Is The Gift of Tongues For Today?

Someone sent me a sample of some charismatic Sunday school literature designed to teach kindergarten children to speak in tongues. It is titled "I've Been Filled with the Holy Spirit!!!" and is an eight-page colouring book. One page has a caricature of a smiling weight-lifter with a T-shirt that says "Spirit-Man." Under him is printed 1 Corinthians 14:4: "He that speaks in an unknown tongue builds himself up."

Another page features a boy who looks like Howdy-Doody [a clown] with his hands lifted up. A dotted outline pictures where his lungs would be. (This evidently represents his spirit.) Inside the lung-shaped diagram is printed "BAH-LE ODOMA TA LAH-SE TA NO-MO." A cartoon-style balloon coming from his mouth repeats the words, "BAH-LE ODOMA TA LAH-SE TA NO-MO." A brain-shaped cloud is drawn in his head, with a large question mark in the cloud? Also inside the cloud is printed, "MY MIND DOESN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT I AM SAYING." Under the boy 1 Corinthians 14:14 is printed: "For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful."

That expresses the typical charismatic perspective. The gift of tongues is viewed as a wholly mystical ability that somehow operates in a person's spirit but utterly bypasses the mind. Many charismatics are even told that they must purposefully switch off their minds to enable the gift to function. Charles and Frances Hunter, for example, hold "Healing Explosion" meetings, attended by as many as fifty thousand people at a time. At those seminars the Hunters "teach" people how to receive the gift of tongues. Charles Hunter tells people,

When you pray with your spirit, you do not think of the sounds of the language. Just trust God, but make the sounds when I tell you to. In just a moment when I tell you to, begin loving and praising God by speaking forth a lot of different syllable sounds. At first make the sounds rapidly so you won't try to think as you do in speaking your natural language...Make the sounds loudly at first so you can easily hear what you are saying.

Hunter does not explain what point there is in hearing what one is saying, since the mind is supposed to be disengaged anyway. He continually reminds his audience that they are not supposed to be thinking: "The reason that some of you don't speak fluently is that you tried to think of the sounds. So when we pray this prayer and you start speaking in your heavenly language, don't try to think." Later, he adds, "[You] don't even have to think to pray in the Spirit."

[The Grand Poo-Bah says: "The words 'heavenly language' appear nowhere in Scripture and cannot be found anywhere in a Bible concordance. How can that be explained? My guess is the Pentecostal church made it up to serve their purposes. There is no such thing as a heavenly language -- it does not exist except in the minds of Pentecostals."]

Arthur L. Johnson, in his excellent expose of mysticism calls the charismatic movement "the zenith of mysticism" and with good reason. This desire to switch off the mind and disconnect from all that is rational was one of the primary characteristics of the pagan mystery religions. Nearly all the teachings distinctive to the charismatic movement are unadulterated mysticism and nothing illustrates that more perfectly than the way charismatics themselves depict the gift of tongues.

Charismatics [and that includes Victory Churches International] typically describe tongues as an ecstatic experience without parallel that arouses the spirit in a way that must be experienced to be appreciated. One author quotes Robert V. Morris:

For me...the gift of tongues turned out to be the gift of praise. As I used the unknown language which God had given me I felt rising in me the love, the awe, the adoration, pure and uncontingent, that I had not been able to achieve in thought-out prayer.

A newspaper article on tongues quoted the Reverend Bill L. Williams, of San Jose: "It involves you with someone you're deeply in love with and devoted to...We don't understand the verbiage but we know we're in communication." That awareness is "beyond emotion, beyond intellect," he said. "It transcends human understanding. It is the heart of man speaking to the heart of God. It is deep, inner heart understanding." "It comes as supernatural utterances, bringing intimacy with God."

The article also quoted the Reverend Billy Martin, of Farmington, New Mexico: "It's a joyous, glorious, wonderful experience." And the Reverend Darlene Miller, of Knoxville, Tennessee: "It's like the sweetness of peaches that you can't know until you taste it yourself. There's nothing ever to compare with that taste." Other tongues-speakers would echo sentiments similar to those.

