Southern Baptist Trustees Approve Leeway for Speaking in Tongues
Trustees of the Southern Baptist Convention’s international missions agency this week approved more flexibility in its controversial policies on speaking in tongues and private prayer language.
After a year of studying the issues, the ad hoc committee, which was charged in 2006 to revisit the International Mission Board's policy barring tongues and private prayer language, softened the language and recommended "guidelines" rather than "policies" on the charismatic issues, which ultimately allows some wiggle room when screening missionary candidates.
While a policy is "dogmatic," a guideline is flexible in its implementation, Matt Bristol, attorney for the IMB, explained at the trustees meeting in Kansas City on Tuesday....