongues speaking is totally contrary to the Christian spirit God desires in us - Tongues in all of its varieties (in your prayer closet, publicly, or semi-publicly in small groups) all operate on a single underlying theme, edification of one's self. Paul's criteria in 1 Corinthians 14 is the opposite of this. We should seek to edify others in the church and not ourselves, and according to Paul, this CANNOT HAPPEN if the sounds from your mouth is not in a language understood by others. We understand biblical tongues to only be speaking in foreign languages, therefore permits, yea, prohibits the church from making a rule to exclude foreigners from preaching, but this is not permission nor approval of modern tongues which is ecstatic speech.

Furthermore we see Christ clearly presenting our mindset, which is opposed to this Charismatic mindset. We are to renounce ourselves, sacrifice ourselves, because without it, we will never darken heaven's door. The mindset is opposed to the Charismatic's mindset. The church is not a show or entertainment for our pleasure. God does not miraculously send the Holy Spirit to enter a Christian's body for the feeling of a Roller Coaster ride. God's priority is not our feelings, because God tells us we must mortify our feelings and flesh, not feed it. The entire Charismatic mentality is to feed the feelings of the flesh. From the music, to the healings, to the preaching, to modern tongues, it all feeds the flesh instead of mortifying the flesh.

(4) We reject modern tongues speaking also because in contradiction to biblical tongues speaking, modern tongues is seen in animism, witchcraft, non-Christian and false religions, the demented, and many other obviously non-Christian contexts. One of the proofs of Joseph Smith that they had the truth of God was that they spoke in tongues. If true tongues is the spiritual and physical overpowering of the physical body by the Spirit of God, then how is it that the Holy Spirit causes this spiritual supernatural experience in people so diversion and antagonist to true Christianity? Not only would the modern tongues movement have us to believe that this common characteristic of demonic influence is caused by God, but these other unsaved people have no interest in God nor salvation after having had their supernatural experience. This is contrary to logic, contrary to the way God works.

(5) Modern tongues is defined by a loss of control to a spirit, while God declares that those who have God's Spirit manifest a control over themselves. This goes to the heart fundamentally of modern tongues. It is a loss of control while everywhere we see the opposite where the Holy Spirit works. In Gal 5:23, the fruit of the Spirit is self-control. 1 Corinthian 14, Paul clearly imposes the criteria of self-control for every manifestation of God and His Spirit. The spirit of the prophet is subject to the prophet, therefore it only makes sense if God's men filled with the Holy Spirit have self-control, that Paul instructs them, no two speak at once, the first sits down and shuts up. That is only possible when a man is fully has under the control his own body. Tongues that is of God is under the full control of the person speaking. Moreover, we see that demon possessed people in the gospels lost control of their own bodies. This is the way demons work. God works on the basis of showing us His will through His Word, and then we decide (we will to obey) and do so. God is not in the business of possessing people to make them do anything against their will. God wants their will, and thus does not work by bypassing the will. This is Satan's methodology. By definition we should understand that the modern tongues speaking movement which seeks and promotes the loss of control to a spirit is the work of demons, and God's Holy Spirit is nowhere near this.

(6) We reject speaking in tongues because biblically it has ceased. God clearly stated that tongues would cease, and they did. There is a lot of debate about this, but the bottom line is that God prophesied this cessation of tongues in 1 Corinthians. In the historical time order of the NT books, 1 Corinthians was one of the first epistles written, and it is the only epistle that mentions tongues (and not in a good way, but in a problematic manner that needed to be fixed). None of the other epistles mentions tongues. Only the historical book of Acts and the end of Mark mentions speaking in tongues. Not even the second epistle of Corinthians mentions tongues. This leads us to the conclusion that tongues ceased something shortly after the beginning of the New Testament. 1 Corinthians is not a representation of a biblical practice of tongues, but it is squashing of tongues speaking by Paul. The treatment is not directed at opposing what happen in Acts 2, but in squashing an unbiblical tongues speaking that is exactly the mark of the modern tongues speaking movement, confusion, women speaking, everybody speaking at the same time, self-edification, and above all, the obvious historical footnote that Paul repeats, biblical tongues speaking was anchored to a judgment against the Jewish nation. It was an "end of the road" sign that God placed in front of the Jews. After the end of the road, there are no more "end of the road" signs.