And what could possibly be wrong with such an experience? If it makes a person feel good, closer to God, spiritually stronger, or even delirious with joy, can it in any way be dangerous or deceptive?

It can, and it is. The late George Gardiner, a pastor and former tongues-speaker, who left the Pentecostal movement, poignantly described the danger of surrendering one's mind and abandoning control of oneself for the euphoria of a tongues experience:

The enemy of the soul is ever-ready to take advantage of an "out of control" situation and thousands of Christians can testify with regret to the end results. Such experiences not only give Satan an opening he is quick to exploit, they can be psychologically damaging to the individual. Charismatic writers are constantly warning tongues-speakers that they will suffer a letdown. This is ascribed to the devil and the reader is urged to get refilled as soon as possible...

So the seeker for experience goes back through the ritual again and again, but begins to discover something; ecstatic experience, like drug-addiction, requires larger and larger doses to satisfy. Sometimes the bizarre is introduced. I have seen people run around a room until they were exhausted, climb tent poles, laugh hysterically, go into trances for days, and do other weird things as the "high" sought became more illusive. Eventually there is a crisis and a decision is made; he will sit on the back seats and be a spectator and "fake it" or go on in the hope that everything will eventually be as it was. The most tragic decision is to quit and in the quitting, abandon all things spiritual as fraudulent. The spectators are frustrated, the fakers suffer guilt, the hoping are pitiable, and the quitters are a tragedy. No, such movements are not harmless!

Many who speak in tongues will understand the tensions Gardiner has described. He is not the only tongues-speaker to turn against the practice and expose its dangers. Wayne Robinson, who served as editor-in-chief of publications in the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association, was an enthusiastic tongues-speaker. In the preface of his book I Once Spoke In Tongues, he wrote:

In the past few years, I have become more and more convinced that the test, not only of tongues but of any religious experience, cannot be limited to the logic and truthfulness supporting it. There is also the essential question, "what does it do in one's life?" More specifically, does it turn a person inward to self-concern and selfish interests, or does it open him up to others and to their needs?

I know people who testify that speaking in tongues has been the great liberating experience of their lives. But juxtaposed with them are a great many others for whom speaking in tongues has been an excuse to withdraw from confronting the realities of a suffering and divided world. For some, tongues has been the greatest thing ever to happen; others have seen it disrupt churches, destroy careers, and rupture personal relationships. [The Grand Poo-Bah has personally experienced the latter.]

Ben Byrd, another former charismatic, writes,
To say that speaking in tongues is a harmless practice and is all right for those who want to IS AN UNWISE position when information to the contrary is evident...Speaking in tongues is addictive. The misunderstanding of the issue of tongues and the habit plus the psychic high it brings plus the stimulation of the flesh equals a practice hard to let go of...But to equate much speaking in tongues with advanced spirituality is to reveal one's misunderstanding of Bible Truth and to reveal one's willingness to be satisfied with a deceptive and dangerous counterfeit.

Others who practice tongues can turn the phenomenon on and off mechanically, without feeling anything emotional, having learned the familiar sounds to repeat, they have honed the ability and can speak fluently and effortlessly -- yet dispassionately.

(from "Charismatic Chaos by John F. MacArthur, Jr.)

[The Grand Poo-Bah says: "To sum it up in a nutshell, speaking in tongues is learned behaviour; it is addictive, very dangerous and serves the purposes of Satan. Just so you know, the Grand Poo-Bah has not experienced speaking in tongues because he seems to know through discernment that it's dangerous and gives the devil an opportunity and I choose not to give the devil an open door. It has been my experience in over sixty years that you don't have to go to the sun to know it's hot."]

