Controversial Christian

Speaking in Tongues

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 07:41:27 GMT

Speaking in Tongues
The technical term for speaking in tongues is Glossolalia (from the Greek glossa = tongue or language and lalo = to speak or speaking). Some describe it as the "practice of making unintelligible utterances, often as part of religious practices" (Wikipedia), which is not strictly accurate. Others commonly speak of it as an ecstatic utterance, which is also inaccurate.

There is much debate as to both its status, such as whether its utterances can be considered to form language, and its source, whether it is a natural, supernatural, or spiritual phenomenon. The debate usually betrays a lack of knowledge about the nature of the gift, often due to a fear of trying it out, or of its emotional and apparently irrational nature.

Those experienced in its proper use know it to be one of the most wonderful gifts given to the church by Jesus, for the purposes of building up, strengthening and equipping the believer to grow and to minister, and as a useful weapon and tool in the struggle against the kingdom of darkness. Contary to the doctrine of some Pentecostals, fortunately becoming less accepted as time passes and barriers between denominations fall, it is not a gift that is essential to salvation. In fact, only faith in Jesus is essential to salvation. However, all of the spiritual gifts are important in the life of the believer, including the gift of tongues. Controversy and fear must not cause us to despise or neglect anything considered important by God. Jesus said, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it" (Matthew 16:18b), so we dare not refuse a gift so specifically intended for building!

Pentecost
The modern charismatic Christian concept of speaking in tongues began at Pentecost, as described in the Acts 2, when Jesus' followers were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in languages they did not themselves know, but which could be understood by the many foreigners present on that occasion. They were heard and understood as proclaiming the glory of God. There are at least two explanations for this occurence. After the "tongues of fire" descended upon their heads, either the believers then spoke in languages unknown to them, but recognizable to others present as their own native language, or it was a gift of interpretation being given to the hearers so they could understand the message in their own language. Either is miraculous.

It is likely that this event was intended by God as a reversal of what happened at the Tower of Babel as described in Genesis 11. The languages of humanity were differentiated at Babel, leading to confusion. At Pentecost they were reunited to enable the immediate proclamation of the Gospel to the people from many different countrieswho were gathered in Jerusalem.

It is clear from Paul's later teaching, and from church history, that the above manifestation of tongues as natural human language is the more rare use of the gift, although there have been reports right down through history and to today of such happenings. However, the most common variety of the gift is as a sign of God's activity, as a prayer language, as a form of prophecy or message gift, as a builder of faith, as a means of worship, as a weapon of spiritual warfare, and as a way for the human spirit to connect more rapidly and directly with God's presence. Clearly, it is indeed a powerful and diverse gift, and as such is greatly neglected, misunderstood, feared, misused and abused.

Paul's Teaching
Most of the instruction we have about tongues comes from Paul addressing some problems in the church at Corinth. This has been used by some to give tongues a bad press. However, we must understand that Paul is not giving us a user's manual for the gift. Rather, he is trying to correct a situation of which the use of tongues is only a small part. He, and his readers, all assume the value of the gift - that is not in doubt. So it is not spoken about. Instead, some behavioural problems are dealt with.

Paul commands them, "Do not forbid speaking in tongues" (1 Cor 14:39). He wishes that they "all spoke with tongues" (1 Cor 14:5), and claims "I speak with tongues more than you all" 1 Cor 14:18), Paul encourages to be orderly in their use of tongues (1 Cor 14:23, 27). They are speaking mysteries in the spirit, to God, rather than to men, (1 Cor 14:2). Tongues edifies the speaker (1 Cor 14:4), and it is the person's spirit praying, not their mind (1 Cor 14:14). Tongues blesses and thanks God (1 Cor 14:16-17).

While in 1 Cor 12:7-11 and 1 Cor 12:28-30 Paul indicates that not all Christians speak in tongues, it does not say that they should not do so. In fact, Paul seems to strongly encourage them to use the gift. I believe that all believers have the ability to speak in tongues, as Jesus declares in Mark 16:16-17. It is not an elitist gift intended for a few super-spiritual heroes. It is primarily a prayer language, as in 1 Corinthians 14:14, Ephesians 6:18 and Jude 20. In 1 Corinthians 14:21 Paul makes clear his belief that this is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 28:11-12. Should a believer refuse a gift that Jesus clearly intended all to have, just because it is difficult to understand, or embarrassing to practice? Where is the faith in that?

If one thinks about the psychology of the gift of tongues, it is probably meant to be offensive to the rational mind, and to reduce the proud adult to the level of a little child, who can receive in faith. We need something to pull us down from our intellectual high horses, and the gift of speaking in tongues fills this role admirably!

