New Testament Teaching on Tongues

by Merrill F. Unger

An excellent summary of the biblical content on speaking in tongues, from a non-charismatic position. Includes a helpful bibliography.

Genres: Theology

175 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1971

About the author

Merrill Frederick Unger, author of Demons in the World Today, earned his A.B and Ph.D. degrees at Dallas Theological Seminary. He held pastorates in New York, Texas, and Maryland. He taught at Gordon College and Gordon Divinity School, and from 1948 to 1967 he was professor of Old Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary.

Reviews

[Jacob · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unger is a prolific Bible scholar who has done plenty of quality exegetical and systematic theological research in order to compile this account. I did not find the work convincing as a whole. At times the argument reads a bit circular, and at other times claims are made that are not as well developed as they could be. When Unger provides later assumptions and refers to the prior claims as proof it can come across as a bit of a stretch in order to follow as each claim is worth its own extended argument and sometimes these claims do not get the treatment they deserve. This creates an awkward problem as one claim about the historical context of 1 Corinthians may be made (without really meeting or interacting with the valid alternative perspectives) may be cited in a later claim about canon (which also requires a level of presupposition that isn’t necessarily as exegetically transparent as the argument says it is). Some chapters came across as a bit repetitive, however, and instead I would have appreciated Unger’s attention in some of those areas that could have been cooked for slightly longer. Unger’s resources have been hugely helpful in both heavily academic theological work as well as more popular biblical education. My opinions on this work in particular, I hope, will not undermine my respect for the great help Unger’s scholarship has provided for equipping the Church with accessible Biblical education material.

As ever, to take the line from 1 Corinthians 13:8-10 about tongues being stilled upon the completeness that is to come and assert that completeness as the finalized canon of Scripture is to make some weighty theological claims that are not transparent on a surface level reading of the text. Such a conclusion is highly extra-textual, as the completeness that Paul is writing about seems to imply an element of being in the presence of God completely. Now I know in part, Paul writes (v. 12), then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. That level of knowledge does not seem to imply the completed biblical canon so much as the agitation in waiting to be with Christ’s own physical presence. The canon argument, argued here as elsewhere, makes some large theological presuppositions which a mere exegetical study of 1 Cor. 12-14 do not seem to imply on a surface reading, and thus it would be helpful for an overview resource to expound in more detail why exactly Unger comes to the conclusions that he does.