Lessons Learned From Suffering

Knowing that any suffering experienced by believers is part of God's overall sovereign plan provides its own comfort. However, as with any aspect of truth in the Christian life, intellectual knowledge is not an exact parallel to experiential knowledge. Until we know how we react in the midst of living out a certain truth, intellectual allegiance counts for nothing (James 1:25-27; 2:14-17). Testing the validity of what believers profess is one of the fundamental reasons God allows suffering (Job 23:10).

One sure way to test the genuineness of a diamond is by means of what jewelers call the water test. An imitation stone never shines as brilliantly as a real one, but the contrast is not always easy to detect just by ordinary viewing. Jewelers know that placing a genuine diamond and an imitation one side by side in water will reveal the differences. The real one continues to sparkle brilliantly under water, whereas the fake one loses practically all its sparkle.

As an analogy to this illustration, many people who are very confident in the genuineness of their faith find it lacking when they come under the waters of sorrow or adversity. The supposed diamond brilliance of their faith is then shown to be nothing but an imitation; however, put the true child of God under the water of a trial and he will shine as brilliantly as ever. G.K. Chesterton also used the metaphor of water to make the same point: "I believe in getting into hot water, I think it keeps you clean."

The Lesson of Faith

It seems clear then that the foremost reason God tests us through suffering is to test the strength of our faith. One of the classic case studies in Scripture that illustrates this is the account of Abraham's testing in Genesis 22. It was, in my estimation, the severest trial any human being ever faced.

The whole idea was absolutely inconceivable. It was a trial that made no sense -- not in terms of God's nature, His plan of redemption, His word, and His or Abraham's love for Isaac. In addition to these factors, this trial was perhaps the severest ever for a human being because God told Abraham himself to kill Isaac. It's one thing to watch a loved one die, it's something else to be told to kill that person.

Abraham revealed amazing faith in this situation. He obeyed God obediently, without question or argument (v. 3). In verses 5 and 8 he expressed the quiet confidence, first of all, that he and Isaac would return and, second, that God would provide a lamb for the burnt offering. Those acts suggest that deep down in his heart Abraham knew God's action was going to be consistent with his character and covenant. Abraham may not have known specifically what that was, but the passage indicates that he had a good idea. Abraham was prepared to plunge a knife into the chest of his own son. He was submissive, obedient, and willing to worship God at any cost. God accepted Abraham's willingness as evidence of his faith and clothed him with righteousness.

Such extraordinary obedience in the face of the severest of trials informs us that a believer today can endure the most difficult trials imaginable if he or she wholeheartedly trusts in God. Abraham's test also informs us that God's tests for us might involve people we hold very near and dear, such as sons, daughters, husbands, wives, or close friends. We may have to offer up our own Isaac -- give the ones we love most over to the Lord. We may need to let them go God's way, rather than holding on to them so they'll live the way we'd prefer.

We can conclude that the more difficult the obedience the more excellent it is. Abraham obeyed God in the extremity and as a result he became the model of faith. Thus anyone who has faith in God and is thereby justified is a child in the spiritual line of Abraham. If we trust God as Abraham did, we can be confident in any test or trial.

Second Chronicles 32:31 summarized Hezekiah's testings from the Lord by stating that the purpose was so "He might know what was in his heart." Surely God does not have to test any of us to find out what is in our hearts because he already knows. Rather, He tests us so that we might know what is in our hearts. In that sense He assists us in taking a spiritual inventory and self-examination. Whenever God brings us through a severe trial, it will reveal to us either the strength or weakness of our faith, and the faithfulness of God. If by grace we display a strong faith, that ought to encourage us that it's real and that it can become stronger as we continue to see the Lord through trials (see Job 42:1-6).

(from The Power of Suffering by John MacArthur, Jr.)

Two More Reasons The World Hates Us!

Because It Hates Christ

If the religious leaders hated Jesus so much, can believers today expect things to be easier for them? Jesus answers that in John 15:30 "Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word they will keep yours also." If as Christians we are in Christ, and Christ is in us (Galations 2:20; Colossians 2:10-12), the world will hate us even as it hated Christ.