Historically after the apostolic period we cannot find any valid tongues speaking as being recognized by the orthodox Christian church. Montanus spoke in tongues and the orthodox churches of his day condemned it as demonic activity. Montanus committed suicide because of this rejection, which is far from anything a man of God would do. There has always been groups outside of orthodox Christianity practicing tongues, from the Egyptians and Acadians 1200 years before Christ, to the Hindu Kundalini experience. We find witchcraft, mentally ill patients, tribal cultures, where speaking in ecstatic speech is common, but God is not in that Satan and demons are.

We find starting in 1900s various groups of supposedly religious people who speak in tongues. These events are flawed with very unspiritual and unstable people. Their tongues speaking is accompanied by unbiblical, sinful, and carnal things. The Shakers danced whirling in circles completely nude, men and women. The modern Charismatic movement is also flawed with sexual deviants and sexual perversion by the very leaders that are supposed filled with God's Spirit of Holiness. This is obvious extremes of the spiritual spectrum.

(6) Modern tongues pretends to prove spiritually by tongues, but biblical Christianity proves oneself by spirituality. We see a conflict between what the Bible presents us and what modern tongues speaking presents us. The tongues speaker wants to prove his spirituality by this activity. Biblically the spiritual people proved their spirituality by obeying God and not sinning. This change in focus is very damaging to any proposed movement. God never approves anyone who is disobedient to God's will. These people who speak in tongues are not more spiritual because they speak in tongues. The person who is more spiritual, is so because he obeys God, controls his sinful flesh, and refuses to allow sin to enter his life. We cannot allow a redefinition of what makes a person closer to God. We cannot allow a redefinition of spirituality.

(7) We reject modern tongues speaking because it represents form and essence of the ancient Mystery Religions of Corinth which Paul condemned in essence in 1 Corinthian 14.

31.04.12a.06 The Cause of Speaking in Tongues

31.04.12a.06.01 Cause: The Holy Spirit

31.04.12a.06.02 Cause: Dementia

The phenomena of speaking in tongues is not exclusively found in religious connections. The babbling or speaking unintelligible speech is a common occurrence in mental patients which have mental problems. The question therefore is very pointed here, Why would God use a behavior of mentally ill people to be the sign of the presence of God? Is this not better suited to the sign of the presence of a demon?

31.04.12a.06.03 Cause: Witchcraft, Animism

Within witchcraft, the phenomena of speaking in unintelligible speech exists.

31.04.12a.06.04 Cause: Demonic Activity

What most people, especially those speaking in tongues and promoting speaking in tongues, do not realize is that all the consequential behavior that accompanies this phenomena is all highly linked to demonic activity. Where demonic activity can be studied or has been studied, it is very similar to the tongues movement.

"After all, who can honestly believe that the gibberish spoken, by those who claim to be speaking in tongues, is a real language, especially when this antic is usually accompanied by other ridiculous things like uncontrollable laughter, rolling around on the floor, barking and howling and many other deplorable things? (For example, I paraphrase the wife of Benny Hinn, “You need a Holy Ghost enema right up your rear end!” followed by running back and forth, screaming like a mad person)" (gideonsword.net)

To this we meditate on the words of

Mark 5:2-5 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: 4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. 5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. 15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.

Luke 8:27 and ware no clothes

What we notice here is the crazy, wild behavior of the demonic activity. This is exactly the behavior of people experiencing this "spirit". We can recite long quotations (see for example Mackie, Alexander - Gift of Tongues: A Study in Pathological Aspects of Christianity) of various groups speaking in tongues that go off into sexual deviation (adultery, fornication, etc). One that sticks in my mind is the Shakers who had nude dancing in their "worship" services. How can they convince people that this is okay and biblical?

31.04.12a.06.05 Cause: Learned Behavior

31.04.12a.07 Should we Speak in Tongues Today?

31.04.12a.07.01 Pentecostal Plea for Tongues Speaking

Hear we will give space to the tongues speaking people to give us reasons why Christians should speak in tongues, and we will examine counter arguments against these reasons.

