Southern Baptists Change Policy on Speaking in Tongues; What They Now Accept...

Teresa Neumann : May 15, 2015
Greg Horton, Yonat Shimron – Religion News Service

"In so many parts of the world, these charismatic experiences are normative. Religious groups that oppose them get left behind evangelistically." –Bill Leonard

(Louisville, KY)—On May 13, the Southern Baptists' International Missions Board reversed a ban on speaking in tongues that was instituted ten years ago. (Photo: RNS/by Adelle M. Banks)

The Biblical practice of speaking in tongues, as demonstrated in the Acts of the Apostles, is a long-accepted practice in Pentecostal and Charismatic churches which have been quickly and steadily growing around the world.

Said Bill Leonard, a professor at Wake Forest Divinity School, "In so many parts of the world, these Charismatic experiences are normative. Religious groups that oppose them get left behind evangelistically."

Speaking of the problems the prohibition had placed on Baptist leaders in the past, Pastor Wade Burleson of Enid, Oklahoma, said, "If someone said they did pray in tongues, they were automatically disqualified, essentially for being honest."

As reported in Religion News Service, another policy change would allow divorced missionaries to serve in more positions.