The title is an apparent oxymoron. Speaking in tongues is typically perceived as the opposite of thoughtful discourse. We pentecostals have not exactly been known for the measured use of our critical faculties. Fortunately, the tide has turned. The Pentecostal Manifestos series itself is evidence that spirit-filled teachers are on the front lines of a variety of fields, adding their unique voices to academic discourse (For other books in this series see Mediation of the Spirit and From Pentecost to the Triune God).

In Thinking in Tongues, James K. A. Smith makes a series of rich contributions to Christian philosophy from a pentecostal viewpoint. This is not some new sectarian pentecostal philosophy—this is Christian philosophy from a pentecostal perspective. With the sweeping influence of postmodernism, it is now widely acknowledged that there is no neutral viewpoint from which to work. Smith, inspired by Plantinga, bellies up to the table and offers a tasty smorgasbord of philosophical essays grounded in the pentecostal narrative.

In each chapter, Smith contributes to a different area of philosophy. Worldview, epistemology, ontology, philosophy of religion, and philosophy of language are all explored with penetrating clarity and depth.

Lest the title dissuade you, Thinking in Tongues is no mere apologetic for glossolalia (although Smith’s take on tonuges does give new life to Husserl’s phenomenology of language). Thinking in Tongues is a fascinating conglomeration of points-of-departure. Each chapter could be developed into a book of its own. Hopefully, new pentecostal philosophers will take up this challenge.

Smith, James K. A. Thinking in Tongues: Pentecostal Contributions to Christian Philosophy. Pentecostal Manifestos. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010.