Prior to recognizing and surrendering to the call of God upon my life, I was a practicing economist and financier. Statistics and accounting—the discipline of mathematics applied to social trends and the management of money—were the focus of my daily thoughts and deeds. The statistical side of economics in comparison with the reporting side of accounting brought greater joy to this former practitioner of the financial arts as economics involves understanding human behavior. Yet, like other social scientists, economists deal with both the measurable and the immeasurable precisely because they are dealing with the attitudes and actions of human beings.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (BP)—International Mission Board trustees have adopted revised guidelines on baptism and the practice of tongues and private prayer languages among prospective missionaries. The revisions, both of which are now termed “guidelines,” retain much of their original wording.

NASHVILLE (SBT)—Half of Southern Baptists pastors surveyed by LifeWay Research believe it is possible for the Holy Spirit to give some people the gift of a special language to pray to God privately—often referred to as a private prayer language. However, in a separate survey of recent SBC seminary graduates, less than 6% of the graduates said they prayed in tongues, have a private prayer language or practiced glossolalia. Among those graduates now working in Southern Baptist ministries, the number of practitioners goes down to less than 4%.

Everyone seems to be talking about speaking in tongues these days. Though that is not the same as everyone talking in tongues, there is no doubt that there is great interest in this topic. There are many facets to the subject of tongues. Is it the initial evidence of Spirit baptism? Should all Christians speak in tongues? Was speaking in tongues only intended for the New Testament era? Is it actual language or only “ecstatic utterance”? Those are all important questions that beg our attention, but in this article I am only going to address directly the question of tongues as prayer language. Dealing with that topic will require that I open the door on a couple of these other issues, but I will not be able to investigate them with any thoroughness at all.

JACKSONVILLE (FBW)—Can Southern Baptists adopt elements of charismatic theology and still be considered Baptist?

JACKSONVILLE (FBW)—The Sandy Creek-Charleston Baptists analogy invoked by Dwight McKissic in defense of wider latitude in Southern Baptist life for charismatic theology was first employed by a Baptist church historian in a lecture series that took place in the early days of the Conservative Resurgence-a movement that sought to return the SBC to conservative theology and which the historian opposed.

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (SBT/FBW)—In addition to the historical claims on which Dwight McKissic rests his call for “latitude” among Southern Baptists on tongues and private prayer language, the pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, also has cited scholarly affirmation for his interpretation of key biblical passages, especially the Apostle Paul’s treatment of tongues in 1 Corinthians 14.