Bible Question (short): 1Corinthians questions: Gifts and women |
Question (full): There are two parts to my question here, and they both originate in 1 Corinthians 14. First, I pray that God helps my unbelief in that I have not seen or heard people properly (as how Paul describes it) speaking in tongues. For me, it feels hard to accept that it does happen, seeing a number of people abuse it (I'm not saying that I believe it doesn't happen; it's just harder for me to grasp when the people who do speak in tongues around you either 1)don't do it in a orderly fashion or 2)don't have an interpreter present, therefore creating chaos and disorder, at least in this friendly neighborhood bassist for the Lord). Can all spiritual gifts be mishandled like this one? I am thinking of one particual instance when I was at a church and the pastor made sure that he set down the laws for speaking in tongues and order in church, then proceeded to speak in tongues without an interpreter. That was when I knew I had to leave that church. Personal experiences aside, can those gifts be used improperly? I'd like some people of Pentecostal faith to chime in on this one as well. Secondly: Should we still hold true to what Paul says about women speaking in verse 33-35? Or are we talking about two different times? If that's the case, how does that apply today, if at all? |