This second aspect of why the world hates us should actually bring us happiness. If we receive suffering and persecution from the world, because we represent Jesus, we experience the fellowship of His sufferings. The disciples in Acts 5:41, after being flogged by the religious authorities for continuing to teach in Jesus' name, displayed this attitude of joy: "So they went on their way from the presence of the Council rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name."

Paul spoke of that fellowship of sufferings in Philippians 3:10 and he knew quite well what that meant (see 2 Corinthians 4:7-18). Scripture attests to the fact that Paul lived out what he taught and wrote.

Because It Does Not Know God

A third reason the world hates Christians is that it does not know God. In John 15 Jesus says, "But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me" (v. 21 emphasis added). Such ignorance of God has contributed greatly to horrible spiritual and moral degradation, unawareness of truth, and hostility to what is right. In many ways modern society reflects the first century conditions in which Paul ministered. When he preached in Athens he saw how misplaced the people's religion was: "And Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, 'Men of Athens, I observe that you are religious in every respect. For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription "TO AN UNKNOWN GOD."

Paul uncovered an apathy and ignorance toward the true God and superstition regarding false gods. Without Paul's commentary we could easily infer that many unbelievers are sincerely moral and religious people not really affected that much by sin. But such a perception can lead us to downplay opposition from the world. We need to take Romans 1:18-2:2 more seriously in its picture of the world's natural sinfulness and wilful rejection of God's revelation. The world system does not know God, no matter how tolerant or accepting it might seem when it works through false religion. It still hates believers, still opposes us and therefore, whatever persecution and pain we receive should not catch us off guard.

Many believers act as if they have beaten the problem of hatred from the world, thinking they are friends of the world. But they forget John's warning "If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15), or James' strong statement, "Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God" (James 4:4). Satan tempts us subtly to be comfortable in the world to feel at home within the system and to make the world around us feel at ease. We seek not to offend anyone, but that is not what Jesus had in mind. Nor was that Paul's approach:

'For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men" (1 Corinthians 1:21-25).

(from The Power of Suffering by John MacArthur, Jr.)

How Do You Explain Charismatic Healings?

Charismatics often respond to biblical and theological reasoning by appealing to experience. They plead, "But incredible things are happening; how do you explain it?"

In reply I say: "Since no charismatic healer can come up with genuinely verifiable cases of instant healing involving organic disease; since no charismatic healer heals everyone who comes for healing and hundreds go away from their services as sick or as crippled as when they came; since no charismatic healer raises the dead; since the Word of God needs no confirmation outside itself and is sufficient to show the way of salvation; since charismatic healings are based on a questionable theology of the atonement and salvation; since charismatic writers and teachers appear to disallow God His own purposes in allowing people to be sick; since charismatic healers seem to need their own special environment; since the evidence they bring forth to prove healings is often weak, unsupported, and over-exaggerated; since charismatics are not known for going into hospitals to heal though there are plenty of faithful people in hospitals; since most instances of healings by charismatics can be explained in ways other than God's unquestioned supernatural intervention; since charismatics get sick and die like everyone else; since so much confusion and contradiction surrounds what is happening -- the return question is: How do you explain it? It is certainly not the biblical gift of healing!"


Healings are occurring today. But the biblical gift of healing is not present. God heals whom He wills, when He wills and there are many times when committed Christians are involved in the most tragic unexplainable and seemingly needless cases of suffering. Loved ones have been earnestly prayed for only to see the answer come back no. Charismatic pastors -- if they are honest -- will admit they have had the same types of experiences.


But what is the typical explanation charismatic teachers, healers, and leaders give for the multitudes of those who are not healed. "THEY DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH FAITH." That kind of reasoning is neither kind nor accurate. And furthermore, faith cannot be measured!

(from "Charismatic Chaos" by John MacArthur, Jr.)