What the God

Written by Jesse Medina

Half way through my freshman year of high school I moved from a podunk town in Utah to Oregon. At this time, I was not a Christian, though I believed I was simply because I believed in God. However, I began attending an Assemblies of God (A/G) church with my mother and was eventually saved…I think…after responding to a few altar calls.

At one point, my friend Nick from Utah came to visit me in Oregon. Nick grew up Catholic. So when he came to church with us at our charismatic, the-more-crazy-stuff-that-happens-the-more-the-Holy-Spirit-is-moving church, it was an interesting experience. Luckily for him, that day the Spirit was tired and there wasn’t much crazy.

But that would never stop some people from passionately and suddenly raising their hands whilst singing a particularly good chorus. And when they did, Nick did a sort of duck, like he thought someone was about to smack him, and then looked at me with his face half-twisted and mouthed something to the extent of, “What the f*%k?”

I just laughed. Really, though, I was secretly embarrassed. I loved lifting my hands in worship. But I didn’t want Nick to think less of me so I didn’t that day.

Nick went home a few days later, but I stayed at that church for several years. In fact, it was at that church that I learned all kinds of stuff, was mentored, sensed God’s call for me to be a pastor, and yes…was baptized in the Holy Spirit. How do I know? Well, for the A/G folks, when you’re baptized by the Holy Spirit, you speak in what is called “tongues.” Now for us, it was a very meaningful, deep experience. But for those outside of the charismatic circles, and I’m sure for Nick (if he were there), it would mean we had lost our freakin’ minds and were possessed with some kind of demon who had a speaking dysfunction.

From what I was taught, there are two types of tongues: the kind where you speak other languages without having learned that language (like Japanese or Spanish), and the kind where you have a sort of “prayer language” and communicate with God through un-understandable sounds. For the record, I’ve never personally known anyone who had the first type, but I’ve heard they are out there.

But for the A/G folks, they thought everyone should have the second type. And if you didn’t, you hadn’t been baptized in the Holy Spirit and thus had a sort of inferior spirituality. I’m not sure that anyone would actually be willing to say that to your face, and believe me, I tried to get some people to admit it at a later point when I started questioning some of this stuff, but I can’t help but feel that’s what it boils down to.

But, I don’t know that we can throw tongues out altogether.

What if it is true that through some sort of un-understandable moans and groans and otherwise nonsense, we are actually praying in a deeper way? Or even letting the Spirit pray through us?

Is it beyond the realm of possibility?

I don’t think so. Still, though, its weird. And I can’t help but feel that, if you’re not from that tradition, if that is foreign to you like it was to my friend Nick, that is going to really freak you out. I mean, be honest, doesn’t it seem like that’s what cults do? Speak in tongues, play Magic the Gathering, and drink kool-aid?

I’m not sure what I think. What do you think? How have you processed through tongues?

Oh, and for those of you who have no clue what I’m talking about…if you’ve never heard someone speak in tongues, just say the following a few times fast and people will think that the Holy Spirit has got a hold of you.

Bought a Mazda, shoulda bought a Honda.