“Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.’”
This passage from Malachi Chapter 3 seems to be many a pastor’s favorite Bible text; especially when church giving is at low tide. If you have spent any time in the modern church, you have heard this passage thundered from the pulpit on numerous occasions. I have had it pushed down my throat so many times I have lost count.
Consider some of the rhetoric that goes with it:
“God has commanded you to faithfully give your tithes. If you do not tithe, you are robbing God Almighty, and you put yourself under a curse.”
“Let’s repeat the ‘Tither’s Creed’ together shall we? ‘The tithe is the Lord’s. In truth we learned it. In faith we believe it. In joy we give it. The tithe!’”
“Your tithes and offerings are necessary if God’s work will go on!” (“God’s work,” of course, means salarying the pastoral staff and footing the monthly electric bill to keep the building afloat.)
What is the result of this sort of pressure? God’s people are guilted into giving one-tenth of their incomes every week. When they do, they feel they have made God happy. And they can expect Him to bless them financially. When they fail, they feel they are being disobedient, and a financial curse looms over them.
But let us take a few steps backward and ask the penetrating question: “Does the Bible teach us to tithe? And…are we spiritually obligated to fund the pastor and his staff?”
The answer to these two questions is shocking. (If you are a pastor, it is arresting. So you may want to take out your heart medicine now!)
Is Tithing Biblical?
Tithing does appear in the Bible. So yes, tithing is Biblical. But it is not Christian. The tithe belongs to ancient Israel. It was essentially their income tax. Never do you find first-century Christians tithing in the NT.
Most Christians do not have the foggiest idea about what the Bible teaches regarding the tithe. So let us look at it. The word “tithe” simply means the tenth part. The Lord instituted three kinds of tithes for Israel as part of their taxation system. They are:
- A tithe of the produce of the land to support the Levites who had no inheritance in Canaan.’
- A tithe of the produce of the land to sponsor religious festivals in Jerusalem. If the produce was too burdensome for a family to carry to Jerusalem, they could convert it into money.’
- A tithe of the produce of the land collected every third year for the local Levites, orphans, strangers, and widows.’
This was the Biblical tithe. Notice that God commanded Israel to give 23.3% of their income every year, as opposed to 10%.6 These tithes consisted of the produce of the land—which is, the seed of the land, the fruit of the land, and the herd or the flock. It was the product of the land, not money.
A clear parallel can be seen between Israel’s tithing system and the modern taxation system present in America. Israel was obligated to support their national workers (priests), their holidays (festivals), and their poor (strangers, widows, and orphans) by their annual tithes. Most modern tax systems serve the same purpose.
With the death of Jesus, all ceremonial, governmental, and religious codes that belonged to the Jews were nailed to His cross and buried…never to come out again to condemn us. For this reason, we never see Christians tithing in the NT. No more than we see them sacrificing goats and bulls to cover their sins!
Paul writes, “And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross…Therefore let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day—things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.’”
Tithing belonged exclusively to Israel under the Law. When it comes to financial stewardship, we see the first-century saints giving cheerfully according to their ability—not dutifully out of a command. Giving in the early church was voluntary. And those who benefited from it were the poor, orphans, widows, sick, prisoners, and strangers.10
I can hear someone making the following objection right now: “But what about Abraham? He lived before the Law. And we see him tithing to the high priest Melchizedek. Does this not overturn your argument that the tithe is part of the Mosaic Law?”
No it does not.
First, Abraham’s tithe was completely voluntary. It was not compulsory. God did not command it as He did with the tithe for Israel.
Second, Abraham tithed out of the spoils that he acquired after a particular battle he fought. He did not tithe out of his own regular income or property. Abraham’s act of tithing would be akin to you winning the lottery, a mega jackpot, or receiving a work-bonus, then tithing it.
