Marcus claims that a wavery but unbroken line at least two millennia old connects a startling variety of extravagant religious, literary, and musical expressions: "Little Richard's glossolalia could be traced back thousands of years to gnostic chants that moved through time till they became the sort of prayers offered by mystics like John of Leyden, after which they found their way into Pentecostal churches, where Little Richard learned the language of "Tutti Frutti'" (93).

When Paul discusses glossolalia in 1 Corinthians 14, it is clear that non-Christians are present when the entire assembly gathers (1Cor 14:23-25).

Mumbo Jumbo itself can, in fact, be regarded as Reed's contribution to this "future Text" and a product of Jes Grew: "the manic in the artist who would rather do glossolalia than be 'neat clean and lucid'" (211).