ta00est@unccvax.uncc.edu (elizabeth s tallant) (06/07/90)
>To Elizabeth Tallant: >You made a comment about the lack of order in services where the gift of >speaking in tongues was being manifested. You sugessted that this >indicated it could not be God [the Father of Jesus Christ] because God was >not on disorder. I apologize, and I will now take this point to make clear that there were a lot of other things about these people and their beliefs that bothered me besides their disorderliness. These people acted more like a cult than a church. >Please be careful about statements that suggest that *all* services where >the speaking in tongues occurs is disorderly, because this is false. As for >you not beleiving in tongues, that is your choice. But it is in the Bible, >and I believe the Word of God. I never said that all services that have speaking in tounges are disorderly. It just that in my experience, the churches that I have attended where everyother person got up and started literally screaming and jumping for half an hour or better were disorderly. Furthermore, I do believe in speaking in tounges and I indicated that the apolstle Paul said it was so (and I believe Paul). Furthermore, I went on to tell of an Arabic-speaking incident which encouraged me to believe that a person was speaking in tounges. I believe in speaking in tounges, but I also think that some people are deceived and are not saying things from God. Elizabeth >Janis Oldham Elizabeth
jchale@attmail.att.com (Jeffrey C Hale) (06/09/90)
I'd be interested in hearing about any experiences any of you have had with people speaking in tongues in a manner consistent with the accounts in Acts and the terminology used for the work "tongues". Namely, has anyone ever been able to speak in another language or dialect that was previously unknown to them? (Acts 2:1-13) Was someone there who was able to interpret what was said so that the rest of the congregation knew what was said? (1 Corinthians 14:27,28) I've been a visitor at several churches in which speaking in tongues was the norm rather than the exception. Yet, I have never seen examples of the above two activities. I'm not trying to put anyone down with these questions, but merely want to understand how these passages are dealt with by "charasmatic" churches. Thanks, Jeff Hale attmail!jchale
sre@cs.rochester.edu (Sherry Ellington) (06/09/90)
I agree with you, Elizabeth, we do have to have a discerning spirit. There are many gifts that are camouflaged as coming from the Lord. Recently, I had two best friends whose relationship was instantly severed by a Pastor in Phoenix who counciled one of the women to to so. He never got all his facts straight and didn't really know either party. He just felt that the Lord would have us end a close relationship in order for both parties to "walk through fire". Then, he states, when that relationship is renewed it would be better than ever. (He himself claimed to have done this very thing with three friends) Needless to say, a lot of damage was done. Not at all scriptural. "By their fruits you shall know them". I take a lot of stock in that piece - does the action produce fruits of good, bad or self? Sherry Ellington Computor Consoles