Websites:
Speak in Tongues. For those who want together to learn more about the Spiritual gift of speaking in tongues, and how to use it effectively. Includes a blog for regular updates and news.
Glossolalia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Books:
Dennis J. Bennett, The Holy Spirit and You: A Study Guide to the Spirit-Filled Life. Bridge-Logos Publishers, 1994.
Dennis J. Bennett, Nine O'Clock in the Morning. Bridge-Logos Publishers, 1970.
Mahesh Chavda, Hidden Power of Speaking in Tongues. Destiny Image Publishers, 2003.
Larry Christenson, Answering Your Questions About Speaking in Tongues. Bethany House, 2005.
Billy Graham, The Holy Spirit: Activating God's Power in Your Life. Thomas Nelson, 2000.
Jack Hayford, The Beauty Of Spiritual Language. Thomas Nelson, 1996.
Robert Lindfelt, Speaking in Tongues: A Bibical Perspective. ACW Press, 2002.
John L. Sherrill, They Speak with Other Tongues. Chosen Books, 2004.
Rick Walston, The Speaking In Tongues Controversy. Xulon Press, 2003.

Adoptionism - Controversial Christian

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 01:11:29 GMT

Adoptionism
Adoptionism is a heresy which, rather than accepting that Jesus is Christ comein the flesh, states that Jesus was a normal man whom God adopted into divine Sonship because of his unusual virtue. This adoption is usually assumed to have taken place at Jesus' baptism.

The earliest known teacher of this idea is the leather merchant Theodotus, in Rome at around AD 190. Theodotus taught that the 'Spirit' or 'Christ' descended into the man Jesus, and invested him with miraculous powers. In this way it could be claimed that Jesus was a mere man and not the divine Son of God.

An early convert to adoptionism was Paul of Samosata, who was condemned by the Synod of Antioch in AD 268. He was later accused by the church historian Eusebius for deying his God and his Lord by holding such a low view of Jesus.

Philosophy - Controversial Christian

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 05:10:33 GMT

Philosophy

Origin of the Term Philosophy
The term 'philosopher' was coined by Pythagorus, shortly after establishing his school, the Pythagorean Brotherhood. At the Olympic Games Prince Leon of Phlius asked Pythagorus to describe himself, to which Pythagorus replied, "I am a philosopher'. When asked to explain further the sage replied:

Life, Prince Leon, may well be compared with these public Games for in this vast crowd assembled here some are attracted by the acquisition of gain, others are led on by the hopes and ambitions of fame and glory. But among them there are a few who have come to observe and to understand all that passes here.

It is the same with life. Some are influenced by the love of wealth while others are blindly led on by the mad fever for power and domination, but the finest type of man gives himself up to discovering the meaning and purpose of life itself. He seeks to uncover the secrets of nature. This is the man I call a philospoher for although no man is comletely wise in all respects, he can love wisdom as the key to nature's secrets. (From Fermat's Last Theorem by Simon Singh, London: Fourth Estate, 2002, p11.)

Open Theism - Controversial Christian

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 05:00:58 GMT

Open Theism
Some ideas common in Calvinism and Reformed theology, such as God's omnipotence and omniscience, can be traced directly back to ideas of Ancient Greek philosophy. Classical theism states that God is immutable, impassible, and timeless, and fully determines the future. One implication of this is that humans can not have true free-will, otherwise God could not be totally in control.

Open theism, or free-will theism, begining from certain Arminian ideas, tries to explain the relationship between human free will and the sovereignty of God. In the words of one of its key advocates, Dr. John E. Sanders:

That God changes in some respects implies that God is temporal, working with us in time. God, at least since Creation, experiences duration. God is everlasting through time rather than timelessly eternal... We believe that God could have known every event of the future had God decided to create a fully determined universe. However, in our view, God decided to create beings with interdeterministic freedom which implies that God chose to create a universe in which the future is not entirely knowable, even for God. For many open theists, the 'future' is not a present reality - it does not exist - and God knows reality as it is. (From the Open Theism Information Site).

Open theism allows for God to be influenced through prayer, decisions, and actions of people. As I once heard Dr. Clark Pinnock say in a lecture: "God does not know everything that will happen, because there are still some things that he and I have not decided yet." If we take seriously the idea that God wants to partner with humans in the creation of his Kingdom on earth, then some such conclusion would seem to be inevitable.

The term "open theism" was coined in 1980 by Seventh-day Adventist theologian Richard Rice in his book The openness of God: The relationship of divine foreknowledge and human free will, and expanded more fully in 1994 by Clark Pinnock, Richard Rice, John Sanders, William Hasker and David Basinger in The Openness of God: A Biblical Challenge to the Traditional Understanding of God.

God’s knowledge of the future can still be perfect, but will sometimes comprise a knowledge of possibilities rather than certainties. He knows and ordains some future certainties, and all future possibilities, including the possible free will choices of humans. In this way the major paradox of Calvinism, predestination, can be nullified in a way that is truer to the Bible and requires less of the philosophical contortions needed to make a system like Calvinism work.

