Opinions about the contemporary significance of “speaking in tongues, AKA glossolalia, vary greatly. Anglicans may have more openness to such questions than traditions more strongly influenced by dispensational and cessationist* theologies that tend to posit that modern tongues speaking is at best inappropriate, and at worst, “counterfeit” or even demonic.
Of course, when detractors of glossolalia use the term “counterfeit,” they tacitly admit there must be a genuine gift since only what is authentic and valuable can be counterfeited. Assuming, as our question seems to, that a genuine spiritual gift may be possible for at least some modern followers of Jesus, what might be its potential usefulness in contemporary faith practice?
The question of relevance raises a prior question of “for what purpose?” If the primary purpose of tongues was and is simply to declare “the great deeds of God” to people of other languages, as in Acts 2:11, there seems to be an obvious utility for cross-cultural evangelism. However, most who minister across language barriers don’t depend on Spirit-enabled facility in foreign languages, but rather invest in language learning.
It appears the manifestation of tongues on the day of Pentecost was not intended to be an ongoing paradigm for cross-cultural evangelism. Indeed, occasions when modern tongues speaking produces translatable languages, seem relatively rare. Personally, I have only witnessed this once, but a compilation of such reports appears in The Miracle of Tongues by Don Basham.
Curiously, the other mentions in the Book of Acts do not say explicitly that the tongues were translatable, only that they were associated with praise and prophecy and were accepted as evidence that the Holy Spirit had come “upon” the speakers (Acts 10:46, 19:6).
This association is fairly commonplace because we usually think of our worship as a combination of speech addressed to God — prayer and praise, as well as speech on behalf of God — and Scripture, prophecy and preaching. We give thanks when we occasionally perceive that the Holy Spirit has uniquely inspired both types of speech.
When Paul writes to the Corinthians, he accepts that tongues, like other forms of prayer, are speech addressed to God. He adds further rationale by stating simply: “Those who speak in a tongue build up (edify) themselves” (1 Cor.14:2-4). Apparently, there is spiritual benefit or strengthening to be gained by “speaking mysteries to God” in a tongue that is not understood.
However, this notion tends to be problematic for many of us. Having been culturally influenced by rationalism, pragmatism and managerial approaches to life, we tend to assume that unless we understand something, it can be of little benefit to us.
Perhaps the poverty of such an assumption may be seen by comparing it with our understandings of the benefits of sacraments. Scientific studies on the benefits of baptism and Eucharist are rare, yet Christians practise them faithfully and even refer to them as a “means of grace.”
Just as individual experiences of baptism and Eucharist may vary from person to person, so our experiences and comprehension of the various spiritual gifts will also vary.
Apparently, some things we don’t completely understand can nevertheless spiritually benefit us. Paul makes this explicit, “… if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unproductive” (1 Cor.14:14). It seems the benefits of spiritual prayer can occur, even though in the absence of either gifted interpretation or natural translation, even the person speaking will not understand what they are saying.
The possibility that praying in tongues may also be an effective prayer support for particularly difficult ministries is mentioned in Jackie Pulinger’s book Chasing the Dragon, about her ministry among gang members and heroin addicts in old Hong Kong.
A host of related questions remain. How can I discern if either I am or anyone else is actually exercising the genuine gift? How should I feel if I ask for the gift but don’t seem to receive it? When is it wise to use it or wise to refrain? What are the risks of offering opinions on controversial issues?
From New Testament teaching, the exercise of the gift of tongues appears relevant for followers of Christ who simply wish to be edified or strengthened in their faith and ministry. But this does not resolve the oddness we may feel since some seem to experience tongues as a gift of the Spirit, while others do not. Perhaps even this hints at a deeper significance.
The Spirit’s prerogative to give different gifts to different people (1 Cor.12:8-12) is itself a strong argument for our interdependence. We need each other to fully achieve the common good of all. If we are serious in our rhetoric of embracing diversity, we will respect and work alongside those who do not speak in tongues as well as those who do.
In the end, whether or not we ever experience or even witness the gift of speaking in tongues, the reported existence of such an unusual phenomenon is evidence that our loving Creator has placed us in a very wonder-filled world. There are also “many dangers, toils and snares,” but every diverse individual experience of grace is an indication that, through it all, God is leading us home.
* A cessationist believes that certain miraculous gifts ended with the Apostolic Age (the time of Jesus’s original apostles).