Third, and most important, this is the only time that Abraham tithed out of his 175 years of life on this earth. We have no evidence that he ever did such a thing again. Consequently, if you wish to use Abraham as a “proof text” to argue that Christians must tithe, then you are only obligated to tithe one time!2
This brings us back to that oft-quoted text in Malachi 3. What was God saying there?
First, this passage was directed to ancient Israel when they were under the Mosaic Law. God’s people were holding back their tithes and offerings. Consider what would happen if a large portion of Americans refused to pay their income taxes. American law views this as robbery.13 Those found guilty would be punished for stealing from the government.
In the same way, when Israel held back her taxes (tithes), she was stealing from God—the One who instituted the tithing system. The Lord then commanded His people to bring their tithes into the storehouse. The storehouse was located in the chambers of the temple. The chambers were set apart to hold the tithes (which was produce, not money) for the support of the Levites, the poor, the strangers, and the widows.14
Notice the context of Malachi-3:8-10: In verse 5, the Lord says that He will judge those who oppress the widow, the fatherless, and the stranger. He says, “So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testes against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me.”
The widows, fatherless, and strangers were the rightful recipients of the tithe. Because Israel was withholding her tithes, she was guilty of oppressing these three groups. Herein is the heart of God in Malachi 3:8-10: Oppression to the poor.
How many times have you heard preachers point this out when they harangued you with Malachi 3? Out of the scores of sermons I have heard on tithing, I never once heard a whisper about what the passage was actually talking about. That is, tithes were for the purpose of supporting the widows, the fatherless, the strangers, and the Levites (who owned nothing). This is what the Lord’s word in Malachi 3 has in view.
The Origin of the Tithe and the Clergy Salary
Cyprian (200-258) is the first Christian writer to mention the practice of financially supporting the clergy. He argued that just as the Levites were supported by the tithe, so the Christian clergy should be supported by the tithe.15 But this is misguided thinking. Today, the Levitical system has been abolished. We are all priests now. So if a priest demands a tithe, then all Christians should tithe to one another!
Cyprian’s plea was exceedingly rare for his time. It was neither picked up nor echoed by the Christian populace until much later.16 Other than Cyprian, no Christian writer before Constantine ever used Old Testament references to advocate tithing.” It was not until the fourth century, 300 years after Christ, that some Christian leaders began to advocate tithing as a Christian practice to support the clergy.18 But it did not become widespread among Christians until the eighth century! 19 According to one scholar, “For the first seven hundred years they [tithes] are hardly ever mentioned.” 20
Charting the history of Christian tithing is a fascinating exercise. Tithing evolved from the State to the church. Giving a tenth of one’s produce was the customary rent-charge for lands that were leased in Western Europe. As the church increased its ownership of land across Europe, the 10% rent-charge was given to the church. This gave the 10% rent-charge a new meaning. It came to be identified with the Levitical tithe! 21 Consequently, the Christian tithe as an institution was based on a fusion of Old Testament practice and pagan institution.22
By the eighth century, the tithe became required by law in many areas of Western Europe.23 By the end of the tenth century, the distinction of the tithe as a rent-charge and a moral requirement supported by the Old Testament had faded.24 The tithe became mandatory throughout Christian Europe.25
To put it another way, before the eighth century the tithe was practiced as a voluntary offering.26 But by the end of the tenth century, it had devolved into a legal requirement to fund the State church—demanded by the clergy and enforced by the secular authorities!27
Thankfully, most modern churches have done away with the tithe as a legal requirement.28 But the practice of tithing is as much alive today as it was when it was legally binding. Sure, you may not be physically punished if you fail to tithe. But if you are not a tither in most modern churches, you will be barred from a slew of ministry positions. And you will be forever guilted from the pulpit! 29
As far as clergy salaries go, ministers were unsalaried for the first three centuries. But when Constantine appeared, he instituted the practice of paying a fixed salary to the clergy from church funds and municipal and imperial treasuries. 30 Thus was born the clergy salary, a harmful practice that has no root in the NT. 31
The Root of All Evil
If a believer wishes to tithe out of personal decision or conviction, that is fine. Tithing becomes a problem when it is rep-resented as God’s command, binding upon every believer.
