Voices from the Gods: Speaking with Tongues by David Christie-Murray is a fascinating interdisciplinary study of glossolalia (speaking in tongues) and related phenomena across Christianity, spiritualism, and world religions.
First published in 1978, Christie-Murray traces the history of speaking in tongues from the New Testament and the early Church through the rise of Pentecostalism and the Charismatic Movement, while also examining similar practices in non-Christian religions and Spiritualism. Drawing on theology, psychology, linguistics, anthropology, and psychical research, he provides a balanced and scholarly assessment of one of religion's most intriguing phenomena.
The book explores:
Glossolalia (speaking in tongues) in Christianity
Xenoglossy (the alleged ability to speak unknown languages)
Speaking in tongues in world religions and shamanic traditions
The Charismatic and Pentecostal movements
Spiritualist phenomena and mediumship
Psychological, linguistic, and theological interpretations
This title will appeal to readers interested in:
Christian spirituality and charismatic Christianity
Parapsychology and psychical research
Religious experience and altered states of consciousness
Comparative religion and anthropology
Theology and the psychology of religion
Thoughtful, well-researched, and objective, Voices from the Gods remains an important contribution to the study of religious experience and one of the few works to examine glossolalia from both theological and psychical perspectives.