May 11 -- Day of Pentecost

Passages: Acts 2:1-21, Psalm 104:24-35, 1 Corinthians 12:3-13, John 20:19-23

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. ⁵ Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. ⁶ And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. ⁷ Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? … ¹² All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" ¹³ But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine." Acts 2:4-13 (NRSV)

² For those who speak in a tongue do not speak to other people but to God; for nobody understands them, since they are speaking mysteries in the Spirit. ³ On the other hand, those who prophesy speak to other people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. ⁴ Those who speak in a tongue build up themselves, but those who prophesy build up the church. ⁵ Now I would like all of you to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. … ⁹ So with yourselves; if in a tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is being said? For you will be speaking into the air … ¹¹ If then I do not know the meaning of a sound, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me. 1 Corinthians 14:2-11

In Acts and 1 Corinthians we are presented with two different conceptions of what it means to “speak in tongues.” Acts recounts the event of the Pentecost, when the disciples are granted the gift of tongues to empower them in their ministry of the early church and live out the Great Commission (to make disciples of all nations). In Acts, the words the disciples speak are intelligible to many people in the crowd, whereas in Corinthians, Paul is describing a practice in the early church that closely resembles the “speaking in tongues” of many modern Pentecostal and Charismatic churches (“Charismatic” is a term for non-Pentecostal Christians who speak in tongues several times a year or identify as “Pentecostal” while belonging to a non-Pentecostal denomination, like Catholicism). Paul is accepting and encouraging of the practice, but expresses reservations about it. He attempts to downplay its importance in churches and as a sign of belief. These two practices, although sharing a common name (glossolalia), have crucial differences.

Two common interpretations of Acts 2 are: 1) the Disciples were given the ability to speak in previously unknown languages intelligibly, and 2) the Disciples were given the ability to speak in mysterious tongue and many of those present were granted to the power of interpretation and each heard this tongue in their own language simultaneously. The second interpretation seems the soundest to me based on a close reading of the text – in Acts 2.8 the crowd asks “How is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?” Also, in 2.13 it is mentioned that there are people present who do not understand and mock the Disciples, saying they had too much new wine. So, to bust out a Star Trek reference here, the Holy Spirit acts as a sort of “universal translator.” In the Star Trek world, everyone is capable of speaking in their own native language and be understood in the other person’s. This bridges the vast cultural differences between the different species, and makes the mission of exploration possible. Likewise, the Pentecost bridges the cultural barriers and makes it possible for the mission of the Apostles to be accomplished. It invites all nations to hear the message and be a part of the divine discussion.

This is a sharp contrast to what Paul says in First Corinthians 14.2: “For those who speak in a tongue do not speak to other people but to God; for nobody understands them, since they are speaking mysteries in the Spirit.” Paul, although not rejecting glossolalia, complains about how the practice is unintelligible to others in the church and therefore inferior to prophesy or other spiritual gifts that are communicable. Where the Pentecost brought understanding between foreigners, the unintelligible glossolalia of the early church created separations (according to Paul): “If then I do not know the meaning of a sound, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me” (14.11).

Growing up in a congregational church, where the majority of worship is spent sitting still and listening to sermons or prayers, speaking in tongues is a foreign concept to me. However, Pentecostal and Charismatic worship is spreading rapidly all around the world (especially in Latin America, where even some Catholic services have a Charismatic worship style). It is a powerful religious experience for many people, one I wish to respect. Yet, it’s interesting that the debate Paul addressed almost two thousand years ago – about the value of speaking in tongues – continues today. Often, Pentecostals and Charismatics (often jointly referred to as “Renewalists”) point to Acts, and Hebrew Scripture passages like Joel (as Peter does in today’s lection) for the Biblical basis of their practice, while some non-Renewalists, point to passages from Paul to discredit it or relegate it to a private practice outside of worship, as Paul does in 1 Corinthians 14.18-19: “I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you; nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind, in order to instruct others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.”

However, those who use Paul to refute glossolalia are not being fair to the argument Paul presents in 1 Corinthians, and are rather picking out a few harsh sentences. Paul does indeed argue that it doesn’t have much of a place in worship if there isn’t a translator, but he doesn’t deny the experience either or call it gibberish. He ultimately concludes with, “So, my friends, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues; but all things should be done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:39-40). On the day of Pentecost, I think it’s important for us to acknowledge that the New Testament itself has different conceptions of “speaking in tongues,” and that it has been a subject of controversy for the entire history of the Christian church.