Mandatory tithing equals oppression to the poor. 32 Not a few poor Christians have been thrown headlong into further poverty because they have been told that if they do not tithe, they are robbing God.33 When tithing is taught as God’s command, Christians who can barely make ends meet are guilted into deeper poverty. In this way, tithing evacuates the gospel from being “good news to the poor.” 34 Rather than good news, it becomes a heavy burden. Instead of liberty, it becomes oppression. We are so apt to forget that the original tithe that God established for Israel was to benefit the poor, not hurt them!
Conversely, modern tithing is good news to the rich. To a high-earner, 10% is but a paltry sum. Tithing, therefore, appeases the consciences of the rich, while it has no significant impact on their lifestyles. Not a few wealthy Christians are deluded into thinking they are “obeying God” because they throw a measly 10% of their income into the offering plate.
But God has a very different view of giving. Recall the parable of the widow’s mite: “Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. ‘I tell you the truth,’ He said, ‘this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.’”
Sadly, tithing is often viewed as a litmus test for discipleship. If you are a good Christian, you will tithe (so it is thought). But this is a bogus application. Tithing is no sign of Christian devotion. If it were, all first-century Christians would be condemned as being undevoted!
The lingering root behind the sustained push for tithing in the modern church is the clergy salary. Not a few pastors feel that they must preach tithing to remind their congregation of its obligation to support them and their programs. And they will use the promise of financial blessing or the fear of a financial curse to ensure that the tithes keep rolling in.
In this way, modern tithing is the equivalent of a Christian lottery. Pay the tithe, and God will give you more money in return. Refuse to tithe, and God will punish you. Such thoughts rip at the heart of the good news of the gospel.
The same can be said about the clergy salary. It too has no NT merit. In fact, the clergy salary runs against the grain of the entire New Covenant. 36 Elders (shepherds) in the first century were never salaried. 37 They were men with an earthly vocation. 38 They gave to the flock rather than took from it. 39
Salarying pastors makes them paid professionals. It elevates them above the rest of God’s people. It creates a clerical caste that turns the living Body of Christ into a business. Since the pastor and his staff are “paid” to do ministry—they are the paid professionals. The rest of the church lapses into a state of passive dependence.
If every Christian got in touch with the call that lies upon them to be functioning priests in the Lord’s house (and they were permitted to exercise that call), the question would immediately arise: “What on earth are we paying our pastor for!?”
But in the presence of a passive priesthood, such questions never arise.40 On the contrary, when the church functions as she should, a professional clergy becomes unnecessary. Suddenly, the thought that says, “that is the job of the pastor” looks heretical. Put simply, a professional clergy fosters the pacifying illusion that the Word of God is classified (and dangerous) material that only card-carrying experts can handle. 41
But that is not all. Paying a pastor forces him to be a man-pleaser. It makes him the slave of men. His meal-ticket is attached to how well his congregation likes him. Thus he is not free to speak freely without the fear that he may lose some heavy tithers. Herein lies the scourge of the pastor system.
A further peril of the paid pastor system is that it produces men who are void of any skill—something we inherited from the pagan Greeks. 42 For this reason, it takes a man of tremendous courage to step out of the pastorate.