Reasons Given by Tongues Speakers for Speaking in Tongues.

A. "It is proof of our salvation."

"What is Speaking in Tongues and why does God say in 1 Corinthians 14:5 that He would like each Christian to do it? No doubt that is a question that has been asked by millions of Christians through the centuries, and we believe that knowing the answer is vital for maximizing the quality of one's life as a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. Why? The primary reason, as a study of Scripture will clearly show, is: speaking in tongues is the only absolute proof a Christian has that he is born again and guaranteed a parking place in Paradise, i.e., everlasting life (2 Cor. 1:21, 22; Eph. 1:13, 14; 1 John 3:24). Speaking in tongues is the only valid external, tangible evidence in the senses realm that the internal, intangible gift of holy spirit was shed abroad in one's heart at the moment of his new birth." (turthortradition.com)

B. "It is communion with God."

Notice that Paul's argument in 1 Cor 14 that speaking in tongues (reciting prayers in another human language that you do not know) is unfruitful to your spirit and understanding.

C. "It is the supernatural evidence of Spirit Baptism or the Spirit's indwelling"

"The Word of God teaches that when we are filled with the Holy Ghost we speak with other tongues as the Spirit of God gives utterance. It is an initial evidence or sign of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the first reason people should speak with other tongues is that this is a supernatural evidence of the Spirit's indwelling. In the tenth chapter of Acts we read where the Jewish brethren who had come with Peter to Cornelius' house were astonished when they say that the gift of the Holy Ghost was poured out on the Gentiles. They thought it was just for the Jews. How did these Jews know that Cornelius' household had received the gift of the Holy Ghost? "For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God"; (Acts 10:46). Speaking in tongues was the supernatural sign that convinced them that the Gentiles had the same gift as they." "Ten Reasons for Speaking in Tongues" by Kenneth Hagin (barr-family.com)

D. "Speaking in tongues is for spiritual edification."

"In writing to the church at Corinth, Paul encouraged them to continue the practice of speaking with other tongues in their worship of God and in their prayer lives as a means of spiritual edification or building up. "For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries"; (1 Cor. 14:2).

Paul is saying here that God has given to the church a divine, supernatural means of communication with Himself. In the 14th verse of this chapter Paul stated, "For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful."; Notice that he said, "my spirit prayeth."; The Amplified translation adds, "My spirit (by the Holy Spirit within me) prays."; God is a Spirit. When we pray in tongues, our spirit is in direct contact with God, who is a Spirit. We are talking to Him in a divine, supernatural means.

Howard Carter, who was general supervisor of the Assemblies of God in Great Britain for nineteen years and founder of the oldest Pentecostal Bible school in the world, said that we must not forget that speaking with other tongues is not only the initial evidence of the Holy Spirit's infilling, but is also a continual experience for the rest of one's life. For what purpose? To assist us in the worship of God. Speaking in tongues is a flowing stream that should never dry up, and will enrich the life spiritually."  "Ten Reasons for Speaking in Tongues" by Kenneth Hagin  (barr-family.com)

E. "Tongues remind us of the Spirit's Indwelling Presence"

"Continuing to pray and worship God in tongues helps us to be ever conscious of His indwelling presence. If I can be conscious of the indwelling presence of the Holy Ghost every day, it is bound to affect the way I live." "Ten Reasons for Speaking in Tongues" by Kenneth Hagin  (barr-family.com)

F. "Praying in tongues keeps us from praying unscriptural prayers"

Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

"Speaking in tongues keeps selfishness out of our prayers. If I pray a prayer out of my own mind and out of my own thinking, it may be unscriptural. It may be selfish... When you pray in tongues, it is your spirit praying by the Holy Spirit within you... By that method the Holy Spirit is helping you to pray according to the will of God, as things should be prayed for." "Ten Reasons for Speaking in Tongues" by Kenneth Hagin  (barr-family.com)

 

G. "Praying in tongues stimulates our Faith"

Jude 1:20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost.

