James OLoughlin - The Truth About Speaking In Tongues: An Examination of the Pentecostal and Charismatic Doctrine and Experience

THE TRUTH ABOUT SPEAKING IN TONGUES:

AN EXAMINATION OF THE

PENTECOSTAL AND CHARISMATIC

DOCTRINE AND EXPERIENCE

FROM WORD OF FAITH TO FAITH IN THE WORD

BY

JAMES ANTHONY OLOUGHLIN

2011 by James A. OLoughlin

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproducedin any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except in thecase of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Published in Fort Mill, SC by Veritas International Institute.

Printed in the United States of America.

2014

OLoughlin, James A. The Truth about Speaking in Tongues:

An Examination of the Pentecostal and Charismatic Doctrineand Experience.

From Word of Faith to Faith in the Word.

Includes bibliographical references and footnotes.

Cover Artwork: Pentecost - Oil on canvas - by Titian (c1488-1576)

To my dedicated anddevout mother

who helped support methrough seminary and into the arms of Jesus.

We are confident,I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body,

and to be presentwith the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:8

PART ONE:

THEHISTORY AND DOCTRINE OF GLOSSOLALIA

IN THE MODERN TONGUES MOVEMENT

A. The Second Work of Grace View of John Wesley and his Successors

B. The Initial Shift from Christian Perfection to the Baptism in theHoly Spirit

C. American Revivalisms Experiential Methodology and OberlinPerfectionism

D. The Shift from Christological to Pneumatological Language

E. The Keswick Higher Life Movement

F. Restorationisms Interpretation of Church History

G. The Shift in American Revivalism from Postmillennialism toPremillennialism

A. The Beginning of the Pentecostal Movement

B. The Background and Beginning of the Charismatic Movement

A. The Nature of theBaptism in the Holy Spirit in Pentecostal Pneumatology

B. The Doctrine of theBaptism in the Holy Spirit Subsequent to Conversion as a Normative Pattern forthe Church Today

C. The Doctrine of theConditions for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit

D. The Doctrine of theInitial Evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit

E. A Comparison andContrast of the Pentecostal and Charismatic Doctrine of the Baptism in the HolySpirit

PART TWO:

TESTINGTHE DOCTRINAL AND EVIDENTIAL CLAIMS

OF THE MODERN TONGUES MOVEMENT

A. The Nature of Tongues

I. Tongues as Actual Foreign Languages in Pentecostalism

II. Tongues as Angelic Language and Ecstatic Utterance in Pentecostalism

III. Tongues as Actual Foreign Languages in the New Testament

IV. Tongues as a God-given way to Bypass the Limitations of the RationalMind?

B. Challenging the Purpose of Tongues in Pentecostalism

I. Tongues for Communicating the Gospel by Pentecostal Missionaries?

II. Tongues for Private Devotions and Self-Edification?

III. Challenging the Pentecostal-Charismatic Purpose of Tongues

A. The Purpose of Tongues in the Book of Acts

B. Tongues as a Miraculous Sign of the Inclusion of Representative Groups

C. Tongues as a Special Sign Authenticating the Apostles as Agents of NewRevelation

A. Challenging the Use of Acts Narrative as a Normative PrescriptivePattern

B. Challenging the Doctrine of Conditions

C. Challenging the Doctrine of Subsequence

D. The Nature of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit

E. Challenging the Doctrine of Tongues as the Initial Physical Evidence

Possible Explanations of the Modern Tongues Phenomenon:

A. Tongues as Satanically Inspired

B. Tongues as Psychologically Induced and Artificially Produced

C. Tongues as Divinely Inspired

Summary of the Reasons why the Modern Tongues Movement is Not Biblical

I would like to express my thanks and gratitudeto all those who have helped me in my life. In this regard, I am indebtedchiefly to God for His amazing grace and truth. My mother, Jessica, hasassisted me in more ways than I can say, despite my many shortcomings. Mybrother John and my sister Rachel have also been a great blessing to me. Iwould also like to thank my seminary professors, Dr. Norman L. Geisler and Dr. ThomasA. Howe, who were indispensable in the writing and publication of this book.Dr. Geislers ministry, books, and friendship, have been a tremendous blessingto me.

My Pentecostal and Charismatic friends, DannyHone, Tim Walk, Jim French, and others have also aided me greatly in life.Although they may not agree with many of my conclusions, my hope is that thisbook will give an answer to those who are searching for the truth on thistopic. I pray that the Lord will use it for His glory and our good.

Sincerely with love, JamesOLoughlin

In my 60 years of teaching, James OLoughlin was one of the finest youngmen it has been my privilege to know. He was a quiet but studious seeker oftruth. When he put his mind to a topic, he was diligent to the end. He duguntil he found the truth of the matter. He could not be satisfied withanything less.

Having come from a charismatic background, he knew the movement from theinside out. Having spoken in tongues a multitude of times, he knew first-handthe euphoria of the experience. At the same time, James was deeply rooted inthe Scriptures and believed it to be the only infallible and inerrant Word of God.

When James came to Southern Evangelical Seminary, he found an appealingenvironment where men and women of God were dedicated to teaching and defendingthe Word of God. He was attracted by this dedication to and defense of theScripture.

James had searched Gods Word to see whether or not there was a biblicalbasis for what he loved and practiced so long. His love for Scripture movedhim to enquire to find a biblical basis for his beliefs. His exposure toapologetics and philosophy led him to examine his beliefs to see if they wererationally grounded.

Shortly after, he was exposed to the Socratic doctrine that theunexamined life is not worth living. Then it was that his study ofapologetics provided another twist on the ancient dictum. There were studentswith bumper stickers and others with T-shirts that proclaimed: The unexaminedFaith is not worth believing.

After a couple years of this exposure, it was no surprise to me when Jamesannounced his thesis topic for his Masters degree: The Truth about Tongues: AScholarly Examination of the Charismatic and Pentecostal Doctrine andExperience. He had to know: was there a biblical and rational basis for whathe had been taught and practiced? If not, what was the truth?

To do justice to the topic, James had to examine carefully the historicalbackground of the movement, as well as its biblical and doctrinal basis. Hisdetailed research landed him with a work that was worthy of a doctoral degreeatome of nearly 350 pages! The punch line comes in Part II: Testing theDoctrinal and Evidential Claims of the Modern Tongues Movement.

Having studied this subject myself for over a half century, I have notfound a more thorough, biblical, and rational approach to the topic than isfound in this book. I knew it had to be published.

Unfortunately, God took James to be with Himself via cancer before thebook could be published. However, a good friend of James, Scott Matscherz, andmyself set ourselves to put this valuable resource into print. Scott formattedand helped edit the manuscript and provided the cover, and I wrote this Foreword. The royalties from this book are going to his godly mother who loved James somuch and has grieved so long in his departure.

Nothing would please James more than that the readers of this book wouldcome to love the God of all gifts over any of the gifts He gives.