Thinking in Tongues

James Smith spoke at Regent College tonight on his new book, Thinking in Tongues, which just came out this Monday.  James is a Pentecostal and a philosopher so I was naturally drawn to his talk when I read the description of his talk "Pentecostal contributions to Christian philosophy".  What excites me most about his work is that he provides a framework for me to understand Pentecostalism, and perhaps really embracing it.  Up to this point in my life, having been attending Pentecostal churches for almost 10 years, everything I hear and experience seem to be just great ideas with not much of an anchor.  Without an anchor, and when questions and doubts kick in, it is easy to throw the baby out with the bath water.  How can I really know that the Pentecostal way of approaching God is sound?  How can I trust what the Pentecostal hears from the Lord is indeed God's word?  How do healing, experiences, spontaneity, Charismatic worship, etc. fit in with Christian doctrines?  Well James unpacks the elements of the Pentecostal practices in light of ontology, epistemology, aesthetics, language, science, and philosophy of religion.  He does this by developing a "program of philosophy" that is autonomous and true to Pentecostal commitments, and at the same time rich enough for thoughtful and deep engagement with philosophical questions. Suddenly, Pentecostalism is not just a bunch of great ideas floating in the air, nor simply ecstatic emotional experiences, but grounded in a paradigm of inquiry that allows much further and deeper discussions of important questions that are relevant to not just Pentecostals, but for all Christians.

More on this after I read the book!