Using Our Voices to Speak Up for What is Right
One of the more controversial practices of the early church was that of speaking
in tongues. Also known as “glossolalia,” speaking in tongues involved spontaneous
utterances in a previously unknown language that others could allegedly understand
and interpret. It is believed to be a rare gift of the Holy Spirit, but over the years it has
been misinterpreted and misused to the point of being blasphemous, dividing
congregations in the process.
Some years ago, a segment of a congregation in our area insisted that if people
did not regularly speak in tongues, they were not genuinely spiritual. This caused a
major schism in that church, leading those who believed in the practice to leave and
start a church of their own.
Speaking in tongues was a major concern of Paul in the early church, and he
wrote about it in I Corinthians, believing that it had become disruptive and divisive, and
therefore a threat to church unity.
I am not proposing in any way that we should begin the practice of speaking in
tongues at Oak Chapel. However, I do believe that we should use our voices in ways
that can be clearly understood to praise God without hesitation and to lift up others
without reservation.
God gave us the gifts of intellect and expressiveness. We are encouraged to use
those gifts to speak out against injustice and speak up for what is right and noble in the
eyes of God, and to do so in a way that everyone can readily understand and embrace.