Unfortunately, most of God’s people are deeply naive about the overwhelming power of the pastor system. It is a faceless system that does not tire of chewing up and spitting out its young. 43 Again, God never intended the professional pastorate to exist. There is no Scriptural mandate or justification for such a thing. In fact, it is impossible to construct a Biblical defense for it.44
Most frequently, ushers are called upon to handle the reception of the money during the church service. Typically, they do so by passing a “collection plate” to the congregation. The practice of passing the collection plate is another post-apostolic invention. It began in 1662. Although alms dishes and alms chests were present before then.45
The usher originated from Queen Elizabeth I’s (1533-1603) reorganization of the liturgy of the church of England. Ushers had the job of seeing where the people sat, collecting the offering, and keeping records of who took communion. The predecessor of the usher is the church “porter.” The porter was a minor order (lesser clergy) tracing back to the third century.46 Porters had the duty of superintending lock up and opening of church doors, keeping order in the building, and the general direction of the deacons.47 Porters were replaced by “churchwardens” in England before and during the Reformation period.48 Out of the churchwarden grew the usher.
Conclusion
In conclusion, tithing, while Biblical, is not Christian. Jesus Christ did not affirm it. The first-century Christians did not observe it. And for 300 years, God’s people did not practice it. Tithing did not become a widely accepted practice among Christians until the eighth century!
Giving in the NT was according to one’s ability. Christians gave to help other believers as well as to support apostolic workers, enabling them to travel and plant churches.49 One of the most outstanding testimonies of the early church has to do with how liberal the Christians were to the poor and needy.50 This is what provoked outsiders, including the philosopher Galen, to watch the awesome, winsome power of the early church and say: “Behold how they love one another.” 51
Tithing is only mentioned four times in the NT. But none of these instances applies to Christians.52 Again, tithing belongs to the Old Testament era where a taxation system was needed to support the poor and where a special priesthood was set apart to minister to the Lord. With the coming of Jesus Christ, there has been a “change of law”—the old has been “set aside” and rendered obsolete by the new.53
We are all priests now—free to function in God’s house. The Law, the old priesthood, and the tithe have all been crucified. There is now no temple curtain, no temple tax, and no special priesthood that stands between God and man. You, dear Christian, have been set free from the bondage of tithing and from the obligation to support an unbiblical clergy system.
[This article has been excerpted from Frank Viola's book Pagan Christianity: The Origins of Our Modern Church Practices, which was featured on his website for viewing. The original chapter contains 53 footnotes supporting the statements in the article. You may order the book at: www.ptmin.org/pagan.htm ]
22 comments
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January 31, 2008 at 8:11 am
Mike
Amen. We are surrounded with false brethren, false prophets, false teachers, antii-christs (replacement-christs), and wolves. I pray the the truley regenerated would walk out of that club system and find the life they once had before it’s too late!
January 31, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Jeanette
Just a note that “Pagan Christianity” has just been revised and expanded and co-authored with George Barna, the Christian researcher. The new version is much better than the first edition and published by Tyndale. We are asking to tell all your friends to buy the book from Amazon.com the week of February 11 to 16th. We are doing a campaign for the book then. If you support the message of the book, spread the word. Thanks.
January 31, 2008 at 9:22 pm
Joram
Jeanette, will do. I bought the new edition for my dad and one for me as soon as I was told there was a new one. Incredible book.
God bless.
(Thanks, Mike.)
February 11, 2008 at 6:09 am
Wayno
Hey Cajun,
Long time no speak :) Great article mate. I started to go to church this year and this last Sunday a pastor tried to guilt me into giving money. I didn’t give him a cent. My friend says that I have to give before I can get. But, I honestly don’t care if God makes me rich or not. Their church has turned into a Tony Robbins seminar. PROPERTY INVESTMENT IS MENTIONED!!!!
So thanks for the article mate. It lifted my spirits. I was starting to think I was wrong.
Cheers,
Wayno (the nephilim) :P
February 12, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Joram
Haha… thanks, Wayne.
February 17, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Brent
Although Paul choose not to use this right, he clearly states in 1 Corinthians 9 that those who do the work of the gospel have the right to live by it. The reason that Paul did not live off the finances brought in through giving (was a tent maker) was so that no one would be able to be offended by Paul, or to claim that all Paul was after was money. Paul’s predominant desire was that the gospel be spread throughout the world, and if by taking a wage he would cause offense to the cross, Paul was willing to support himself otherwise so that the gospel could spread. Tithing is very much a biblical principle, as is paid ministers.
