To tithe or not to tithe?
March 24th 2008 01:35
I belong to a church that believes strongly in tithing. Every week someone gets up and gives a statement on why we should tithe. We are told that God wants to bless us when we tithe. That he will repay us a hundredfold for anything we put in the offering box. That God commands us to give ten percent of our money to the church. The church, mind you, not ministries, missions or anything else that might actually help people. Those things are separate and come under the banner of offerings. They are to be given on top of our ten per cent of gross pay tithe.
To back this up, they quote scriptures – usually from the Old Testament – that show people giving ten percent of what they own. Although I accept that God wants us to give, I do have some problems with the use of scripture in this way to say that God commands us to give ten percent to our church.
First of all, there was a very good reason for tithing in the Old Testament. Tithing helped feed the poor and take care of the community. Tithing provided security in times of famine. People’s tithes paid for a lot of the things that our taxes pay for today. Taxation, I believe, has to a certain extent replaced some of the need for Old Testament tithing.
Of course, one thing taxes don’t cover is the expenses of our church. So although we don’t have quite the same requirements for the type of tithing practised in the Old Testament, we do still need to give some of our money to the church. If everyone stopped giving to the church, then quite simply the churches could no longer function. They would shut down for lack of funds.
However, what we give to the church should be a matter for discretion. A tenth is always stated as it is the principle used throughout much of the bible. However, as stated, this was when the tithe was used for some things that are now paid for by taxation. It was also used in a time when people did not have as many other necessary expenses. Taxation, rent, electricity, phone, medical bills. Some people struggle hard to pay for all these items and still have enough money left over for food. Paying ten per cent for low-income earners can mean having to choose between electricity, rent and food.
As mentioned above, my church believes that the tithe should be paid to the church. The reasons given for this view is that the bible states that the money should be paid into the storehouse and they translate this to mean the local church. But to be quite frank, sometimes I think this is just a feeble attempt to ensure that the church gets the money not some other organisation. We are commanded to help the poor, the widows, the foreigners in our land. Quite often, it is charities, ministries and other organisations that do a better job of this than the local church. For those people attending churches that seem to do little or nothing to help people in the community, they may quite rightly feel that these organisations deserve a fair percentage of their giving money too.
On Sunday at church, I heard the usual tithing spiel. The congregation was told that any money given to the church went towards the Kingdom of God. Behind the pastor was the church’s new huge screen. We now have a screen so big it could be seen by 500 people, despite the fact there’s never more than 80 people looking at it. Our notices segment has lots of bells and whistles designed to appeal to the advertising generation.
It looks great. It sounds great. It also looks and sounds expensive. The Kingdom of God? Perhaps. But every time I see that screen I wonder what else could have been done with that money. Just between you and me, the day they bought the new screen, I stopped giving ten percent of my pay to the church. I still give to the church. I always will. I want my church to have enough money to survive. But any church that can spend so much money on a screen probably doesn’t need my money that bad. I’d rather my money went to things that actually helped people in need, rather than ensuring that those people already in church have a fun and exciting time.
To back this up, they quote scriptures – usually from the Old Testament – that show people giving ten percent of what they own. Although I accept that God wants us to give, I do have some problems with the use of scripture in this way to say that God commands us to give ten percent to our church.
First of all, there was a very good reason for tithing in the Old Testament. Tithing helped feed the poor and take care of the community. Tithing provided security in times of famine. People’s tithes paid for a lot of the things that our taxes pay for today. Taxation, I believe, has to a certain extent replaced some of the need for Old Testament tithing.
Of course, one thing taxes don’t cover is the expenses of our church. So although we don’t have quite the same requirements for the type of tithing practised in the Old Testament, we do still need to give some of our money to the church. If everyone stopped giving to the church, then quite simply the churches could no longer function. They would shut down for lack of funds.
However, what we give to the church should be a matter for discretion. A tenth is always stated as it is the principle used throughout much of the bible. However, as stated, this was when the tithe was used for some things that are now paid for by taxation. It was also used in a time when people did not have as many other necessary expenses. Taxation, rent, electricity, phone, medical bills. Some people struggle hard to pay for all these items and still have enough money left over for food. Paying ten per cent for low-income earners can mean having to choose between electricity, rent and food.
As mentioned above, my church believes that the tithe should be paid to the church. The reasons given for this view is that the bible states that the money should be paid into the storehouse and they translate this to mean the local church. But to be quite frank, sometimes I think this is just a feeble attempt to ensure that the church gets the money not some other organisation. We are commanded to help the poor, the widows, the foreigners in our land. Quite often, it is charities, ministries and other organisations that do a better job of this than the local church. For those people attending churches that seem to do little or nothing to help people in the community, they may quite rightly feel that these organisations deserve a fair percentage of their giving money too.
On Sunday at church, I heard the usual tithing spiel. The congregation was told that any money given to the church went towards the Kingdom of God. Behind the pastor was the church’s new huge screen. We now have a screen so big it could be seen by 500 people, despite the fact there’s never more than 80 people looking at it. Our notices segment has lots of bells and whistles designed to appeal to the advertising generation.
It looks great. It sounds great. It also looks and sounds expensive. The Kingdom of God? Perhaps. But every time I see that screen I wonder what else could have been done with that money. Just between you and me, the day they bought the new screen, I stopped giving ten percent of my pay to the church. I still give to the church. I always will. I want my church to have enough money to survive. But any church that can spend so much money on a screen probably doesn’t need my money that bad. I’d rather my money went to things that actually helped people in need, rather than ensuring that those people already in church have a fun and exciting time.
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Comment by Anonymous
Okay I haven't been to a church for a while. But what I have been taught to believe is that by giving ten percent to a church, you are not giving to the church, you are giving to God. No matter what they spend that money on, or whatever their reasons, when you give ten percent, and obey the scripture than God is true to his word and will bless you.
Luke 6.38
'give and it will be given to you, press down, shaken together and running over men will give into your bosom for with the same measure that you measure out it will be given to you.'
I am not saying you should give to God soley in order to receive, but when you do give to God unbegrudgingly he will reward you.