"It stimulates faith and helps us learn how to trust God more fully. If the Holy Spirit supernaturally directs the words I speak, faith must be exercised to speak with tongues... However, speaking with tongues helps us to learn how to trust God more fully." "Ten Reasons for Speaking in Tongues" by Kenneth Hagin  (barr-family.com)

H. "Praying in tongues keeps us free from worldly contamination"

"this is a means of keeping us free from the contamination of the ungodly and the profane, and all the vulgar talk around us on the job or out in public... In the barber shop, for instance, when the men there tell risque jokes, I just sit there and speak to myself and to God in tongues." "Ten Reasons for Speaking in Tongues" by Kenneth Hagin  (barr-family.com)

I. "Praying in tongues enables us to pray for the unknown"

"it provides a way to pray for things for which no one thinks for which no one thinks to pray or is even aware. We already know that the Holy Spirit helps us to pray for what we know not how to pray as we ought. In addition the Holy Spirit, who knows everything, can pray through us for things about which our natural mind knows nothing."  "Ten Reasons for Speaking in Tongues" by Kenneth Hagin  (barr-family.com)

J. "Praying in tongues gives us spiritual refreshing"

Isaiah 28:11-12 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. 12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.

"What is the rest, the refreshing, that the above passage of scripture refers to? Speaking in other tongues." "Ten Reasons for Speaking in Tongues" by Kenneth Hagin  (barr-family.com)

K. "It brings the tongue under subjection"

"Yielding the tongue to the Holy Spirit to speak with other tongues is a giant step toward fully yielding all of out members to God. For if we can yield this most unruly member, we can yield any member." "Ten Reasons for Speaking in Tongues" by Kenneth Hagin  (barr-family.com)

31.04.12a.07.02 Cessationist Arguments

DMI - Why we no longer Speak with other Tongues (a) 179K (19 pages)
Durand, Greg - Cessation of Tongues and Prophecy (a) 97K (3 pages)
Giehl - Cessation of Cessation Theology (proTongues) (a) 122K (4 pages)

31.04.12a.99 General Works

Articles

Anderson, Robert (Author profile) - Spirit Manifestations and the Gift of Tongues (a) 145K (11 pages)
Arnaud, Robin - Truth about the Gift of Tongues (a) 264K (45 pages)
Carter, Charles W - A Wesleyan View of Spirit's Gift of Tongues in the Book of Acts (a) 53K (20 pages)
Costella, Dennis - Tongues in the Corinthian Church (a) 185K (5 pages).
Dollar, Truman - Church History and Tongues Movement (a) 100K (4 pages)
Hills, Aaron - Tongues Movement (a) 148K (9 pages)
House, Wayne - Tongues and The Mystery Religions of Corinth (a) 172K (14 pages)
Johnson, Ian - Is tongues in every instance of Spirit Baptism in Acts  (a) 85K (3 pages)
Lang - Early Years of the Tongues Movement (a) 173K (11 pages)
Mauro, Philip - Speaking in Tongues (a) 26K (7 pages)
McNeff, Jon - Tongues A Sign for Today (a) 132K (4 pgs)
Nelte, Frank (WCG) -  Should you be speaking in tongues? (a) 59K (27 pgs)
Piper - 27 Reasons why Christians should neither seek nor desire tongues (a) 110K (9 pages)
Piper - OT Background of Tongues (a) 412K (8 pages)
Pohl, Alfred - 17 Reasons Why I Left the Tongues Movement (a) 157K (7 pages)
Rendel - Pentecostal Error, Tongues, Holy Spirit (a) 409K (133 pages)
Thompson, Stan - Test the spirits, Biblical Guide to Healings and Tongues (a) 32K (11 pages)
Wigglesworth, Smith - Gift of Tongues (s)

Books

Arthur, William - The Tongue of Fire (b) 395K (137 pages).
Hudson, Curtis - Tongues Confusion (b) 164K (11 pages)
Khoo, Jeffery - Charismatic Tongues Examined (b) 28K (16 pages)
Mackie, Alexander - Gift of Tongues: A Study in Pathological Aspects of Christianity (b) (167 pages) pdf odt e-Sword
Need, Ovid - Tongues, A Biblical View (b) 218K (90 pages)
Rendel - I speak in tongues more than you all (b) 233k (40 pages)
Rice, John R - Speaking in Tongues (b) 204K (20 pages)