Frank Pack, the chair of the religion department, was interviewed by The Graphic in an article responding to reports¹ that ten Pepperdine students had spoken in tongues at a spiritual retreat near Escondido in January. Pack gives historical context for the way the churches of Christ and the Restoration Movement more broadly thought about glossolalia. He ultimately condemns the practice, citing "a need for careful restudy of scriptures concerning the Holy Spirit" on the part of the Pentecostal movement.²

Speaking in tongues was a controversial issue in the churches of Christ in the early 1970s. Pop star and Pepperdine donor Pat Boone was "disfellowshipped" from the Inglewood Church of Christ for claiming to speak in tongues in 1970.³