What Everyone Ought to Know about Speaking in Tongues

In the past two weeks, I have been tackling a series titled “Mistakes that Christians Make in Prayer.” This third week I shall deal with the practice of “speaking in tongues.”

To begin with, I need to highlight that I believe that the gift of tongues, as described in the Bible, is a genuine gift from God. My claim is that the modern “speaking in tongues” has nothing to do with the genuine Biblical gift. What passes for “tongues” in modern charismatic churches is mere gibberish that bears little resemblance to the gift of speaking in tongues described in the New Testament.

What is speaking in tongues?

If you’ve been in Charismatic church circles for any length of time, you must have come across the rampant experience called “speaking in tongues.” Speaking in tongues has been a part of the charismatic Christian tradition since its inception and it involves a believer speaking a language that he or she has not learned, usually in an ecstatic state.

The concept of speaking in tongues has its Scriptural origins in Acts 2, where the apostles are said to have been filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in languages that were not their own.

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” (Acts 2:1-12, NIV).

Tongues vs Languages

But why does the Bible use the word “tongues” instead of the conventional word “languages”? The King James Version (KJV), also known as the Authorized Version or King James Bible, was released in 1611 under King James I of England. At the beginning of the 20th century, mainstream Protestant churches moved from the KJV owing to its out-dated English. More contemporary translations such as the New Revised Standard Version (1982), the Revised International Version (1978), and the Revised Standard Version (1989), emerged. Unfortunately, the word “tongues” was retained in these new emerging Protestant translations.

What is incontestable is that the “tongues” or languages referred to in Acts 2:1–12 were actual human languages then existing on the planet. This is construed from the reaction of the hearers: “Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language” (Acts 2:7-8, NIV).

It is also unarguable that the “tongues” or languages heard in our charismatic churches CANNOT be traced back to any known human language. Despite charismatics’ claims that their tongues are an actual language, a closer examination reveals that they are typically composed of nonsensical words and random syllables strung together.

Heavenly language?

One argument that charismatic believers make to explain their mysterious tongues is that they are heavenly languages that cannot be traced to any known human language.

This defense has no Biblical support. The Scriptures do not indicate that there is a special heavenly language. In all incidents recorded in Scripture where angelic beings interacted with mankind, they conversed in known human languages. When the Apostle John was in heaven from Revelation 4 until the end of the book, he was able to converse with Jesus and the angels in his own language. He could also understand the conversations spoken and songs sung in heaven. He even wrote down some of the lyrics in the book of Revelation (Rev. 5:9–10, Rev. 5:12–13). He had no need for an interpreter.

Someone reading this will interject, saying, “Wait! The Bible does say that there is a heavenly language.” The Bible verse I will be directed to is 1 Corinthians 13:1 which reads: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” This verse seems to indicate that there is an angelic language just as there are human languages. Well, in my article last week, I stated the danger of lifting a Bible verse out of its context. Decontextualizing Bible verses is a favourite tactic employed by charismatic ministers to introduce false teaching into the Body of Christ. Context is king. A contextual reader will read the full context (1 Corinthians 13:1-3) to understand what the writer really meant.

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing” – 1 Corinthians 13:1-3.

Now, for us to dissect this verse, we need to understand a figure of speech known as hyperbole. Hyperbole simply means using exaggeration in conversation to drive a point home. Hyperbole features regularly in our exchanges. For example, you may have told someone, “I am so hungry, I could eat a horse.” Of course you didn’t mean that you could eat a full horse. But the hyperbole you used helped drive home the point that you were extremely hungry. Another common hyperbole is “It’s raining cats and dogs.” Of course, it can never literally rain cats and dogs. The hyperbole simply drives home the point that the rainfall is intense. In his book “Figures of Speech Used in the Bible”, Bullinger describes a hyperbole as “when more is said than is literally meant.”

