Praying in Tongues - A Rebuttal, Part 8

I had the privilege of seeing the new movie The Case For Christ.  Based upon the book with the same title, this film is the story of Lee Strobel’s journey from atheism to Christianity.  As an investigative reporter for the Chicago Tribune, Strobel set out to debunk the Christian faith after his wife Leslie accepted Jesus herself.

What he found was real Truth.  Strobel eventually accepted Christ and became one of the most influential Christian leaders of the last 25 years.

In the movie are many wonderful things that are said that is worth noting. Here is one of them.

Facts Are Your Friends – “The only way to truth is through facts.”

This is something worth thinking about.  Christianity is not based on experiences and feelings.  It is founded upon facts.  God used facts to open to eyes of Lee Strobel to the validity and authenticity of Jesus Christ.

Facts are also what’s behind why I believe praying in tongues is not something I practice. I am not to hold up experiences and feelings to lead me into deeper walks of truth, but facts. And the facts are plainly recorded for us in the Bible.

This is the reason why I am on Part 8 in my rebuttal to Robert Morris’ message on Praying in Tongues. I have not even reached his second and third points.  His first point was that praying in tongues is Scriptural.  The facts used in the bible would argue against it.

I have already dealt with 1 Corinthians 14:2-18, verses that Robert Morris uses. There is one other passage he uses and that’s verse 39:  “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.”

Why Charismatics use this passage to further their case is beyond me. This passage has nothing to do with praying in tongues.

First, remember, “praying” in a tongue (ecstatic gibberish) is not to be compared with “speaking” in tongues (speaking legitimate languages).

Second, Paul uses the word “tongues” (plural) which refers to the legitimate use of speaking in a language one did not know or use beforehand, and not a “tongue” (singular) which is cleverly creative vocal vibrations.

Third, since Paul is referring to the legitimate use to a genuine gift from the Holy Spirit, he naturally informs them not to stop the practice of it.  You see, the Corinthians may get all excited and lopsided and say, “Let’s Forbid all tongues.” Paul says, “No, do away with the counterfeit and keep the genuine.”  This is why at the beginning of the passage he encourages them to earnestly desire to use the gift of prophesy which is able to edify others (v. 3) and not rely on ecstatic gibberish which is designed not to do so (v. 4).  

This then ends Robert Morris first point on the Scriptural use of praying in a tongue. His second point is The Benefits of Praying in Tongues, and the third point is that “Tongues is a Choice.” These two are easy and will be much faster to deal with in Part 9.

End of Part 8