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Speaking In Tongues

            There is much concern in my mind about the issue of speaking in tongues. Without a doubt this is the most controversial of all the spiritual gifts of today. Many positions are held by all sides, some are pro, con, and even middle ground on this subject. Yet I find the idea of tongues speaking today in our culture is confused and does not resemble that spoken about in Scripture, that which was to eventually cease. .
             The point is Christians need to know where to stand on such issues. We are not trying to be unloving or critical when we address this misunderstood doctrine. We have to speak the truth and we must do it in love. We cannot just say that tongues does not exist because we feel that way or because the congregation we attend does not believe that way. Our conclusion must be one that is based upon what the Scriptures teach. The Bible has to be our final authority. We are going to look at three area of tongues. What is tongues? Their purpose and finally if they are still relevant for today. .
             There are two main definitions that apply to the use of the term "tongues" when it appears in Scripture. Tongues is defined as normal human language. Then when tongues is applied as a gift of the Holy Spirit, it is the ability to speak a foreign language one had never learned before. The word tongues comes from the Greek word glossa which basically means languages or as it is most commonly translated as tongues. "The word glossa is used in the Greek O.T. no less than 100 times."(Staton 1973, 61) The word is used as referring to the physical tongue itself or to an unknown language. "The word glossa is used no less than fifty times in the New Testament."(Staton 1973 62) In the New Testament the word is used in two ways as in the Old Testament. First as in reference to the physical tongue as an organ. See Mark 7:33-35, Luke 1:64, Romans 3:13; 14:11, and ect. Then tongues refers to the human languages as in Acts 2:4.


Essays Related to Speaking In Tongues

1. Body Symbolosim in Titus Andronicus

... get Titus to cut off his hand. Having a different skin color did not make any difference in the way others listen to Aaron. In fact, Aaron managing to get Titus to cut off his hand shows how powerful tongues and speech can be. Aaron says to Titus Titus Andronicus, my lord the emperor Sends thee ... of someone else will change the way Titus acts for the remaining of the play. Tongues continue to play a vital role as the play goes on. Characters who have not had so much power continue to make decisions for others. In act 2, scene 4, Aaron still had the power to persuade Demetrius and Chiro...

  • Word Count: 1360
  • Approx Pages: 5
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  • Grade Level: High School

2. American Tongues

American Tongues is an interesting documentary that chronicles and demonstrates the different varieties of spoken English in the United States. It portrays some of the regional, social, and ethnic differences in American speech and presents various attitudes that people have about these differences. Attitudes towards dialects ... STANDARD ENGLISH ACCENT THAT IS BETTER THAN ALL OTHERS, but there is a type of English favored by actors, TV and radio announcers (American Tongues)." The woman who provides the voice for directory assistance notes that she uses a "generic homogenized speech." If th...

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3. Paul's View of Women in the Church

... to another person present . So in this very same passage he is telling men as well as women to be silent in certain situations, so that order can be established "and he finishes the topic with a balanced phrase of speech and silence in v.39-40 ""Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. But everything should be done ... in a fitting and orderly way."" To understand the verses in 1 Timothy, we must first understand the ... situation in which Paul and Timothy worked. In first-century Jewish culture, women were not allowed to study. Paul did not ...

  • Word Count: 2588
  • Approx Pages: 10
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

4. What Are People Really In Search Of

... setting is appropriate since most of the characters are displaced people, migrating north, whether uprooted by desires of opportunities or fleeing the tyranny of the South. Recognizing that all characters in this play are on a search for self-actualization, the search by the characters Seth Holly, Rutherford Selig, Bynum Walker, and Herald Loomis is not motivated by practical consideration, ... himself locates displaced people for a fee. Selig's salvation is his own exclusion from racial oppression and his financial independence. Selig's "control over this human exchange, however is mor...

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5. Framed Summary: From Outside, In (Barbara Mellix)

... as a little girl of two diverse, but similar languages. One of her mother tongue, "Black English," which she could use with her own community in a warm environment, and the other of the "others," "Standard English," which was used for articulate communication with the public that made her more influential ... to speak. She says that she always spoke proper English among the "others" whereas she spoke naturally to her own family. She knew that in speaking standard English, she demonstrated equality with the "others," but she also knew they were acknowledging their own inferiority and sh...

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6. The Myth of Christian Discrimination in the LGBT Rights Movement

... regarding the topic at all. The core reading was written to inform the general public of the double standards Christians have in their opinions related to homosexuals based upon their religious beliefs. This information is important within today's social structure in order to build empathy and tolerance towards other people, even when opinions and beliefs clash and collide. Mr. Cruz writes to ... love me. Actions speak louder than words." Cruz's passion to inform the public of the plights of how religious stereotyping towards homosexuality is apparent in this blog. I consider myself a C...

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7. The Nine Gifts of the Holy Spirit

... same spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and still to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines" (1 Corinthians 12 ... the power of the Spirit, but it will all be mysterious." (1 Corinthians 14: 2). "I wish you could all speak in tongues, but even more I wish you could all prophesy. For prophecy is greater than speaking in to...

  • Word Count: 1586
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8. Baptised with an Unholy Spirit

... simply instructed them to start repeating the word "Blood", and within a matter of seconds they have begun to speak in tongues. Usually I then call over another worker and suggest that he or she praise God with them so that they do not stop speaking in tongues. They are now entering another spiritual dimension, and it is wonderfully strange! It is important that they do not ... begin to doubt at this point. I then go on to the next one in line and begin all over again'.9 In the introduction to Don Basham's book 'Spiritual Power: How To Get ... . The laying on of hands by genuine Apostle...

  • Word Count: 10720
  • Approx Pages: 43
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9. Acts 2

... the Spirit of God being poured out upon humankind just as promised. The outpouring was also foretold by John the Baptist in Matthew 3:11. One reason why God chose other tongues as the initial sign of receiving the Holy Ghost is that speaking in tongues is an immediate, outward evidence. Peter and the six Jewish Christians who went with him to Ceasarea knew that the ... Ghost, not because of their temperance, gentleness, love, or peace, but because they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God (Acts 10:46). Peter specifically pointed to speaking in tongues as the undeniable evidence...

  • Word Count: 1275
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

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