
I also find it interesting that the vast majority of the class is Pentecostal since, at the moment, the fastest growing and generally dominant Christian denomination in Latin America, Africa, and Asia is the Pentecostal denomination.
That being said, the topic of miraculous gifts, and especially tongues, has come up multiple times throughout the class. The primary scriptures used to support Pentecostal teachings on tongues (and miraculous gifts in general) is 1 Corinthians 12 and 14.
I was rereading 1 Corinthians 14 today in my devotions and the thing that struck me about this chapter is how heavily Paul emphasizes order. First, he speaks primarily of prophecy (which he defines as edification, exhortation, and consultation) and he compares it to tongues.
Paul’s primary argument in the first half of the passage is that prophecy is superior to tongues because prophecy edifies the body by engaging the spirit and the mind of the church as a whole while tongues engages only the spirit of the individual.
Further, in the second half of the chapter Paul then emphasizes that both prophecy and tongues are to be used in the church in anorderly manner.
He sets forth specific rules as to how they are to be used, and commands those who cannot obey these rules to remain silent. I find it interesting just how much of the modern Pentecostal church ignores this section of the chapter almost entirely. Anyway, I have a plot challenge for you today. I’m going to give you a picture and I want you to develop a part of your world based on what you see. It should be a setting that is believable in your world, and that has potential for stories in it. Here’s you’re picture:
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