Check out the posts in my blogs

If you are reading this post you would probably also be interested in posts in some of my blogs:

a reasonable mystic

• Praying Hypertext
• Charismatic Mysticism
• Defining Christian Mysticism
• Reason, Mysticism and Christianity - Part 1
• Re: Atheism and Experiencing God
• Atheism and Experiencing God
• My 'Spiritual' Journey - Episode 2
• My 'Spiritual' Journey - Episode 1
• Report on Anazao Conferences
• Welcome to a reasonable mystic

Listening 2 God

• Theology of Lying
• Prophecy Versus Preaching
• Purifying the Prophetic - Sanctified Psychic Reading
• Tell him he's dreaming!
• Ministry to Children
• Step Out and Prophesy
• Welcome to Listening 2 God blog
  

Mal's Meanderings

• The Law and the Prophets
• Barbers don't exist - irrefutable proof.
• Please, Mr Einstein
• The things you are asked in counselling
• Is prophecy the same as inspired preaching?
• Purpose-Driven?
• Noctaphobia
• Why 'Beth Tephillah'?
• Doppler Shift
• Being Made One
• What we believe
• Top Ten Truths That Shape My Teaching
• Jesus and Walls
• A Vision for the Church
• The perfect pastor
• The words 'charismatic' and 'pentecostal' have passed their use-by dates
• Managed Friendship
• Crossing Over - a word from Rick Joyner
• History of Medicine
• I've just discovered a great website on open theism
• I am greatly enjoying the stimulating lecture series
• If you're wondering how this blog came to be called Mal's Meanderings
• This morning I felt like taking a short break
• "If you write for God you will reach many men and bring them joy"
• In this blog I plan to talk about many things

Permitting speaking in tongues.

The middle-road approach to the use or non-use of the gift of tongues, as seen in Peter Wagner's otherwise very helpful book How to Have a Healing Ministry Without Making Your Church Sick. Wagner does not have a problem with the reality or usefulness of the gift of tongues, But even so, in his 120 Fellowship adult Sunday School class he "dealt with public tongues by categorically forbidding their use." (p28) The reason he gives is "My desire for unity in the Body supersedes my desire to see all the gifts manifested." (p29) I wonder if this is still the approach Peter takes? It seems a pity that, especially in a training class, people aren't given the opportunity to work out why their behaviour (not the gift) might be divisive, and learn to live with what is a great blessing of God!

To use Wagner's own terminology, a church, with or without a healing ministry, which forbids the use of tongues, is already somewhat sick!

Instead of dealing with the root of the issue - people's sinful reactions to the unknown or unfamiliar - those who follow this median approach, and even more so those who deny the gift completely, cut people off from one of the important resources that God has provided to help them live and grow. Then we wonder why so many Christians are lukewarm in their relationship to Jesus! This action of the leaders is itself often based on fear, either of the gift, or of the giver, or of the effect its use might have. Fear is hardly a godly response from which to make a decision, now is it a very good qualification for leadership.

Jack Hayford's book, The Beauty Of Spiritual Language, is a delight with it's emphasis on the glorious nature of this God given way for a believer to participate directly in the worship of heaven around the throne of the Lamb. Speaking in tongues is a small foretaste of things to come in the next age!