Gerald Hovenden: Speaking in Tongues
Tongues, for Luke, are also an eschatological sign. They mark the beginning of the end and a foreshadowing of the future glory of the parousia. Hovenden does not concur with classical Pentecostalism that tongues is the initial physical evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. He says only that tongues were a normal experience of the church of Acts and not normative.
In his section on tongues in the Pauline corpus Hovenden continues his quest to find out how tongues functioned in and were viewed by the early church. It affirms that it is a strong possibility that Paul believed that tongues was available to all Christians, although it was one gift among many. He shies away from claims by the likes of Menzies who say that “Paul affirms that every Christian may—and indeed should—be edified through the private manifestation of tongues”1 Hovenden points out that nowhere does Paul put moral pressure on the Corinthians specifically, or other believers generally, to speak in tongues (161). Paul does propose a framework guided by love (1 Cor 13) and order (1 Cor 12-14) for the common good (12:7).
Hovenden also takes the time to ask the question of whether there is a fundamental difference between the Lukan and Pauline understanding of tongues and prophecy. His suggestion is that the two are not as dissimilar as many think; they simply have different concerns. Luke is concerned with tongues/prophecy as an initial outburst of praise in response to the filling of the Holy Spirit. Paul on the other hand is concerned with how tongues affect the community of faith (160). Luke is dealing with the theological significance of the initial outburst of tongues in a missionary context, while Paul deals with the practical use of tongues/prophecy in the daily life of the church.
The author concludes with implications for Pentecostal/charismatic studies and ministry. Thankfully, Hovenden calls for a deeper appreciation and understanding of tongues as a gift within the church. Perhaps the best implication he draws for Pentecostal/charismatic communities is that they cultivate a sacramental appreciation of tongues. The fact that tongues were viewed by both Luke and Paul as a gift of God should cause Pentecostals to see the gift sacramentally, and subsequently impart that view to the broader church (167). He believes that tongues, for Pentecostal and non-Pentecostal alike, are an outward and visible sign of an inward grace.
While the book is an informative and interesting read it may not be practical those without formal theological training. The footnoting would be cumbersome and the Greek impossible for the average reader. There is no reason why, though, that pastors, seminarians, and Bible College students could not take Hovenden’s work and make it intelligible to Pentecostal/charismatic congregations, or for that matter mainline or evangelical congregations. It is precisely for the reason that Hovenden succeeds in his goal to establish what Luke, Paul, and the earliest Christians actually believed tongues to be (3), that his teaching on the gift of tongues should be made available to the Christian community as a whole. It will challenge classical Pentecostals, cessationists, and agnostics alike as to the importance of tongues in the life of the early church.
Reviewed by Robert Cooke
Notes
1 Robert P. Menzies. Empowered for Witness, 248.
Preview Speaking in Tongues: http://books.google.com/books/about/Speaking_in_Tongues.html?id=43mDfVbZvdQC
Category: Spirit, Winter 2005
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