Perhaps no other event on the church calendar takes more abuse or is more misunderstood than Pentecost. Multiple groups confess and would have us believe that Pentecost, or rather the rushing of the Holy Spirit and subsequent speaking in tongues, is the definitive Christian experience. Many believe that what happened that first Pentecost in Jerusalem is paradigmatic for all Christians to demonstrate an authentic, Spirit-filled, committed Christian life.
But that would not only divorce Pentecost from its immediate context but from its historical context as well. To understand what is going on in Acts 2, one has to travel all the way back to Genesis 11 and the Tower of Babel.
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I have a confession to make. I bristle and chafe when I hear people, especially Christians, avoid talking about death. We tiptoe around it like we’re trying to avoid waking a slumbering giant. It’s an odd dance, and completely unnecessary.
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