[Thesis] Tongues Seeking Understanding

The article analyzes the topic of speaking in tongues, notably, the question: Is the interpretation necessary for speaking in tongues in public worship? In the first part, the article introduces various kinds of the languages of speaking in tongues. The second part presents the different views on the relationship of miraculous gifts and the church today. The third part is a textual analysis of key parts of 1 Corinthians and Acts on this issue. Based on the analysis, the paper concludes that interpretation of tongues is optional in public worship and the intelligibility is more fundamental. Since the languages of speaking in tongues in contemporary churches are mostly unintelligible, however, the paper suggest that interpretation is necessary in most of cases. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Liang Peng 

MDiv, Columbia International University 

ThM, Trinity International University