A Concluding Postscript
A CONCLUDING POSTSCRIPT
Because of the way this paper is set up, it may appear as if my intent were to press for “tongues” as a necessary part of biblical spirituality. But such is not the case. I really intend these primarily as reflections. My first interest is with Paul himself. As one who has lived with the apostle through his letters over many years, I am convinced that his spiritual life, as much as can be seen through the thin curtains that tend to keep it hidden from us, is every bit as significant for our understanding of the man and his theology as is his “theology” itself and his apostolic ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles.
By this final section, however, I do intend that we cease looking at Paul only through the bifocals of our own Enlightenment-conditioned culture, and let him be his own person in the first-century church. What seems clear to me is that Paul simply cannot be understood apart from the central role the Spirit played in his own spiritual life, in his ministry, and in the life of his churches. To look at his “Spirit-uality” in this way not only will help us to appreciate biblical spirituality a bit more, but will, I hope, help us also to listen to Paul a bit more carefully — even a bit differently — as we try to hear him theologically.
I trust that such reflections, even if not fully agreed with, are in some measure in keeping with the concerns of my dear brother in Christ in whose honor they have been put to paper.