Baptists' Uneasy Relationship with Tongues

As a person with a Pentecostal background, I've always heard Baptists characterized as people who don't believe in speaking in tongues. Well, it turns out (according to LifeWay, a Southern Baptist research outfit,) that fully half of all Southern Baptist pastors believe that Speaking in Other Tongues is a gift of the Holy Spirit still given today, even for public use!

When we were thinking about affiliating with the Southern Baptists, I was asked if I believed in Speaking in Tongues. When I said that I believe it is a gift still given today, I was viewed with a tinge of suspicion.

Can it be true that HALF of Southern Baptist pastors have a secret belief in Tongues? Surely there are some who are public about it, but there can't be very many... otherwise the Convention would move to accept Tongues as a respectable Baptist belief, or they would renounce those who hold it.

I still consider Tongues a sectarian and controversial issue, therefore I will not promote it publicly within The Core. I am not just running a non-denominational church, I consider myself to be a non-denominational Christ-follower. I believe there is good reason to show respect to those on both sides of any controversy, and that is what we will do.

Now I'd like to see LifeWay do a similar survey on Eternal Security, and whether or not the consumption of alcohol is a sin. After all, knowledge is power.