You've heard the rumors. Now here's the truth: those who are of the Pentecostal denomination are not a bunch of quacks. Surprised? I've been approached by a number of Seventh-Day Adventists (as well as non-Christians) who question and scrutinize the act of speaking in tongues. Perhaps I can go through this step by step and explain where Pentecostals are coming from in our beliefs.
Rumor: speaking in tongues is pure jibberish without meaning, weird, and frightening.
The Real Deal: speaking in tongues was very much a part of the early church. Check it out in the Book of Acts 2 where Peter, his homies, and a bunch of onlookers are mystified by followers of Christ who speak in a completely different language when inspired by the Holy Spirit. This event happened on the "Day of Pentecost" (first day of the week [Sunday]) which is why we don't go to church on the Sabbath, thusly taking on the title of being Pentecostal. This isn't just a New Testament event, but also an Old Testament one.
Let me explain. When people bust out in speaking in tongues in Acts, it occurs during a significant Jewish feast that was REQUIRED by Jewish law found in Leviticus: The Feast of Weeks. Pentecost is the day after the seventh Sabbath during this feasting period, but it was still a part of the Jewish Festival of Weeks time frame. So then, in summary, the day after Sabbath is Sunday(Pentecost) - the day which the Holy Spirit "indwelt" the early church believers changing the day they got together for [the majority] of Christians from Sabbath to Sunday. So what exactly are these mental people uttering? If you'd pick up your bible and read it rather than someone else telling you how to think, you would find the Apostle Peter has a concrete answer for us. Over and over the believers muttered things in other languages and Peter, one after the other, 'translated'/interpreted them.
How can we know then that what Peter says is true or not? Easy. You have to judge it for yourself and line it up with what the bible says. For instance if a paster in a mega church starts raising his hands and shouting in weird words, "habbah legah kalaje" and says it means, "give me your money and you'll have an inheritance in heaven!" Clearly...this is not what the bible teaches. Jesus said give Him your heart and you'll have an eternal inheritance. Amen? You can be 100% certain this preacher is a fake, a liar, and not someone you should listen to, but instead pray for. This is why we need to stay in the Word - daily - so we can decipher truth from false teaching according to biblical principle.
Moving onward...
Rumor: When people speak in tongues, it is a psychological experience where your brain releases chemicals - you're spiritually high when this happens and your mind buys it.
The Real Deal: No doubt your body, mind, and spirit go through something that is really, for lack of a better term, unusual. If someone came up to me and said with complete sincerity, "John, I was abducted by aliens from Andromeda - they did strange things to me, spoke to me in a weird language, and dropped me back on Earth just now," I would be a skeptic for sure. Personal testimony is a great source for evidence, but it can also be the most inaccurate, so what I say next is completely up to your discretion. I am not here to convince you to believe one thing or another, but to inform you of how some people think. Fair?
My personal [speaking in tongues] testimony: I visited my church after being at UM for a while. It was good to be back and see everyone. At the end of the sermon, which was preached by a guest speaker whose name escapes me, the congregation was invited to "experience the baptism of the Holy Spirit" aka speaking in tongues. I wasn't eager to see what this was all about. I was not excited about it. I wasn't skeptical, either. I just went for the heck of it, but expected SOMETHING to happen. I did not go based on heightened ultra-religious zeal or some type of pious attitude, but simply to go and to see for myself what this speaking in tongues bit was all about. There were a handful of us. I was ushered within the tightly packed group and lead into prayer by the guest preacher, one or two church elders, and my pastor. Basically it was a hard core prayer 'pack' of Christians praying for one thing: to please their creator and savior, Christ. And that was it. I thought, "Sure I can pray about this" and just started to give thanks in an intentional way. So we were all praying quietly at first, but it snowballed into speaking, to raising the voice, but not shouting. I let go of everything that was on my mind and went for it. My eyes began to twitch uncontrollably, which I was 100% aware of, my stomach began to tighten, which I was also 100% aware of, and my lips slowly began to move forming words. The neat part is that I was aware and also unable to control the physical attributes of this experience. The words which came out just flowed - I didn't have to think about what I was saying - it was like speaking on auto pilot. I spoke words that felt like honey in a tongue that wasn't of my own familiarity. The words were then, get this, 'translated' by the guest preacher in English and it lined up with what was on my mind in utterances. Unreal, eh? Afterwards, I was in absolute confirmation of my faith and that single experience marks the landmark of not being able to deny Christianity. I went to my friend Jonathan's house to tell him about it. He is on facebook if you really want to hunt him down and ask him.
Rumor: Evangelical Christians are scam artists.
The Real Deal: I agree some mainstream televangelists are scammers. This should not be a surprise to a follower of Christ. Anyone who knows how to read knows the bible says there will be a host of teachers/preachers/evangelists who fit the mold of 2 Timothy 4:3-5. "Feel good" messages who allow people to marvel at their amazing healing gifts and life improving formulas. It is too bad that the poster boy of Evangelical Christianity is one of these preachers. While there are a number of mainstream preachers, such as Joel Osteen, who preach a twisted message under the Pentecostal umbrella, it is unfortunate, and I must admit, it is normal to be be skeptical of his methods. A good study would be to listen to any of his messages and find where in the bible he gets his stuff from - you'll find its comparing apples to oranges.
Evangelical Christianity, I believe, is complete submission to the Holy Spirit and allowing it to work through us on a day-to-day basis, not through mega buildings or fairy tale messages. I hope this clears up some things...leave a comment if I should rethink all this or try to explain something again - after all...I gotta be accountable for what people read!
