Speaking in tongues in the Ozarks
To most, speaking in tongues is an experience few and far between, but it was nothing unusual for the women's prayer group pictured here.
The phenomenon of talking in an unknown language, also known as glossolalia, is most associated with Charismatic Christianity and Pentecostalism. Both are Christian movements of the Protestant denomination, however, speaking in tongues can also be found in the religious practices of Paganism and Shamanism, among others.
The occurrence of glossolalia often signifies the presence of the Holy Spirit and is explained as the speaker relaying a message from God or directing a prayer to God. A witnessing member of the congregation generally attempts to interpret the unknown language. The latter manifestation was the preferred method of Anne Billings and her fellow charismatic group members of Springfield. Although Mrs. Billings went public with an interview discussing her religious habits in January of 1981, she stated that it was not always easy to talk about, “We used to carry our books, They Speak in Tongues, around in plain, brown paper bags.”
This illustrates that despite Protestantism being a long-standing tradition of the Bible Belt and, therefore, the Ozarks, religious acceptance of glossolalia was, and possibly still is, quite varied.
This image is part of a much larger collection of historically rich photographs from the News-Leader’s photo archive. Each week, the SpringfieldGreene County Library will tap into this vast collection and present an interesting image “from the darkroom” and share its history. This image is presented in partnership between the Springfield-Greene County Library District and the Springfield News-Leader. For more historical images of the Ozarks, visit: thelibrary.org/fromthedarkroom.