Dear pentecostal brothers,
I hope you don't feel offended or annoyed about this. This is what I found out:
Tongues are not mentioned in any of the post-apostolic early church fathers' writings. Clemente of Rome, Justine Martyr, Origenes, Crisostomus and others( I hope you are informed about the early post-apostolic church leader) - considered tongues as a remote practice, something that occured in the apostolic times.
After the first century of christhianity, the only people that supposedly spoke in tongues were Montanus and his followers in the Second century and his main disciple: Tertullian. This group was heretic and was discredited because of the prophecies that fail to fulfill, specially the prophecy that the New Jerusalem would descend to Minor Asia during Montanus' days.
The next group that claimed to speak in tongues were the Cevenoles in the Seventeenth Century. This was also discredited due to their unfulfilled prophecies and military activities.
About 1731, a group of Roman-Catholic reformers named "Jansenists" celebrated night meetings at the tomb of their leader, where supposedly occured extatic tongues.
Another group that "spoke in tongues" were the Shakers, disciples of Mother Ann Lee, who lived from 1736 to 1784. She considered herself as the female equivalent of Jesuschrist. Then she founded the Shaker Community in Troy, New York. This group practiced very inmoral acts.
In 1830, Edward Irving started in London a small group named "Irvinguites". It is said he had revelations that CONTRADICTED THE SCRIPTURES. His prophecies remained unfulfilled and his alleged healings were followed by death. They also "spoke in tongues".
Joseph Smith- the leader of the Mormons and his followers "spoke in tongues" as well.
From Montanus up to Joseph Smith, every time that "tongues speaking" took place, they were never considered as part of genuine or orthodox christhianity.
But in the late nineteenth century, there was a group in the U.S.A named "Holliness Movement". Tongues speaking and other extatic phenomena were common.
It was in 1901, in the Bethel Bible College in Topeka Kansas that the tongues activities gave birth to the Pentecostal Movement.
Charles Parham, many times called "the father of modern pentecostalism", asked his students a question "What is the biblical evidence of the Holy Spirit baptism"? Then later his student, Agnes Ozman "received the Holy Spirit Baptism".
What is your opinion about this historical information? Were you previously informed about this? And a question:
You have two options, one is that tongues ceased after the death of all the apostles. But that tongues reappeared in the late nineteenth century or the early twentieth century. Or the other is that tongues never really ceased.
And a final great question: Were christhians wrong for about 1700-1800 years concerning the tongues issue?
2007-08-06 06:41:18 · 20 answers · asked by noname 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Tongues are not evidence of the Spirit. Anyone can speak in tongues. They don't even have to be Christian.
2007-08-06 06:45:26 · answer #1 · answered by Fish <>< 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
It amazes me that Christians will go to such great length to discredit a spiritual gift that has been clearly substantiated in the Bible. Why don't you want this spiritual gift? Why do you want to discredit it? Personally I want all that God has ordained for me. You are wasting your breath arguing against scriptures. The majority of your walk with God is about being obedient to the Word of God even though you do not understand or cannot see what the outcome will be. God's wisdom is infinite. You will never understand all of the depths of His Word in your lifetime, and you will definitely not figure it out by digging around in American history. God has to reveal His Word to you through the Holy Spirit. You cannot get an answer by looking in history books. The older I get the more I realize that life is too short and that I have a hope for life beyond this one. If it is in His Word, I am doing whatever it takes to be saved and look upon His face, and if that means being baptized in Jesus' Name and being filled with the Holy Spirit so be it. Just because the gift of tongues has been abused or faked does not mean it does not exist anymore. Like my Pastor always says "don't knock it until you try it". In order to receive the Holy Spirit you will have to put all your theories and ideologies about God's Word behind you.
2007-08-06 07:26:03 · answer #2 · answered by S J 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Ecclesiastes 10: 12-14
2007-08-06 06:47:24 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
In a word, no! I like your question. The gift of tongues ceased after the apostolic age and was given for the express purpose of preaching the Gospel to unbelieving Jews in their own language without the speaker ever having learned the language. The book of Isaiah in the Old Testament foretold of this gift that would come much later.
What is happening in some churches today is a total sham.
2007-08-06 07:09:05 · answer #4 · answered by mandbturner3699 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋
According to Scripture tongues will cease when we are fully made perfect (1 Cor.1:8-10)which shows that. If anyone has been made perfect then they won't need tongues as that is how we pray in the Spirit to really be effective in our daily lives.
2007-08-07 11:01:27 · answer #5 · answered by taxi0667 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have a different interpretation of speaking in tongues. The gift of speaking in "unknown" tongues was to assure the spreading of Christ's message into areas that did not share a common language. Therefore, His disciples would be able to use that gift to speak in a language not previously known to them. Yet, we have people babbling away in a confused manner knowing well that God is not the author of confusion.
2007-08-14 05:11:02 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Tongues is real it is for Today Read Acts 2:38,39.Act 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Act 2:39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
If God called you then it is for YOU!
2007-08-13 14:37:51 · answer #7 · answered by cowboy_christian_fellowship 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
too much words...
the gift of tongues is the ability to speak in a different language in order to share the word of God with someone who's language you do not speak..
with so many different cultures today there is usually someone in attendance that can translate so this does not need to occur as much today....
It has nothing to do with the jump around babbling that some churches claim....
2007-08-06 06:51:13 · answer #8 · answered by coffee_pot12 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
This is why the atheist sit by an laugh, and laugh as the world dies around us. Did we just raise up the name of Jesus, or once again, make a fool out of ourselves. God have mercy on us.
2007-08-13 09:26:55 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've always held to the belief that tongues were for the first century believers....
There's no need for them today. Tongues were for the edification of the church and for the glory of God......
Today, the gift is abused and borderline demonic in some churches
2007-08-06 06:44:52 · answer #10 · answered by primoa1970 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Does that make me an Apostle?
Man your assumed facts are for the majority all wrong. I don't know where you dug this stuff up but you obviously don't know as much as you try to act like you do.
2007-08-14 03:18:54 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