Hyperbole is a favourite literary tool employed by writers of the 66 books that make up the Bible. Jesus Himself is a favourite user of this figure of speech. For example, in Matthew 5:29, He says, “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away” (ESV). Jesus didn’t mean that we should be plucking out our eyes every time they stray. He was simply emphasizing how seriously we should take the matter of sin. The Pharisees also used hyperbole. Speaking of Jesus, they lamented, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him,” John 12:19 (ESV). Of course, they didn’t mean that everyone on planet Earth, including African tribes such as the Kikuyus, Luos and Kambas, was following Jesus at that time. They were simply driving home the reality of Jesus’ growing fame and influence.

The Apostle Paul also indulged in hyperbole in his writings. We get a taste of this in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3. In examining these verses, I shall list the first hyperbole, which is the bone of contention, last so as to better illustrate it.

And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge…

Did Paul have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge? Of course not. We do not have a record of Paul giving a prophecy, and certainly he did not understand all mysteries and knowledge. Only God has that capability.

… and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains…

Did Paul have all faith to remove mountains? Certainly not. He couldn’t even get rid of the everyday sufferings of his life (2 Corinthians 11:24–28), let alone remove mountains.

… If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned…

Did Paul give away all he had? We have no record of him doing so. Did he deliver his body to be burned? Not the least bit!

Now, in the light of Paul’s hyperbolic statements in that text, shouldn’t we treat his statement “if I speak in the tongues of men and of angels” as hyperbole? As a hyperbolic statement, it does not indicate that there is such a thing as an angelic language. Paul was simply driving home the point of love’s preeminence over spiritual gifts.

Research

To the casual listener, charismatic “speaking in tongues” does resemble human language in terms of its use of intonation, rhythm, and breaks to distinguish groups of syllables. However, linguists have yet to find an example of this phenomenon that contains enough words and grammar to be classified as a real language.

In the early 1970s, William J. Samarina, a linguist and professor, gathered and recorded numerous instances of “speaking in tongues” from all around the world. In the course of five years, a thorough study of this collected data was conducted. The following were his conclusions as recorded in his book “Tongues of Men and Angels: The Religious Language of Pentecostalism.”

“Even if speaking in tongues appears to be similar to human language at first glance, this is only a superficial similarity. 
There was no established connection between speech units and concepts, nor was the actual stream of speech structured.
Though the words spoken by “tongues” speakers were completely nonsensical, the performers truly believed them to be a legitimate language.”

Other religions

Curiously, the practice of “speaking in tongues” has also been reported in other religions and cults, including paganism, shamanism, and Japan’s God Light Association.

For example, the Hindus have the concept of “Kundalini,”  which is explained as a “coiled snake” whose energy lies looped at the base of the spine and is frequently inactive. This energy can generate a variety of experiences and symptoms when it rises or awakens. Swami Sivananda describes it as “the cosmic power in individual bodies. It is not a material force like electricity, magnetism, centripetal, or centrifugal force. It is a spiritual potential Sakti or cosmic power. In reality, it has no form.” According to traditional Hindu literature, vocal signs of a Kundalini awakening include singing, speaking in tongues, repeating mantras, or imitating the sounds of different animals, such as chirping or snarling.

Felicitas Goodman, a Hungarian anthropologist, compared recorded “speaking in tongues” samples from charismatic churches to recordings of similar vocal languages that were characteristic of rites from Japan, Indonesia, Africa, and Borneo. She detailed her findings in her book, “Speaking in Tongues: A Cross-Cultural Study in Glossolalia.” She found no difference. All were unintelligible gibberish.

A learned habit: individual experiences

Socialization is defined as the process by which an individual or group learns the anticipated norms and practices of a group or culture through social interaction. Through socialization, charismatic churches are able to modify the behaviour of their followers as far as “speaking in tongues” is concerned. Those who practice this art are deemed to be a cut above the rest.

