Christian Ethical Perspectives on Speaking in Tongues (glossolalia) as a Mandatory Requirement for Selecting a Church Leader
Speaking in tongues has a long history in the church, dating back to Christ’s apostles (Acts 2:4). While theologians like John Calvin, St. Augustine, and Chrysostom view it as outdated, Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians assert its relevance today. This belief drives many to attempt speaking in...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Noyam Journals
2025-05-01
|
| Series: | E-Journal of Religious and Theological Studies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://noyam.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/ERATS20251153.pdf |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849683531324719104 |
|---|---|
| author | George Anderson Jnr. Philip Kwadwo Okyere |
| author_facet | George Anderson Jnr. Philip Kwadwo Okyere |
| author_sort | George Anderson Jnr. |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Speaking in tongues has a long history in the church, dating back to Christ’s apostles (Acts 2:4). While theologians like John Calvin, St. Augustine, and Chrysostom view it as outdated, Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians assert its relevance today. This belief drives many to attempt speaking in tongues, often interpreting their inability as a sign of not being fully born again or lacking the Holy Spirit. Consequently, some Christians may imitate others to showcase their reception of the Holy Spirit. This qualitative analysis through interviews explored the Christian ethical perspectives on requiring this gift before one becomes a church leader. It argues that the ability to speak in tongues is a supernatural gift bestowed by the Holy Spirit, which cannot be acquired through human effort or training. Therefore, making it a prerequisite for church leaders risks encouraging imitation rather than a genuine spiritual experience. The paper contributes to the debate on speaking in tongues in the church. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bebc457ccbf14bbcb5225fb9ee5ae85a |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2458-7338 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Noyam Journals |
| record_format | Article |
| series | E-Journal of Religious and Theological Studies |
| spelling | doaj-art-bebc457ccbf14bbcb5225fb9ee5ae85a2025-08-20T03:23:51ZengNoyam JournalsE-Journal of Religious and Theological Studies2458-73382025-05-01511200209https://doi.org/10.38159/erats.20251153Christian Ethical Perspectives on Speaking in Tongues (glossolalia) as a Mandatory Requirement for Selecting a Church LeaderGeorge Anderson Jnr. 0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4944-4011 Philip Kwadwo Okyere1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0436-1527Department of Religion and Human Values, University of Cape Coast, Ghana.Department of Basic Education, University of Cape Coast, Ghana.Speaking in tongues has a long history in the church, dating back to Christ’s apostles (Acts 2:4). While theologians like John Calvin, St. Augustine, and Chrysostom view it as outdated, Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians assert its relevance today. This belief drives many to attempt speaking in tongues, often interpreting their inability as a sign of not being fully born again or lacking the Holy Spirit. Consequently, some Christians may imitate others to showcase their reception of the Holy Spirit. This qualitative analysis through interviews explored the Christian ethical perspectives on requiring this gift before one becomes a church leader. It argues that the ability to speak in tongues is a supernatural gift bestowed by the Holy Spirit, which cannot be acquired through human effort or training. Therefore, making it a prerequisite for church leaders risks encouraging imitation rather than a genuine spiritual experience. The paper contributes to the debate on speaking in tongues in the church.https://noyam.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/ERATS20251153.pdfchristian ethicsspeaking in tonguemandatory requirementchurch leader |
| spellingShingle | George Anderson Jnr. Philip Kwadwo Okyere Christian Ethical Perspectives on Speaking in Tongues (glossolalia) as a Mandatory Requirement for Selecting a Church Leader E-Journal of Religious and Theological Studies christian ethics speaking in tongue mandatory requirement church leader |
| title | Christian Ethical Perspectives on Speaking in Tongues (glossolalia) as a Mandatory Requirement for Selecting a Church Leader |
| title_full | Christian Ethical Perspectives on Speaking in Tongues (glossolalia) as a Mandatory Requirement for Selecting a Church Leader |
| title_fullStr | Christian Ethical Perspectives on Speaking in Tongues (glossolalia) as a Mandatory Requirement for Selecting a Church Leader |
| title_full_unstemmed | Christian Ethical Perspectives on Speaking in Tongues (glossolalia) as a Mandatory Requirement for Selecting a Church Leader |
| title_short | Christian Ethical Perspectives on Speaking in Tongues (glossolalia) as a Mandatory Requirement for Selecting a Church Leader |
| title_sort | christian ethical perspectives on speaking in tongues glossolalia as a mandatory requirement for selecting a church leader |
| topic | christian ethics speaking in tongue mandatory requirement church leader |
| url | https://noyam.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/ERATS20251153.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT georgeandersonjnr christianethicalperspectivesonspeakingintonguesglossolaliaasamandatoryrequirementforselectingachurchleader AT philipkwadwookyere christianethicalperspectivesonspeakingintonguesglossolaliaasamandatoryrequirementforselectingachurchleader |