by Rev. Joda Collins.
One of the good things about being a senior citizen is what others call history is what you call your life. The lies, half-truths and misleading innuendo of historical revisionists are easily identified when historians write in an effort to shape the memory of history contrary to the reality of the events of your life. What fades into obscurity because historians do not consider it important or do not want remembered is reality imprinted on a senior citizen's walk through life.
In the 1970's and 1980's a lot was going on. I can say that because a lot is always going on no matter what decade or what year it is. My life has been and still is lived in the spiritual world. In the spiritual world, two things (among others) happening in the 1970's and 1980's were the strong push for the rise of the tongues movement and the attempted rise of Mormon respectability in society.
In my own denomination (Southern Baptist) a myriad of writers and speakers openly and aggressively expressed negative views of the emerging pro-tongues movement and the Mormon Church (not that one has anything directly to do with the other). The push from the highest ranks of the Southern Baptist Convention leadership filtered down to local pastors and churches in waves of negativity toward both movements. To no small degree that combined effort made the tongues movement and the push for respectability in the Mormon Church laughing matters.
The push for respectability for the tongues movement outside of those already involved in it and respect for the Mormon Church beyond those already part of the Mormon Church faded and neither has recovered. While the tongues movement has quietly recessed into its own habitat and continues to lick their wounds from the response to their move to take over Christianity in the 70's and 80's, the Mormon Church has not been so passive as they continue to attack those who were the most influential part of the destruction of the attempted rise of Mormon Assembly respect. That attack is designed, not to grow the Mormon Church, but to keep existing membership captive. The onslaught of anti-Mormon words, actions and films of the 70's and 80's has enjoyed a long and effective influence, even to this day.
One of the most damaging anti-Mormon films of that era is "The God Makers." "The God Makers is the grandfather of all so-called 'anti-Mormon' films...." I did not work on the film, but I did provide support for one of the key people who did. I did not realize, at the time, the great impact that film would have and still has. If you would like to see a film that changed the course of the Mormon Church and to this day is a thorn in the flesh of Mormon progress, go to https://www.google.com/search?q=the+god+makers&oq=the+god+makers&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i60l2j0l2j69i60.1688j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 .
As far as the anti-tongues movement is concerned, of which I was actively involved, I am glad it has slithered back inside the walls of tongues churches and has remained weaker and relatively hidden.
I was the pastor of a church in Florida at the time. On our same road and only a few blocks from our church was a tongues church. Two men from the leadership of that church approached me and asked if they could present to my congregation their negative view of the doctrine of eternal security. They asked for one preaching service to do so (45-minutes of preaching). I told them "Absolutely! If I could have five minutes at their pulpit to speak of my negative view of the tongues-movement." They declined. Because of my immediate and enthusiastic positive response to their question to take my pulpit and say whatever they wanted, I think they realized that in 45-minutes they could not present any negative view of the doctrine of eternal security that I had not already well-covered and debunked in my church, thus their preaching and teaching would be fodder for chuckles. They knew (or feared) that in five minutes I could present such damning evidence of that modern-day (then) tongues-movement that their Church might not ever recover. Such a reality, on the larger national scale, caused the aggressive tongues-movement outside of the Pentecostal church walls of the 70's and 80's to fade away and it has stayed away -- thank God. The tongues-movement of today is not bold. It is "I've got my theology and you have yours, so I will keep my to myself and you keep yours to yourself." Those who shun debate or exposure have good reasons for doing so.
The Mormon Church and the tongues movement are cousins not in any fact that one has to do with the other but in the fact that each made a bid for world-wide respect in the 70's and 80's and both failed due to the wisdom and insight of the true Church of those decades and in no small part due to the Southern Baptist Convention leadership and local churches, of which I was honored to be a part on both fronts.
What is wrong with the Mormon Church? See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcQthyiTA7c . In addition they preach another Jesus, another gospel and they have a book that contradicts the Bible.
What is wrong with the modern day tongues-movement? See http://www.lulu.com/shop/j-l-collins/glossolalia-speaking-in-tongues/paperback/product-3586986.html and click on "Preview" to read for free. See also https://feasite.org/tongues_movement .
Rev . Joda Collins
www.jodacollins/spotlight/lulu.com
I make no claim that anyone else agrees with me.
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