Kind of off on a tangent here... This reminds me of another practice that is rare in the biblical scriptures but was commonplace in my Pentecostal childhood church experience: speaking in tongues. I never understood how these modern people were moved by the Holy Spirit so easily, every service, while it was a huge, awe-striking event in the Bible. I was not convinced even as a tender-hearted, indoctrinated child.
Excellent example of a quasi-'miracle', exact analogue to insta-prophecy. I've never been convinced either. To expect 'tongues', whatever that actually is -- I'd love a linguist to record various examples and see if there is any pattern to them -- is to arrogate to oneself something very like the mantle of prophet. It also overstates the biblical warrant to expect the gift of tongues. (Why that particular gift?) Lastly, it's suspiciously confined to particular subcultures, most grotesquely that of the southern televangelist. I was never convinced either, and when I saw it, I thought it was kind of gross.
Kind of off on a tangent here... This reminds me of another practice that is rare in the biblical scriptures but was commonplace in my Pentecostal childhood church experience: speaking in tongues. I never understood how these modern people were moved by the Holy Spirit so easily, every service, while it was a huge, awe-striking event in the Bible. I was not convinced even as a tender-hearted, indoctrinated child.
Excellent example of a quasi-'miracle', exact analogue to insta-prophecy. I've never been convinced either. To expect 'tongues', whatever that actually is -- I'd love a linguist to record various examples and see if there is any pattern to them -- is to arrogate to oneself something very like the mantle of prophet. It also overstates the biblical warrant to expect the gift of tongues. (Why that particular gift?) Lastly, it's suspiciously confined to particular subcultures, most grotesquely that of the southern televangelist. I was never convinced either, and when I saw it, I thought it was kind of gross.
Very cool stuff 👍🏼