ELECTR0N1TE wrote a chapter in her book Because My Faith Can See: Why I am a Christian. This is a great book, full of a lot of great insights. But one of her chapters I completely disagreed with. So here is my rebuttal.

I believe tongues and prophecy still exist today. Christians have opposing views on this, and have been arguing about it for centuries. I'm not trying to start an argument, and I totally respect anyone's view, but I would like to show the other side of the argument.

(All biblical quotes are from the NIV Bible),

Over and over again in Acts the Holy Spirit comes to the believers and they speak in tongues and prophesy.

For example, in Acts 19:6:
"When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied."

This happens many times. Just search with the keyword 'tongues' or 'prophecy' in a Bible.

In 1st Corinthians 12:4-11:
"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines."

Similar is in verses 27-31.

Tongues are not necessarily a church-wide thing. Sometimes it is a believer speaking in a tongue that usually even they don't understand that connects them to God. They feel a closeness with God, and an edification of their souls.

I believe my father knows people who speak in tongues.

1 Corinthians 14:1-5 says:
"Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified."

Of course this does not say anything about rolling down aisles and barking like dogs.
Yeah. . .
You're right about that.
That's just embarrassing.

Of course, all this was many years ago, but the Holy Spirit was giving them these gifts then, why should it be any different now?

Even in the famous chapter 13 of that same book, he talks of tongues and prophecy (vv. 8-10): "Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears."

He does say they will pass away "when completeness comes" (v.10), but when is this completeness? I believe it is when Jesus comes again.

There is so much proof that prophecy still happens.

It's not usually something earth-shattering. I've never heard any stories about that.

But people still do it.
They'll hear things from God about someone.
And it'll happen.

My Sunday school teacher was at some kind of Bible conference and they were praying and prophecying. 

The man praying over her said he saw her in the future, surrounded with girls, teaching them.

She laughed in his face. She hated kids. And never, in a million years, was she going to be teaching a group of girls.

But low and behold. She teaches our Sunday school. And we're a majority girls.

And this is only one of many stories I've heard of prophecy, some from my parents.

There is so much proof that tongues and prophecy still happen. And so little they don't.

So, in the end I believe that they do indeed still exist.