The Charismatic Movement and Montanism

As many of you know, the phenomenon of “speaking in tongues” is prevalent in the Charismatic Movement.  We’ve tried to inform those involved that the Charismatic Movement is not of God.  This is proven most easily by the Charismatic Movement’s promotion and acceptance of ecumenical and heretical teachings.  The extraordinary phenomena that often occur at these meetings – which sometimes include barking like dogs, rolling around on the floor in hysteria, making sounds like pigs, etc. – are not the gifts of the Holy Ghost.  However, some refuse to believe that the devil could actually be behind the extraordinary occurrences of “speaking in tongues” that they see at these charismatic meetings.  They should know that the early Church heretic Montanus also spoke in tongues. 

“Montanism was a growing problem… This man, Montanus, began to prophesy and to ‘speak in tongues.’  He was soon followed by two women, Priscilla and Maximilla, who left their husbands to devote themselves to his mission… Montanist preachers called upon their hearers to renounce marriage, to give up their worldly goods to their spiritual leaders… to seek martyrdom wherever possible, and to repudiate all civil obligations.  Though rejected by almost all the bishops, the Montanist call struck responsive chords all over Asia Minor; the whole church of Thyatira, for example, went over to them – Thyatira’s church which the Apostle John had warned, in his letter to the seven churches of Asia in the Book of the Apocalypse, to beware of a prophetess whose teaching led to immorality.” (Warren H. Carroll, The Founding of Christendom, Vol. 1, p. 464.)

This shows us again that speaking in tongues or what appears to be “speaking in tongues” can be from demonic sources; in the case of the heretical Charismatic Movement today, it is definitely from demonic sources.