Yes, to the charismatic, as all Christians are who accept the Apostle Paul’s description of the many different gifts of the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12. My strongest spiritual gift is administration. No, to the Pentecostal. I have never spoken in tongues. Pentecostal churches are those which expect participants to bypass rational speech to pray emotionally in phrases not basic to their own language. In recent decades the label “charismatic” was applied in the very narrow sense to members of traditional churches who emphasized speaking in tongues.
Dear Dr. Luecke,
In my experience, both from my speaking in my prayer language and in hearing many others that I know, it is not an emotional experience in and of itself. It does bypass the cognitive process, meaning, I don’t think up the words or sounds, which I think is a great thing. It is completely in my control to pray in the language, but I do not determine the sounds that come out. I think that if you had been given that gift, and were using it, you would not describe the gift or phenomenon in the way that you did. My opinion. It did seem slightly demeaning.
I am grateful that there is a Lutheran leader who is talking about the things you talk about. You are a needed voice.
Yours in Christ,
David
Thanks for sharing. I did not intend to belittle something that has been a defining feature for millions of enthusiastic believers. I intended just to say that I have not been given that gift. I am appealing to a much broader audience than those who have had the experience of speaking in tongues. I gave my understanding of it as an emotional expression. Many Lutheran pastors have hostility toward charismatics from the conflicts involving charismatics in congregations in the 60s and 70s. I respect charismatics for their energy.
Yours is the first expression of your prayer language being very rational. God bless your gift and the Giver.
Dave