Has anyone ever asked you, “Are you one of them tongue-talkers?” After you get your eyes to stop rolling, you have to decide whether or not to do a witty comeback (no, this is not the kind of response I usually choose, but it appeals to my flesh to think about it) “Well, yes, aren’t you? I know if the early church needed it, I sure do.” Or, you may decide to calmly and lovingly offer a defense for what you believe about praying in the Spirit and tongues with interpretation. But what about the out-of-the-blue statement, “All you [insert your “label” here] ever talk about is tongues”? Your mouth drops and you say, “Wait, didn’t you just bring it up?”
If the early church needed it, I sure do.
Any regular reader of this journal knows we talk about a great deal more than just glossolalia. I am glad that Pentecostals, charismatics, and those that are open but cautious regarding the gifts of the Spirit can agree on so many things. In our unity on essentials, we have diverse beliefs about many other subjects. May you find something in this issue that challenges and instructs you and which God may use to deepen you.
Raul L. Mock is one of the founders and directors of the Pneuma Foundation and editor of The Pneuma Review. Raul has been part of an Evangelical publishing ministry since 1996, working with Information Services and Supply Chain Management for more than two decades. He and his wife, Erin, have a daughter and twin boys and live in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area. LinkedIn
William P. Atkinson, Baptism in the Spirit: Luke-Acts and the Dunn Debate (Eugene, OR: Pickwick, 2011), 164 pages, ISBN 9781608999712. The publication of James Dunn’s Baptism in the Holy Spirit in 1970 touched a nerve among the then fledgling group of Pentecostal scholars, and has continued to find strong resistance from Pentecostals. Not surprisingly, there…
Craig S. Keener discusses medical evidence for miracles. Part of the Seedbed series about his book, Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts. Craig Keener Craig S. Keener, Ph.D. (Duke University), is F. M. and Ada Thompson Professor of Biblical Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He is author of many books,…
Evangelicals cannot make up their mind about miracles. They typically affirm the “supernatural in theory but deny it in practice.”[1] Although charismata’s scriptural precedent is acknowledged, many are persuaded that it “is not the essence of religion.”[2] Billy Graham, Evangelicalism’s chief architect, declared, “As we approach the end of the age … I believe we…
Craig S. Keener discusses his book, Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts. Part of the Seedbed series from Asbury Theological Seminary. Craig Keener Craig S. Keener, Ph.D. (Duke University), is F. M. and Ada Thompson Professor of Biblical Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He is author of many books, including…
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