On tithing
One of the threads on another post has turned into a discussion of tithing and giving to the church. I thought I would elevate that discussion to its own thread. As a personal reflection, one of our spiritual disciplines is managing our money (which includes the idea of financially supporting the church). From the “inside” I know that it can be a struggle for a church to predict its income so as to responsibly employ staff and so on. I also know that in most normal pentecostal churches we find it hard to speak with authority about money, because it only ever comes up in the context of asking for it. Many churches have planned giving programs, which might be the only times in the church year that financial issues are discussed!!
We don’t do planned giving, but we do expect that good use of our financial resources is an important part our our disciplines. It is constantly a hard balance to achieve - particularly among young adults and in a relatively small congregation. And it is tied in with a lot of other pressures. For example, at Northern, one of the things that can be divisive between congregations is the idea of which congregation is doing more to financially support the church. And some people see their offerings as a downpayment on power. And this complicates our ideas of what financial stewardship is about.
Lionfish has pointed out in the previous comments thread a bunch of his concerns about the way that tithing can be manipulative and can drive prosperity theology. Anyway, share your thoughts below!
August 1st, 2006 at 4:41 pm
go for it! I read some this afternoon as was impressed.
August 1st, 2006 at 5:29 pm
Yeah I think they’re cool.
I can tell you read Pahlahniuk.
August 1st, 2006 at 5:43 pm
I am pretty sure I hadn’t read any Palahniuk before writing those, but thanks for the compliment.
rev
August 1st, 2006 at 5:53 pm
Most definitely get the stories of your childhood together…at the very least the process of organising them will be enlightening for you I wold imagine, and if published enlightening and helpful for others!
I am thinking about writing a book. I don;t think I have too many of my own original thoughts to write about, but I am imagining a book that tells the stories of emerging communities here in Australia - what do you think?
How does one go about getting a book like that published - any published authors reading?
October 1st, 2006 at 9:57 am
Opposition to Christian Tithing Grows - from http://www.theconservativevoice.com/article/18619.html
There is mounting opposition to the doctrine of tithing. The opposition is not against supporting churches. Rather it is against teaching that all church members must begin their level of giving at 10% of their gross income.
Russell Earl Kelly of Acworth, Georgia is the author of Should the Church Teach Tithing?, an expansion of his Ph. D. dissertation. Every day Russ receives e-mails, letters and phone calls from around the world thanking him for his efforts and honest presentation.
Kelly emphasizes that tithing was only a commandment for farmers and herdsmen in national Israel under the Mosaic Law. And tithing was never repeated to the church after the crucifixion. He accuses preachers who teach mandatory tithing of being dishonest with Scripture and with taking money from the disadvantaged which should be spent on basic necessities.
“This is a scam and a scandal,” Kelly says, “and it is being treated like a taboo subject. The most bold preachers suddenly run or get angry when their members ask them to defend their viewpoint. Those members are often accused of being troublemakers. If the truth is on their side, then why do they refuse honest discussion?”
“It is almost criminal to threaten good loving (but poor) church members with a curse from God if they cannot give the first 10% to the church. They often either leave church or keep attending while feeling unwelcome and incapable of being accepted by God. Today the very lowest income class pays the largest percentage to charity. Yet most remain in poverty. Neither the lottery nor the tithe is a magic get-rich-quick answer to replace education, determination and hard work. If Malachi 3:10 really worked for New Covenant Christians, then millions of poor tithing Christians would have escaped poverty and would have become the wealthiest group of people in the world instead of remaining the poorest group. There is no evidence that the vast majority of poor “tithe-payers” are ever blessed financially merely because they tithe. Neither the Old Covenant blessings nor curses apply unless they are found in the pages of the New Testament after Christ died.”
“The internet reflects mounting opposition via hundreds of web sites, books and essays such as my own.”
Russ’s writings and free download book can be found on his web site here. Over 10,000 copies of his free book have already been downloaded.
WIGGY