Why I Left The Tongues Movement - By Alfred H. Pohl

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REASON #3

AN OVER-EMPHASIS OF ONE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Have you ever noticed how prone we humans are to go to extremes? This is especially true in religious matters. Observe how some particular doctrine or teaching is emphasized or exalted above other important doctrines. And often the very denominational name indicates this. Take for example the name, "Seventh-Day Adventist." Their name tells what they are emphasizing and consider most important, "Seventh Day" (Sabbath) and "Adventist" (Return of Christ). These are their distinctives and became the reason for their existence as a denomination in the first place. Take other names too—Holiness, Jesus Only Church, Latter Rain Triumphant Church, Foursquare Gospel, Full Gospel, Pentecostal, Charismatic, Pentecostal Fire Baptized Holiness Church, etc. Some of these advertise by their titles what their distinctive doctrines are, and which, in their estimation, are most important doctrines and practices. At least, that's how their denominations began.

It is this over-emphasis that explains in part, at least, the existence of so many denominations today. The Pentecostal-Tongues people have exalted the one gift of the Spirit, namely, the gift of tongues, above all the other gifts and out of all proportion. They have exalted it to an unscriptural extreme. In my opinion, they are making the same error that Ellen G. White of Seventh Day Adventism made. She claimed to have seen a vision in which the Fourth Commandment (that of the Sabbath) rose up above the other nine, and was surrounded by a halo of light. From this she concluded that she and her denomination should recognize Sabbath-keeping as the all-important message and doctrine of their church. And so this is where they put their emphasis. To many Pentecostal-Charismatics, tongues speaking has become what "Sabbath-keeping" is to the Seventh-Day Adventist!

Notice this expression of extremism in the following:

TONGUES-SPEAKING, ACCORDING TO THEM, IS THE EVIDENCE OF THE BAPTISM OR FULLNESS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

This is the view held by many in the Tongues Movement, but not all subscribe equally to it. I was brought up to believe this and preached it.

But this position, I found by study and observation, is untenable [not defensible]. Why?

1. If tongues speaking is THE evidence, then all other evidences—such as witnessing for God (Acts 4:31), and the Christ-likeness of life, and the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23)--are ruled out.

2. Since obviously tongues speaking can be imitated, and is, by heathen, Spiritists, etc., it is a questionable evidence. Deception and counterfeit can enter in. This thought alone should make us to seriously question such teaching.

This is precisely what happened to me while I was still in the Tongues Movement. As denominational Missionary-Secretary I was visiting and ministering in our churches in Ontario one summer. While I was in one of these churches, the pastor approached me about the possibility that he and his family could go to Jamaica as missionaries. I took his application forms back with me to our headquarters in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan [in west central Canada], where I presented them to our Missionary Council.

Eventually this family was sent out to Jamaica. Not too long after their arrival there I received a letter from this brother. Part of this letter reads as follows:

"Throughout Jamaica there is a class of people known as `Pocomania.' This word means `half-mad or a little mad.' They believe in all kinds of superstitions and practice all manner of evil. Since they are generally very poor, they usually worship in the open air. A very common sight here is to see groups of these people beating their drums and singing on the streets and along the roads. Last Sunday evening I saw five large groups in about as many city blocks. Often you can hear their drums beating until late at night. They speak in tongues and sing our choruses, and because of this it brings a great reproach upon the true Gospel and makes the preaching of the Gospel difficult."

I was shocked, particularly by the words, "They speak in tongues." All my life I was taught and myself preached that tongues speaking was THE evidence of Holy spirit baptism, that all tongues speaking was of God, and now I was informed that heathen also speak with tongues! What was this? Had it not been that I knew the missionary personally I likely would not have believed him. But here was one of our own men telling me this! That really got me thinking and investigating, only to discover that many non- Christians also speak in tongues—heathen witch doctors, Spiritists, Mormons, one branch of the Mohammedans, etc.

Once I spoke in a mission church at Alix, Alberta. During my message I mentioned the above incident about Jamaica. When I had concluded my message, a young man from the Cook Islands [near New Zealand], who was in the meeting that night, got up and publicly confirmed what I had said, that heathen also speak in tongues on his island.

So by the teaching that tongues speaking is THE evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the door is opened to the possibility of false or counterfeit tongues being accepted as genuine evidence of the Holy Spirit fullness. On the other hand, what better evidence is there than a transformed life, a Christ-like life with the fruit of the Spirit in manifestation: "Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance" (Gal. 5:22-23)? This is difficult to imitate or counterfeit!

I also remember the excitement expressed by some Tongues people who had visited the Mormon Temple at Salt Lake City, Utah [USA]. They told me that they had discovered that Mormons, too, speak with tongues, and they had come away with the impression that there must be a close relationship between them, some kind of spiritual kinship! Apparently, if only they speak with tongues, then some false doctrine can be overlooked! And therein lies a big danger today. The modern (new) Charismatic Movement admits that there are tongues speakers who know no repentance or new birth as we know it and as the Bible teaches it.

ALSO, AS I SEARCHED THE SCRIPTURES, I SAW THAT THE PROMINENCE THAT WE GAVE TO THE GIFT OF TONGUES WAS UNSCRIPTURAL

We had fallen into the same error that the Corinthians had. It was to correct them that Paul wrote his first epistle to them. He did not write to encourage them to a greater use of the gift of tongues, but, rather, to correct them in their over-emphasis and abuse of that gift. The gift of tongues is clearly one of the lesser gifts. In the list of gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 it, with the sister gift of interpretation of tongues, is last in order. This is also true in the second listing in this same chapter, 1 Corinthians 12:28, where it again is last in the list. Besides, in the other two major lists of the gifts in the Epistles—Ephesians 4:11 and Romans 12:6-8--the gift of tongues is not mentioned. This should tell us something about the relative importance of this gift.

Then notice Paul's evaluation of the importance of the gift of tongues in 1 Corinthians 14:5-6:

"I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying. Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine?"

And in 1 Corinthians 14:19-20:

"Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue. Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men."

We could add one more reference here--1 Corinthians 13:1:

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal."

Obviously, these Scriptures teach that the gift of tongues is not the most prominent of the gifts, as the Corinthians mistakenly thought (and as many also do today). It was because of their immaturity in understanding this that Paul added verse 20 of 1 Corinthians 14 to verse 19: "Brethren, be not children in understanding ..." In other words he is telling them to "grow up," to "mature." In effect he is saying, "Don't continue in your childish thinking." See 1 Corinthians 3:1-2, where he calls them spiritual "babes." He is saying, "Don't remain in a state of misunderstanding of God's purpose for giving the gift of tongues, but rather, grow up, mature!" He calls for sound and mature thinking, not for a childish preoccupation with one of the lesser gifts.

A Charismatic who encouraged everyone to seek a tongues experience was confronted with the fact that some who had experienced tongues were demonstrating no basic changes in their life-style, but were still involved in sinful practices. He replied, "Well, if tongues won't straighten out their lives, I don't know what will do it." This is an example of exalting a lesser gift to a place of supreme importance, which is entirely unscriptural. Let us, by careful and prayerful study of the Scriptures, avoid such errors and extremes that do not glorify Christ!

Reason #4--An under-emphasis of other doctrines, particularly the cross-work of Christ