Modern Tongues Movement - 9780875523040

Plot

Read this book to flesh out the major weaknesses of theology and practice in Pentecostalism, but not to get proof for the idea that tongues have ceased.

Although written in the sixties this is still one of the most thorough and charitable critiques of Pentecostalism out there. Robert Gromacki tackles the issue starting with church history, he then moves through biblical exegesis of all the relevant passages, he then examines particular defenses of the doctrines and practice of Pentecostalism in light of scriptural data. What he comes out with in the end is a great examination of a complex and emotional issue with one glaring problem. It appears that Dr. Gromacki came into this study with the a priori assumption that the miraculous gifts ceased near the end of the first century. He does attempt to support his thesis with church history and some scripture, but it was not adequate for a biblical defense by the standard of "scripture alone." Gromacki failed to prove from scripture that tongues actually ceased forever with the death of the first generation of Christians. By the standard of scripture alone this volume falls prey to the same reading into scripture of which he accuses Pentecostals.