Speaking in Tongues: Pentecostal Prayer and the Spirit of Pentecost

In this interview excerpt from Episode #4185 of Day1, the Rev. Rebecca Gurney, Pastor of Reems Creek-Beech Presbyterian Church in Weaverville, North Carolina, joins host Rev. Dr. Katie Givens Kime to explore the spiritual richness and mystery surrounding Pentecostal prayer, particularly the practice of speaking in tongues. Drawing from experiences in her own congregation, Rev. Gurney highlights the unexpected blessings that Pentecostal expressions of worship have brought to her community. Their discussion delves into biblical insights from the Apostle Paul and the miracle of Pentecost, exploring how openness to the Spirit’s movement can deeply enhance our personal and communal faith journeys.

Rev. Rebecca Gurney
Speaking of Pentecost, I've love my little church now because every now and then Pentecostals show up.

Rev. Dr. Katie Givens Kime
Yes.

Rev. Rebecca Gurney
This church isn't quite as still as others, but we have a little bit of a more fluid, kind of conversational, style of worship. But when our Pentecostal friends drop in, they give us this huge gift, you know, like they'll stand up and bear witness to something or put their hands in the air. And I'm so grateful for it. And that's, you know, you learn to pray with people who speak in tongues is a unique and beautiful experience that I've had in these seasons of life.

Rev. Dr. Katie Givens Kime
Wow! I kind of love that. And that's really hopeful that we can make room for our fellow believers who are praying in that way. It doesn't mean we have to, but it is cool that you bring that up because this is Pentecost...

Rev. Rebecca Gurney
Yeah.

Rev. Dr. Katie Givens Kime
...and remembering our Pentecostal brothers and sisters—gosh, I never hear people bringing that up.

Rev. Rebecca Gurney
Well, I'm always grateful. I mean, we have two folks, one just moved to Tennessee and there was this huge grief because we loved him, but also because he brought this other dynamic to our worship and our life of faith. And it was a real gift.

Rev. Dr. Katie Givens Kime
Can I ask, like in the midst of a prayer—would he, like, how did that actually—

Rev. Rebecca Gurney
He never prayed in tongues in worship but when we would gather in smaller groups to pray... Sometimes. And it's just kind of an amazing thing to behold.

Rev. Dr. Katie Givens Kime
For people who, because we have lots of—we love our Christian-curious folks who don't have a worshiping community—what would you describe as, what does it mean praying in tongues?

Rev. Rebecca Gurney
Well, I've got no idea.

Rev. Dr. Katie Givens Kime
I mean, it sounds like the experience is the sound; it's like, "Oh, you pray," and it's like not in an English language, but it's not in a foreign language. It's in a received language. This is the theology behind it, I think?

Rev. Rebecca Gurney
Yeah. I mean, I think it draws on, like, there's these kind of scriptural references that we can circle around that might help us touch it. You know, I don't know that it's ever something—well, it is certainly mysterious. And, you know, I mean, the Holy Spirit's slippery and things like speaking in tongues, you know, there are things that have been abused and used. I mean, they were by the Corinthian church. Paul's already talking about it. Right. So it's a dangerous thing. And we know that. And I think we get a little uneasy about it for that reason, because anything like that can be, you know, used to—

Rev. Dr. Katie Givens Kime
Abused, manipulated.

Rev. Rebecca Gurney
Yeah. All those things. So there's that. But then there's also these beautiful touch points in scripture, like the Spirit prays within us and sighs too deep for words. You know, that kind of—I think it's a little different to me than what's happening on Pentecost; is this miracle of translation—

Rev. Dr. Katie Givens Kime
Yeah.

Rev. Rebecca Gurney
—which is different to me than a kind of prayer. I'm sure they touch each other at points, but then what Paul's talking about is happening in some of his churches. This is like: Peter needs to preach! Like the Word needs to be heard, and it needs to be heard in a way that is relevant and able to be received by all these different people. And so the Holy Spirit can make that happen.

Reflective questions to ponder:

• How open is your faith community to different spiritual practices like speaking in tongues?
• Have you experienced prayer practices outside your comfort zone, and how have they shaped your spirituality?
• In what ways can embracing diverse expressions of worship enrich your personal and communal faith journey?

Explore Rev. Rebecca Gurney’s full sermon from episode 4185 >>>