In his article, “A Problem with Pentecostalism: Speaking in Tongues in the Bible,”  Les Bridgeman writes about his personal experience:

“I grew up in a Pentecostal Christian family. We attended a small independent Pentecostal church then an Assemblies of God church so we were not Oneness Pentecostal but Trinitarian Pentecostal. My mom is the strongest advocate I know of speaking in tongues. While growing up I saw her pray for many people to speak in tongues and even coach them in the process, trying to get them to articulate a new word. “Say it,” “it’s right there,” “just say it.” As a young boy she did the same to me. Eventually, I did speak in tongues, or I guess I should say I spoke incomprehensible words, but obviously I felt pressured. I believed in the Pentecostal teaching in which I was raised and even taught it to others in small group Bible studies. After graduating from high school, I moved to Barrington, Rhode Island to attend a Pentecostal Bible college. While there I began reading voraciously in the school library on many subjects, including speaking in tongues. I also had conversations with pastors and students and learned that some who call themselves “Pentecostal” do not believe that everyone should speak in tongues. After an intense struggle, I concluded that I could no longer support this distinct doctrine.”

Costi Hinn, in his book God, Greed and the (Prosperity) Gospel also shares his experience:

“I had been sitting in the youth section during a church service, and at the end of the service, my dad called the teens up to receive the gift of tongues. While the Bible describes the gift of tongues as the supernatural ability to speak in a real foreign language, we taught that it was the ability to speak ecstatic utterances that made no sense on earth but were understood in heaven.”

What happened to the real Biblical tongues?

Speaking in tongues is listed by Jesus as a “sign’ gift in Mark 16:17. Sign gifts are distinct from other types of gifts in terms of their permanence. Essentially, a sign gift establishes the sign worker’s authority. Speaking in tongues and other sign gifts were conferred upon the speakers of the Gospel so that those hearing about Christ would recognize that the spokespersons were legitimate bearers of God’s message. We see this explained in Mark 16:20, speaking of Jesus’ Apostles who received these sign gifts: “And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs” (ESV).

This practice of divine endorsement of a message and messenger via sign gifts is also found in the Old Testament. Moses was empowered to perform miracles to authenticate his ministry before the enslaved Israelites and Pharaoh (Exodus 4:1–8). Elijah was given miracles to authenticate his ministry before Ahab (1 Kings 17:1; 18:24).

Sign gifts were used to confirm the message of the Gospel in the early days of the Church. These gifts not only demonstrated the apostles’ authority, but they also validated their message. The gift of speaking in unlearned languages described in  Acts 2:1–12 enabled the apostles to communicate the “wonders of God” to the multinational audience that had gathered in Jerusalem. 

In Acts 10, God used the sign gift of speaking in tongues to open the doors of the Gospel to the Gentiles. Before Acts 10, the apostles were not sure whether the Gentiles were included in God’s plan of salvation. When Peter was invited to the home of a God-fearing Gentile named Cornelius, all doubts he had about the inclusion of Gentiles in the Gospel were dispelled when his Gentile audience received this gift.

“While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days” – Acts 10:44-48.

Thus, it is clear that sign gifts were exercised specifically to demonstrate the divine authority with which the apostles spoke and to attest to the veracity of the apostles’ message.

The Church’s history does indicate that the gift of tongues stopped after the Apostolic era. The Post-Apostolic Fathers make no mention of tongues in their writings. Prominent Church fathers such as Justin Martyr, Origen, Chrysostom, and Augustine, maintained that speaking in tongues only occurred in the early Church.

Once the message has been accepted and believed, then there is no need for the sign gift. Once the Israelites accepted Moses as being truly sent by God and followed him into the desert, we do not see Moses continuing the performance of the sign gifts such as turning his staff into a snake. In Church history, sign gifts disappeared as soon as the Gospel message was confirmed. Today, we don’t need a replication of those signs in our lives so as to believe the Gospel. Indeed, there are no modern miracle workers who can truly equal apostolic power as described in the Acts of the Apostles.

If you subscribe to the belief that modern-day speaking in tongues is valid, please reconsider your stand in the light of available evidence. Study your Bible and start genuine conversations with fair-minded believers in order to truly understand what speaking in tongues is truly all about.