Speaking in tongues is a worldwide phenomenon that dates back to the early Christian church. Commonly referred to as "glossolalia," it has been the subject of curiosity and vigorous debate for the past two centuries. Glossolalia is both celebrated as supernatural gift and condemned as semiotic alchemy. For some it is mystical speech that exceeds what words can do, and for others it is mere gibberish, empty of meaning. At the heart of these differences is glossolalia's puzzling relationship to language. ​ Glossolalia and the Problem of Language investigates speaking in tongues in South Korea, where it is practiced widely across denominations and congregations. Nicholas Harkness shows how the popularity of glossolalia in Korea lies at the intersection of numerous, often competing social forces, interwoven religious legacies, and spiritual desires that have been amplified by Christianity's massive institutionalization. As evangelicalism continues to spread worldwide, Glossolalia and the Problem of Language analyzes one of its most enigmatic practices while marking a major advancement in our understanding of the power of language and its limits.

Every critic who desires to deny the validity of modern tongue speech must develop a scheme to destroy Paul's teaching.Through the centuries, there has been a wide variety of answers regarding the validity and veracity of speaking, praying, and singing in tongues, and its place within the life of the Christian and the Church. What is it? Is speaking in tongues such a radically supernatural experience that language is totally unknown, or is it, as some have contended, actual human languages that are simply unknown to the speakers? Several have believed it to be the language of heaven or at least from heaven. Others have declared it to be ecstatic, unintelligible utterances that require a highly charged emotional moment to experience. Should each Christian pray and sing in tongues, or is it reserved for a special few deeply spiritual ones? Did Jesus pray in tongues? These questions and more are answered by author and pastor Richard Hogue inTongues: A Theological History of Christian Glossolalia. His academic approach begins by firmly establishing biblical evidence before launching a chronological connect-the-dots exercise through Christian history. The design revealed is the undeniable influence of the Holy Spirit. From Saul of Tarsus to John Wesley, from Pentecost to Azusa Street, Richard Hogue follows the gift of tongues and clearly draws a picture of today's role of the Holy Spirit inTongues: A Theological History of Christian Glossolalia.

From the eyes of a minister raised in the traditional Pentecostal church, The History of the Glossolalia From The Pentecostal Perspective traces the art of speaking in tongues from its Pentecostal roots shortly after the death of Jesus Christ to its more recent practices in the modern church. By referencing current events and popular debate this study shows how this rare language remained unchanged despite many attempts to redefine its significance and meaning.

Speaking in tongues, or glossolalia, is practiced in many different religions around the world. Dismissed as meaningless gibberish by some observers, it has been the subject of only a few fragmentary studies. The work of Felicitas D. Goodman represents the first cross-cultural analysis of this enigmatic behavior, and she brings to her research an extensive background in linguistics and anthropology. Dr. Goodman's fieldwork included living with apostolic congregations in Mexico City, in the Yucatan with Maya Indians, and visits with a congregation in Hammond, Indiana. Her observations were preserved on a remarkable collection of sound recordings and films. For this book she presents a selection of conversion stories that highlights the personality structure and experiences of the speakers. A detailed analysis of the phonological and suprasegmental features of the recorded utterances show a surprising cross-cultural agreement. This led Goodman to believe that glossolalists speak the way they do because their speech behavior is modified in a particular mental state, often termed trance, into which they place themselves. In this light the glossolalia utterance is seen as an artifact of a hyperaroused mental state, or, in Chomskyan terms, as the surface structure of a nonlinguistic deep structure, that of the altered state of consciousness. Goodman describes the hyperaroused mental state as a neurophysiological phenomenon, as well as the associated patterns of movement, and the problems of waking from it. Goodman's diachronic approach yielded equally surprising data about the changes and the waning of the behavior over time. But, as she observes, "we have barely touched the edge of a very large area of inquiry." Her fascinating study opens a number of new avenues of research for anthropologists, such as the study of physiological states accompanying linguistic and ritual behavior.

Speaking in tongues has been a hot-button topic for evangelicals for quite some time. One side challenging the efficacy of its practice within churches today and the other side wholeheartedly embracing it's practice as a standard for Spirit-filled living. The historical record of glossolalia is not without controversy. The faithful believe that its inception stems from the book of Acts with the Holy Spirit descending upon faithful as fire. While there is evidence that speaking with tongue was not confined to the day of Pentecost and existed both within and outside of the Jewish and Christian traditions alike. However, Pentecostals would say that this was not an authentic practice in earlier forms prior to the New Testament church.With the emergence of Pentecostalism and the Charismatic Churches of the 21st century, the question of biblical credence of glossolalia is one which clergy continue to grapple with and brings out deep feelings on both sides--continualist and cessationist. I Timothy 2:15 reads ..".study to show our selves approved unto God a workman that doesn't need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." He would only want us to study, pray and have an open heart to whatever that practice reveals. With that, I believe that it is a worthwhile endeavor to test the viability of speaking in tongues within the framework of the continuity of its practice within history from early Christianity through the present. The Bible illustrates several instances of speaking in tongues in the New Testament church. If study of doctrine and history bears out that its practice continues through the present, then it is plausible that the intent is that believers continue its practice in modern day church. Conversely, if the cessation of its practice in history and the biblical interpretation agrees, then the cessationist view is plausible. Again, God is not unnerved by any question, but our finite understanding gives Him the opportunity to provide Himself strong, omnipotent and omniscient for all the world to see.

The Acts of the Apostles joins the Gospel of Luke with the ministry of Paul. The author shows how this masterful storyteller worked his magic, drawing on first-century literary techniques of narration and characterization.