Is Speaking in Tongues Legitimately Happening Today? David Young VS. David Young

Is speaking in tongues a real human language, a private prayer language, or a spiritual gift the church no longer needs? Explore a biblical approach to the gifts of the Spirit https://renew.org/gifts-of-the-spirit/ In Season 7, Episode 5 of Scripture in Black and White, hosts Anthony Walker and Daniel McCoy sit down with David Young, academic dean of RENEW University, for a format they have never tried before: asking one guest to argue both sides of the same question. Speaking in tongues appears in five clear New Testament passages, yet debates over what it means—and whether the gift continues today, have shaped entire denominations and still divide Christians within the same congregation. David traces the modern debate through William J. Seymour’s story and the 1906 Azusa Street Revival. He then defines several key terms: continuationism and cessationism; glossolalia, the broad term for speaking in tongues; idioglossia, speech without a recognizable linguistic structure; and xenoglossia, the miraculous ability to speak a real human language one has never learned. First, David makes the strongest case he can for the continuationist position by examining the five primary New Testament texts: Mark 16, Acts 2, Acts 10, Acts 19, and 1 Corinthians 12–14. Then he changes sides and presents the cessationist case: tongues appear relatively rarely in the New Testament, 1 Corinthians 13:8 says that tongues will cease, and much of what is practiced as tongues today more closely resembles idioglossia than the xenoglossia described in Acts 2. Daniel and Anthony press David on how each side answers the other’s strongest arguments, including Paul’s instruction that speaking in tongues during a church gathering requires an interpreter. The conversation ends on essential common ground: whatever position Christians hold, Paul’s central concern in 1 Corinthians 12–14 is unity and the building up of Christ’s body—not winning an argument. Key Highlights 0:00 What Is Idioglossia? A Real Example 0:56 Welcome and Meet David Young 5:43 William J. Seymour and the Azusa Street Revival 9:05 Four Key Terms: Continuationism, Cessationism, Glossolalia, and More 14:33 The Case for Tongues Today: Five New Testament Passages 23:27 The Case Against Tongues Today 30:16 Questions That Challenge the Continuationist Position 41:36 Miracles as God’s Seal of Approval 48:33 The Strongest Argument from Each Side 52:35 Common Ground: Paul’s Central Concern Was Unity Scripture and Key References Mark 16; Acts 2; Acts 10; Acts 19; 1 Corinthians 12–14; 1 Corinthians 13:8–13; 1 Corinthians 15; James 1; Romans 8; 2 Corinthians 12–13 Episode Details Podcast: Scripture in Black and White Series: Season 7 Episode: 5 Guest: David Young Hosts: Anthony Walker and Daniel McCoy Read more about the gifts of the Spirit. https://renew.org/gifts-of-the-spirit/ Learn more about RENEW University. https://renewuniversity.org/ Explore upcoming RENEW.org events and register for the next National Gathering. https://renew.org/resources/events/ #SpeakingInTongues #BibleStudy #RENEW Visit RENEW.org to sign up for our email newsletter and be the first to know about new content, books and resources. https://renew.org/ Check out the following from RENEW.org: Events: https://renew.org/resources/events/ Videos: https://renew.org/media/videos/ Podcasts: https://renew.org/media/podcasts/ Articles: https://renew.org/articles/ Free eBooks: https://renew.org/resources/free-ebooks/ Books: https://renew.org/resources/books/ Audiobooks: https://renew.org/resources/audiobooks/ Sermon Tools: https://renew.org/resources/sermon-to... Job Board: https://jobs.renew.org/ Renew University: https://renewuniversity.org/ Real Life Theology Conversations: https://renew.org/rltc/ Sign up for our newsletter: https://renew.org/resources/newslette... Be sure to like, subscribe and follow on social media! You can find us on: Instagram: @the.renew.network Facebook: Renew.org Youtube: @renewnetwork Twitter: @therenewnetwork TikTok: the.renew.network Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/RENEW