Speaking in tongues dates way back to the Old Testament where some believed God was talking through them. Today, this concept rests outside of mainstream Christianity. Yet, the miracle detectives headed out to Gettysberg, Pennsylvania, to investigate this phenomena. They meet with Gerry Stoltzfoos, the pastor of Freedom Valley Worship Center, and his followers who believed their lives were profoundly changed by speaking in tongues. Was it possible that miracles were occurring at this small church? 

The pastor seemed to be a humble man…like any kind neighbor…with some goodhearted followers. Some of which struggled with drug addiction, others with life changing situations and even others with serious medical issues. They all agreed that coming to Pastor Gerry’s church changed their life. Speaking in tongue seemed to bring them to a new level of faith and believing. 

The ritual was simple. The pastor, seen as Shepard by his parishioners, created a circle and asked the Lord to enter. People…not everyone…started speaking in tongue. One previous drug addicted parishioner mentioned how speaking in tongue “takes the weight off me”. To him is was freeing. The pastor admitted that speaking in tongues helped those that were desperate for hope. 

Dr. V’s instincts told her that this story held something else, whereas, Randall seemed to have instant admiration for the pastor who channeled spiritual energy for his community. Randall believed the pastor was a conduit for holy spirit and his true mission was to help others. Dr. V was unsure what speaking in tongues really meant….was God speaking through them? Could it really heal? So she looked for answers. She met with Sandy, a follower, who had a history of back tumors. She had surgery and continued with follow up exams. She decided to speak to pastor Gerry who preformed healing prayers. Her next doctor visit she got word that there were no new tumors or any growth on the tumors that remained. To her….this was a miracle. 

When Dr. V spoke with Sandy’s neurosurgeon, Arnold Salotto, MD, he noted that one tumor may have become a little smaller BUT no other tumors had changed. Dr. V then met a professor of linguistics, Paul De Lacy, who has done extensive research on speaking in tongues. He made an interesting point. In the recordings of people who speak in tongues, the people tend to follow the same sound and vocal restrictions of their native language (for example people don’t start words with tones that are unfamiliar to their native language). In addition, there appears to be no meaning to the words. In short….it is babbling. Something we stop when we are children because it becomes socially unacceptable. 

In the meantime, Randall made contact with Andre Newberg, MD, a neuroscientist. He examined the brain scans of pastor Gerry speaking in tongues and then one of him speaking normally. What did they show? There was no increase in blood flow in the frontal lobe when he spoke in tongues. If he was thinking or concentrating, an increase in blood flow would have been expected. Therefore, Randall finds the frontal lobe shutting down as support of actually speaking in tongues. Dr. V noted that the frontal lobe may merely be deactivated which allows one to tap into their childlike behavior. As for Sandy, Dr. V didn’t feel one smaller tumor was enough to qualify for a miracle healing, especially since so many other tumors were unaffected. Randall saw it as a spiritual healing that changed her life. To him, when people are changed by faith and God…it is a miracle! 

So…I have to wonder, if God were to cure Sandy, wouldn’t he have cured all the tumors and not just make one a little smaller? It feels like science and the body at work to me. But I believe that if someone believes God is curing them…then so be it! Positive energy is good no matter where you gather it from. As for the frontal lobe thing…no one can win that one. The evidence supports both so it goes back to faith and one’s beliefs. Now for speaking in tongues. Being that the linguistic restrictions are being followed subconsciously, it makes me question if we don’t all have a little “babble” in us. But I don’t know…it sounds like another language, not babble. I am clearly no expert. One thing is certain; the faith and spiritual energy of the pastor and his parishioners is real. Although it isn’t a miracle, inspiration happens everyday on tiny and big scales all around us. We just have to stop and be present to witness it. 

So…here is my question. If God wanted to speak to us, wouldn’t he use a language that we could understand?