Thursday, January 05, 2006
The Problem With Tongues And The SBC
CT had an article on the Southern Baptist's decsion to forbid tongues in it's missionaries - at least the new ones. Here's the real problem from my perspective
The troubling part is this kind "have it both ways" decision solves nothing. In a decision like this lies the roots of conflict. One side or the other will demand an answer as to whether tongues are acceptable or not, if they are they should be for all, and if not they should not be for all, and failing such an answer someone is going to get hurt or angry.
Because the ruling is not retroactive, it will not apply to IMB president Jerry Rankin. "I acknowledged even in the discussions that [tongues] has been a continuing practice [of mine] for 30 years," Rankin told CT. The trustees who elected him president in 1993 knew he prays in tongues.That's both silly and troubling. The silly part is that apparently cessasionism does not date to the end of the apostolic age, but to just the last few months when the SBC made it's decision.
When asked, Rankin told CT, "I am assuming that this does not have anything to do with me, because it was stated that it doesn't."
The troubling part is this kind "have it both ways" decision solves nothing. In a decision like this lies the roots of conflict. One side or the other will demand an answer as to whether tongues are acceptable or not, if they are they should be for all, and if not they should not be for all, and failing such an answer someone is going to get hurt or angry.
