(1 Corinthians 12:10 KJV) To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
Speaking in tongues has been a divisive issue in the Christian church for my entire life. Denominations have been started based on this gift. Others have been split. The controversy is still alive and well.
It would be good to start with explaining what the gift is, but people cannot agree even on that. The word for “tongues” is literal. The Greek word is transliterated, glossa. One of the technical names for speaking in tongues is “glossolalia.” We get our English word “glossary” from this and we speak of “glossing” over something when we talk to camouflage a truth.
Most of the references in the NT are to the physical tongue located in your mouth. It becomes a bit figurative when it means “languages.” This is also a common usage. No one will argue about these references except the people that will argue about whether your eyes are hazel, green or brown. The controversy comes in the other places it appears, which I will look at next time.
homo unius libri
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Comments are welcome. Feel free to agree or disagree but keep it clean, courteous and short. I heard some shorthand on a podcast: TLDR, Too long, didn't read.