As I stated in my last post, I have come to question IE. In order to understand my questioning one must consider the facts behind the doctrine.
One pertinent question in doctrinal issues is origin, viz., where did this doctrine come from and who was the first to espouse it. For some Pentes it might come as a surprise to learn that in the whole history of Christianity no one taught this doctrine prior to 1900 or thereabouts. The man who is given “credit” (or blame, according to which way you look at it) for first propounding IE is Charles Fox Parham as even some Pentes attest.
From the Assembly of God:
“It is much to Parham’s credit that defined the chief doctrinal distinctive of the Movement: the truth about speaking in tongues as the uniform ‘Bible evidence’ or “initial evidence” of baptism in the Holy Spirit.”[Enrichment Journal, Summer 1999; Tongues, The Bible Evidence: The Revival Legacy of Charles F. Parham by Gary B. McGee at enrichmentjournal.ag.org/199903/068_tongues.cfm]
From the International Pentecostal Holiness Church (IPHC):
“Parham formulated the doctrine that tongues was the "Bible evidence" of the baptism in the Holy Spirit.”[ASPECTS OF IPHC HISTORY: CENTENNIAL NOTES by Dr. Harold D. Hunter at http://www.pctii.org/arc/timeline.html]
According to the Guided by Truth website (a decidedly non-Pentecostal source):
“Charles Parham is said to be the originator of the belief that speaking in tongues was the evidence of the Spiritual baptism. Parham, who founded a Bible School in Topeka Kansas, began teaching this before he had ever seen or experienced this phenomenon. After teaching that speaking in tongues was the evidence of Spirit baptism one of his students finally began speaking in tongues. Up until this time, there were no other churches, denominations or sects that taught speaking in tongues was the evidence of Holy Spirit baptism.”[http://www.guidedbytruth.com/pentecostalhistory.php]
Although Parham is the originator of the doctrine, it became standard belief for the majority of Pentecostal denominations including but not limited to, the Assemblies of God, the Church of God (Cleveland, TN), the International Pentecostal Holiness Church ( IPHC), United Pentecostal Church (UPCI), and The International Church of the Foursquare Gospel (ICFG).
We can conclude from the foregoing that this doctrine was never taught by the Apostolic Church, the Fathers of the Church, or anyone else in all of church history. This is true although there were a number of ecstatic outbreaks of tongue speaking among various groups prior to this time.
When confronted by these things, one is impelled to ask several questions. For one thing, are we to believe that no one before Parham had believed this “truth” if indeed it was the “Bible evidence”? Can we seriously contend that Parham found something in Scripture that had been missed by the likes of Augustine, Athanasius, Irenaeus, or the Didachaist? These ideas stretch credulity to the breaking point.
The fact is IE is a 20th Century innovation of Christian doctrine. It cannot be supported by the foundations of Scripture or Tradition. It miserably fails the test of true doctrine delineated by St. Vincent of Lerins ("universality, antiquity, and consent") because it was not believed or even taught anywhere, ever, or by anyone prior to Parham.
So are we to take Parham’s word in opposition to the saints, bishops, and Apostles? God forbid!
