The first half of the twentieth century saw the rise of Pentecostalism with its most spectacular feature of speaking in tongues. Now, in the middle of this century, that phenomenon is being experienced in the historic Christian churches, heralded as the new Pentecostalism or the Charismatic Renewal. What has caused this new movement? What are its characteristics? Is modern tongue-speaking of God, of Satan, psychologically produced, or artificially stimulated? Was speaking in tongues designed to be the outward evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit? Was the gift of tongues given as a permanent or a temporary gift to the church? Can tongue speaking be used for private devotions and self-edification? This book presents a careful study of the modern tongues movement with its historical antecedents. It offers a thorough scriptural study of the biblical phenomenon and evaluates the current movement in the light of that study. - Back cover.