Religion and Theology

Author William G. Bellshaw in his informative article, The Confusion of Tongues, poses doubts that people actually possess this gift from the Holy Spirit.

There is an outcry of Christians who need this gift to cement their beliefs.  Bellshaw believes this desire is causing them to misapprehend the message of Gods Word concerning the Holy Spirits ministry among men.  All our experiences should be based on the solid Word of God (145). His doubts are plausible, and baked by compelling evidence. Bellshaw writes several valid arguments as to why speaking in tongues may not be a gift to everyday Christians.

Speaking in tongues is only mentioned in two books of the New Testament three passages in the Acts, and 1 Corinthians (146).  Why As the author states with all the remaining books in the New Testament, is not it peculiar to find no mention of Christs disciples and common people speaking in tongues.  Another puzzling question is do both books, the Acts and the Corinthians refer to two different kinds of tongues In the Acts the passage eludes to speaking tongues is simply speaking known languages, in

1 Corinthians there is no known language theory.  Bellshaw argues that the word unknown in 1 Corinthians was added by a translator, and should be left out of the passages.  The word tongue in the New Testament means a language used by inhabitants of the world.  His continued arguments say humans would not receive such a gift from the Holy Spirit, and it could be easily faked by talking
Gibberish (147).

The author does believe that if a person speaks a foreign language without learning it by ordinary means, it is truly a gift of the Holy Spirit. He supports this claim noting that in Acts 2 there were many people from foreign countries Paul went to a seaport community where many languages were spoken, and in Act 10 Cornelius was a foreigner.  Therefore, for someone to speak a foreign language they did not learn from these people they were given the gift of tongues (148).

In Acts, Bellshaw goes into detail about how the Jewish people always seemed to be around when people were speaking in tongues he determines this to be a sign for unbelieving Jews.  This was experienced in several passages in both Books one example was when Paul was accused of blasphemy, while preaching to the Jews, God gave the believers in Corinth the gift of tongues (150).

Bellshaw reiterated feasible arguments against the validity of the gift of tongues. However, after the passages about the foreign language theory, he was convinced that speaking in tongues is a gift from the Holy Spirit, but not to be taken superciliously.  If
the person is not pretending, they are speaking the Word of God.

William Bellshaw presents a very well written, researched article on a subject
as relevant today as it was in the days of Paul and the Corinthians.  His first argument against the validity of tongues made the most sense to me.  Out of all the books in the New Testament, including the ones that were left out of the bible, how could such a supernatural gift be confined to just two the Acts and 1 Corinthians.  The article mentions a few times where mentioning tongues would have been appropriate when Paul was with the epistles as Ephesians, Philippians, and the pastoral Epistles and it was listed last on only two lists of gifts in the New Testament (146).

I am not convinced of Mr. Bellshaws theory of people who claimed to be speaking in tongues were really speaking a known language.  If that were true, other people would understand them. He then writes that if a person speaks a foreign language, that they did not learn, they were actually speaking the Word of God. He contradicts his own language theory. How would anyone know if it wasnt a bonfired language  Maybe they just were not familiar with, or it was how the translator recorded it.   Within this context, he writes that if people know a different language without learning it, then it is truly a gift of the Holy Spirit (148). I find this a very presumptuous remark.

Towards the end of his article, Mr. Bellshaw becomes a believer in tongues being a gift of the Holy Spirit.  In todays world tongues is acknowledged worldwide as a blessed gift.  The people who are bestowed with it believe they are talking to the Holy Spirit in a secret and private, language.  If the New Testament was revised, I know tongues would be in numerous Books and at the top of the gift list.