Speaking in Tongues

[NachoND]

What is the Nazarene Churches stance on speaking in tongues?

I haven't heard what the stance of the church is on this as of yet.

Thanks

nacho

 

[NachoND]

No other Nazarenes on here?

 

[NachoND]

Ok.......I am not asking for a 100% sure answer here, just what are the opinions of this in your churches.

thank you,

Nacho

 

[ContraMundum]

Here's a good answer.

 

[NachoND]

Thank you.

 

[Maid Marie]

Sorry, been too sick to check in here.

Officially, I don't think there is anything in the Manual. There was an attempt to make a statement on it at the last General Assembly but I think it didn't pass. I am still too sick to really remember but my gut says that there is no official word anywhere in Nazarenedom.

But, while there is no official word on the subject, as a general rule the Church of the Nazarenes don't have that as part of their theology. Or, to put it more cynically, in many churches if one said "I pray in tongues" looks of horror would come over peoples' faces.

I personally don't have a problem with it. My prayer partner prays for me in tongues all the time. And I think a few Nazzies are starting to realize that this is not really a horrible thing after all.

But, it is not a part of our theology and practice.

 

[dayhiker]

I don't remember anything legally against tongues. But I have heard of missionaries who had to leave the fellowship when they started speaking in tongues. I was on a mission trip the the missionary spoke quite strongly against tongues. My read of church history was that the Nazerene church missed what the Holy Spirit was saying in the early 1900's. They are the only church that I know of that defines the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a 2nd experience of sanctification.

I've never heard of the Nazerene church that promoted the gift of speeaking in tongues.

dayhiker

 

[Maid Marie]

My read of church history was that the Nazerene church missed what the Holy Spirit was saying in the early 1900's.

I agree. What bothers me the most about the whole scenario is the spirit of animosity that developed from it.

They are the only church that I know of that defines the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a 2nd experience of sanctification.

Now that you mention it, I think you are right.

 

[ContraMundum]

The Nazarene Manual rejects the gifts of tongues as evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Manual, Ch 6, 903.9)

 

[Maid Marie]

The Nazarene Manual rejects the gifts of tongues as evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Manual, Ch 6, 903.9)

Thx for looking that up.

 

[ContraMundum]

IThey are the only church that I know of that defines the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a 2nd experience of sanctification.

Most Holiness churches say the same thing, and many Wesleyans say similar things but argue over the semantics of it all.

 

[Amisk]

I stand with the present Nazarene stance on speaking in tongues.
Having spent 10 years in the Pentecostal Church, all I ever saw of speaking in tongues was on the down side of it.

Who knows what is being said? Is the interpretation (which is suppose to be part of every service in which speaking in tongues happens) correct?

My question which was never answered by Pentecostals "If we both speak English and you speak German and I don't, why would you speak German to me, in addressing something that I need to understand? Is not this the reason we spend so much time and money on Bible translating?

I noted that those who claimed to speak in tongues seemed to feel that they were better Christians than those of us who did not.

I also noted that while they got all excited about the message in tongues, they seldom paid much attention to the interpretation there off.

Also as speaking in tongues seemed to be dying down, a new fade arose to take its place, which was called "slain in the spirit". This too had its phony results, in which people were hurt as the result of falling on the floor. While in other cases when a minister prayed in what appeared to be planned, slain in the spirit, shows took place they had a line of men stand behind the line of seekers to catch and lower them safely to the floor.

Then there was always those ministers who didn't mind letting the seeker know that he or she was expected to fall by giving them a little push.

When asked for scriptural backing in defence of the slain in the spirit teaching, they pointed to the scripture at arrest of Jesus in the Garden. "As soon then as he (Jesus) had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground." John 18:6

This of course takes the verse totally out of context.

Looking at the passage in Acts on tongues on the day of Pentecost: "And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.

Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans?

And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God."
Acts 2:3-11

Here speaking in tongues was proceeded by the wind and the tongues of fire. There is no way to fake these. They haven't happen in any Pentecostal services that I have been in.

Secondly since there were so many folks in Jerusalem that didn't speaking the local language and the need to get the gospel out to them, a miracle was performed so that each man heard in his own language. No interpretor was needed.

While I really have not formed any firm thoughts on speaking in tongues I want to see genuine proof that what is going on is correct, otherwise I shall stand well to the side lines and wait for the Lord to correct me.

 

[ContraMundum]

Good points Amisk...and if a person has the miraculous gifts of languages, why then do Pentecostal missionaries have to study the language of a mission field before they go there?