Video samples of the sights and sounds of glossolalia/speaking in tongues around the world. Prepared for those curious about the phenomenon and want to know more about it.
Over 500 million people adhere to the present definition of speaking in tongues, especially in Africa and South America. However, there may be a difference between adhering and practising. The number who regularly perform this rite is unknown, and it varies according to culture and country. Most leaders in the movement must adhere to and demonstrate this custom.
Many are unfamiliar with this active practice sweeping the Christian world. Outsiders view it as a weird and odd practice with little psychological, social, economic, or political contribution. Therefore, it falls under the radar and remains undocumented.
So, what is speaking in tongues? Here are some samples from all over the internet. The clips are around 20 seconds, where possible.
Is the present manifestation a divine encounter, a psychological phenomenon, or something else? I do not know. My specialty is in historical theology, which does not qualify me to answer this question. The studies on the Gift of Tongues Project stop at around 1920 for that reason. A few third-party answers at the end of this article may help you.
Speaking in Tongues Around the World
Spain, England, and the Ukraine
A short film on speaking in tongues that beautifully captures the vocalizations and follows with still images of Spirit-led people and congregations in Spain, England, and Ukraine.
Weddings with Speaking in Tongues
Strange for us in North America, but some weddings in Africa practice this rite as part of their ceremony. How frequent? It is not known. The video demonstrates a lot of energy and youthful vitality. Exciting too. I want to go to one of these. They know how to throw a wedding.
A TikTok of a wedding somewhere in Africa.
@atonya_d #holyspirit #speakingintongues #christianity ♬ original sound – Atonya
This one is a wedding in Nigeria.
Shepherd Bushiri
A video of the controversial Malawi prophet Shepherd Bushiri singing in tongues. His utterances cause attendees to fall to the ground.
Victoria Orenze
The popular Nigerian gospel singer, Victoria Orenze, melds chants and tongues. She has one of the top YouTube views on tongues for a good reason. She has a beautiful and calming voice. Listening is difficult to resist:
French Tongues Prayer Team
This French twosome has a well-developed video called “28 Minutes de prière en langues !” There are more examples of praying in tongues found on YouTube.
North American Speaking in Tongues
Shown so far is the practice all over the world. Now, let us focus on North America.
Princess—Child of the Most High God
The most popular video on speaking in tongues with two million views. She looks like a next-door neighbor or schoolmate of mine.
Zion Apostolic Church in Winnipeg
My city of residence is Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. One of the last gateways to reach the Arctic. At least 100 churches and leaders in my city are duplicating this practice daily. The same for every city in North America.
Here is an example of a church a few kilometers from my home:
Dr. Patricia Show
In the United States, Dr. Patricia Show shows us how to sing in tongues:
IHOP
The well-known and influential International House of Prayer in Kansas City singing in tongues:
Children Speaking in Tongues
A natural behavior for children with tongues-speaking parents:
What is it?
A Rutgers University team looked into those practising glossolalia and found that tongues-speakers were not vocalizing random words but were developing their personal language. A clip of the results:
The Miracle Detectives on the Oprah Winfrey Network conclude that it is a return to infantile vocalizations.
Spirit-led people believe it is a divine experience.
There are serious divisions between theologians about the present-day practice.
The practice of this rite in its present form is new to Christianity, about 120 or so years old. For more information on the evolution of this doctrine, see The Gift of Tongues Project website, or the book, Speaking in Tongues: a Critical Historical Examination, Volume 1.
Example of singing in tongues as a long ca. 25 minutes recording (audio file): https://message-for-you.net/heavenly-sounds-english/
I had an experience which could have been a highly specific incident of glossolalia, but I am not certain. I have not seen any description of this type of speaking in tongues anywhere online. The setting was intensely religious in that it was during a Catholic confession.
The priest was born in and lived most of his life in a Spanish-speaking country. He had studied for four years in the US for a graduate degree, with all the instruction, work and writing in English. My Spanish is not good enough for me to give a Confession in, so I sought out an English-speaking priest in this Spanish-speaking country and he was sent my way.
What I heard was absolutely perfect unaccented English. This not only means he had no Spanish accent when speaking English but he also lacked any regional English accent, meaning there was no regional US accent, no British Commonwealth accent or any Canadian accent. He was speaking English as if it were coming straight from a book. Mind you, he celebrates Mass and converses with locals entirely in Spanish as that is the language of the country.
I have several friends who are language instructors and they are perplexed as it is generally accepted that unless someone learns a new language through complete immersion starting in youth, it is just not possible to lose the original accent. I would add that I know countless people who were born abroad and after 20, 30, or 40 or more years, there is always some noticeable trace of the original foreign accent. Also, a student would learn to pronounce English words in the way instructed thus if the teacher was from Britain, the English accent would be skewed accordingly, as it would if the teacher were from NYC, Chicago, the Deep South or upper midwest. There was no regional English accent to his voice despite having just spent four years in a part of the US with a strong regional accent.
The tongues aspect is that I heard no accent. If someone else were to hear him speak in English, I have no way to know if they would hear any accent. Whether this is a hybrid of him speaking in tongues or me having a gift of interpretation is beyond my knowledge. This is a mystery to me that I thought I would share here.
Thanks for sharing this experience.
This was an insightful post, Charles! I really appreciated the examples you provided on speaking in tongues and how they illustrate the varied interpretations across different denominations. It’s fascinating to see both the historical context and personal experiences intertwined. Thanks for shedding light on such a complex topic!
Thanks.
God does not permit nor assign to any of His Creation ,to speak in unknown language or gibberish. What comes through a vessel born of God,s Spirit, is not confusion. God in Heaven is the giver also of a sound mind.