Websites:
Open Theism Information Site. This site, endorsed by Dr. John Sanders, is designed to disseminate information about Open Theism. Most of the information found here is the result of a great deal of scholarly work done by professional philosophers of religion, theologians, and religious academics of diverse backgrounds working in a wide range of institutions.
Open Theism - Theopedia.
Open Theism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Books:
Clark Pinnock (Ed.), The Grace of God and the Will of Man. Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers, 1989.
Clark Pinnock, Most Moved Mover: A Theology of Gods Openness (The Didsbury Lectures). Baker Academic, 2001.
Clark Pinnock, Richard Rice, John Sanders, William Hasker and David Basinger, The Openness of God: A Biblical Challenge to the Traditional Understanding of God. Downers Grove, Il: InterVarsity Press, 1994.
Richard Rice, The Openness of God: The Relationship of Divine Foreknowledge and Human Free Will. Review and Herald Pub. Association, 1980.

Audio:
A Theology of God's Openness, by Clark Pinnock & David Paulsen (MP3).

Resources - Controversial Christian

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 04:57:34 GMT

Websites
Some other websites you might find of interest or help are the following:

A Reasonable Mystic - How to be a Christian mystic and not lose your sanity.
Healing Prayer Ministries Network - A network and online resources for groups, churches and people practicing or interested in healing prayer ministry, prayer counselling, inner healing, and deliverance.
Listening to God - Learn how to hear and recognise God's voice.
Prayer Counselling - the Guide - A definitive guide to prayer counselling ('counseling' in America), prayer ministry, Christian counselling, and healing ministry.
Speak-in-Tongues.com - For those who want together to learn more about the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues, and how to use it effectively.
Godly Science - A blog exploring the relationship between science and Christian faith.
Mal's Meanderings - Mal Dow thinking aloud in public - about Christian living and ministry, future and emerging church, theology, philosophy, and using the Internet effectively.
The Blog Works - If you would like to easily build a blog of your own, then here's how to go about it.

Search Engines
Some useful specialised search engines:

Christian Mysticism Search Engine - Find websites and online resources about Christian mysticism
Healing Prayer Ministry Search Engine - Find websites and online resources about healing prayer ministry, prayer counselling, inner healing, and deliverance.

Controversial Christian

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 04:48:57 GMT

Argument and Controvery
If there is one thing that Christians have done a great deal of over the centuries since Jesus walked the earth, it is disagree about many things.

It is human to disagree, and it is human to always want to be right about everything - fallen human that is.

However, dispute and disagreement is not always wrong. There are both godly and ungodly ways to be at variance with each other. Many of the major differences down the years have been the result of the Holy Spirit revealing a new or better way something should be done, or a new purpose he wants to bring about. Other disputes have been the result of sinful attitudes, particularly amongst church leaders who really should know better.

It's a pity we can't learn from scholars, academics, and scientists, who have made debate into an artform that actually can result in real progress in a particular discipline - if it is done good naturedly that is. I'm sure we learned this approach from the Hebrews, for whom the answer to an argument is never as enjoyable as the argument itself.

In this website we plan to progressively outline the areas of difference across the body of Christ, both historic and present day. We will also look at the ways in which they have been resolved, or, if not resolved, lived with in tension.

We will also examine the many ways in which things have and can go wrong, and what can be done about them. In this we include the various heresies propagated in the church, and the cults and other unhealthy religious groups that sometimes spin off from bad teaching.

A Work in Progress
The church's penchant for argument is such that this website will never be finished. There are so many past topics to examine, and new debates arising all the time, that what we will do is as follows:

When we discover a topic worth including we will add it to the indices (or, if you are feeling argumentative - indexes). Once we have at least one article about that term the index entry will become a live link. So, at worst this site will be a useful list of words, and at best an encyclopedia of dispute. Realistically it will fall between these two points.

Not Necessarily a Neutral Source
While attempts will be made to be fair to all sides of a topic, we can only use material as it becomes available to us. Also, we make no apology for also stating our own position, as we see it from our reading of the Bible and from our own experience of God's grace in our lives.

The Indexes
In the left margin we have:

Master Index: A summary of all of the other indexes.
Theology Index: The branches of theology within which many of the debates are found.
Philosophy Index: The branches of philosophy within which many of the debates are found.
Religion Index: The religions of the world and how they relate to the true purposes of God.
'-ism' Index: When the suffix '-ism' is added to a word, it is very often (but not always) used to denote a negative response to what the word refers to. Looking out for such words can help us discover problem areas. Note: not all of the words in this list, even though they end with '-ism' have negative connotations.
'-ist' Index: This suffix often denotes a practitioner of one of the areas in the '-ism' list.
'-ology' Index: Many of the fields of enquiry within which arguments arise.

In the right margin we have:

Controversy Index: The major arguments that have affected the church through history, and debates which arise today out of different understandings of the Gospel, the nature of creation, God's purposes, and different ways of responding to life.
Heresy Index: The major heresies which have had to be countered by the church through history, and which are still found at the root of the understanding of many of today's cults.
Movement Index: Many of the movements and church denominations come into being as the result of a difference over points of theology or practice, or an attempt to correct a perceived wrong.
Cult Index: The groups that come into being through believing a lie instead of the truth, and because of strong leaders wanting to be in control of other people.
History Index: The historical setting for many of the disputes.
People Index: It takes at least two to have an argument. These are the major players.
Occult Index: The kingdom of darkness loves an argument, and will use it for their own purposes whenever possible.