Why Did Your Church Pastor Called Tongues An “Emotional Outburst”?

Question

Listening to a program at my working place, I heard one of your Pastors call “Tongues” spoken by present churches as an “emotional outburst.” He went further to say that except any of the founding apostles lay hands on you, you can’t speak in tongues. Do you guys also mean that what Paul spoke was emotional outbursts? Because the person who laid hands on him was Ananias, the Bible called him a certain man, not an apostle.

Answer

The Bible teaches that tongue speaking is simply speaking in another human language. Acts 2:1-12 shows the people understood the apostles while they spoke in tongues. The apostles miraculously spoke in language that other people could understand. This was necessary due to cross-cultural language barrier since the apostles need to preach the gospel to the whole world. Paul made it clear that tongues were a sign for the unbelievers and not to those who believe (I Cor. 14:22). They were supposed to be a help to the unbelievers so that the gospel could be preached to them. However, tongues were never intended to be forever (I Cor.13:8-10). But here are the problems with modern day tongue speakers: (1) They do not speak in a known human language; (2) They speak in tongues for their own sake and not for unbelievers; (3) They speak when there is no interpreter (I Cor.14:27-28); (4) They do not speak in tongues one at a time (I Cor. 14:27); (5) They allow their women participate in this exercise (I Cor. 14:34-35). I am sure all of these made the church of Christ preacher refer to present day tongues speaking as an “emotional outburst.” As for Paul, he was an apostle and qualified to be. Ananias did not make him an apostle but Christ Jesus (I Cor. 9:1; 15:1-11). Hopefully, we will deal with the issue of tongue speaking thoroughly in the next edition of this journal.

Osamagbe Lesley Egharevba