“Don’t you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel” (vv. 13-14).
Also, we have to do a heart check on this matter. Our ministers labor daily pouring themselves out for us – are we so greedy as to say that they shouldn’t make a living doing such. If a minister is responsible for a congregation of 150 people, that is 150 sets of problems, counseling sessions, funerals/weddings, baptisms, and countless other activities, not to mention multiple teaching services (Sunday and Wednesdays). Our we so hard hearted that we would then require those people who have given us so much to go and work an additional 40+ hours a week to put food on their family’s table. I have no problem paying my tithe to my local church so that my pastor can support his family, that the church can have things such as electricity/water/gas, and that others who are in need can have a place to go where they will be ministered to both financially, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. Don’t get me wrong, there has been ministers who have taken advantage of people and the tithe, but those people are few and far in between. For every one pastor who abuses their position there are thousands who do not. For those who do abuse, they will ultimately answer to God for their deeds, for the rest… let’s be joyful givers – only give because it is New Testament, but also because we are grateful for all that our pastors do for us.
Shalom!
February 17, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Joram
I’ll respond to your post later, Brett. Thanks.
February 25, 2008 at 6:12 am
Mike
Brent, the difference between Paul and the heirlings of today is that Paul started these churches from heathens. He worked with his hand, an abomination to the intellectuals we have in the pulpits, and received some help from a few. The help came to support him in starting new chuches amoung the heathen not a living being a professional christian in one place. Oh yeah, Paul also supported his young men who traveled with him, with that logic the pastor should be supporting the staff with the work of his hands. The idea of paying a professional creates the clergy system, thus division thus the thing that God hates.
February 27, 2008 at 9:49 am
Joe
Great job on reviewing the OT tithe system. As far as the clear biblical mandate that “the worker is worthy of his wages,” not so good. This principle proceeds the law and is clearly taught in the dispensation of grace. In fact, the support is so prolific that most believers get it: Gen 14:20; Numbers 18:21; Matt 4:18-22; Luke 5:5-8; Luke 10:1-6; Luke 22:35; Gal 6:6; 3 John 5-8; Paul defends his right to receive support in 1 Cor 9:4-6; 9:7; 9:8-10; 9:13; 9:14; Acts 21:8-10.
The blanket character statements concerning most pastors who receive an income through their faithful study and teaching of the Word is absurd. Sure, some take advantage, but churches are led by Elders and the words for Elder and Pastors are used interchangeably. They both must have and share the gift of leadership and be able to teach (as well as meet the moral character describe in the pastoral epsistles). If they work hard in preparing and teaching the Word, they should be compensated. The divisive use of words like “they” pushing “their” programs etc…is ridiculous. God gave the church leaders….by very definition of leaders. Leaders lead period. Leaders who lead have a diving mandate to organize resources (gifts, financial, human) to achieve godly, biblical, and spiritual objectives. The language of this article betrays an authority problem and I imagine that it runs deep and transcends the church activity…anti-government etc. Hebrews 13:17 comes to mind. If you are part of church that has emasculated its leaders, fine. As your leaders to sprout a pair. But if not, when one of your elders puts a plan on the table to advance the Kingdom, try just doing it without labeling it “his” program. Men should not give under compulsion….in this age, we give according to the Spirit and with a thankful heart… just as we love, serve, evangelize…..but we still do it.
These things are not programs…but real tangible spiritual objectives that God want us to put real tangible…HS driven goals on the table… THATS THE JOB OF AN ELDER. And these things (not just a salary…in our church the smallest part of a budget) require God’s people to worship God in their giving toward a common objective.
Many pastors I know have been very successful in many endeavors….I was a Captain in the USMC. My team consists of former leaders in almost every field. Point is, they are LEADERS. My Discipleship pastor was a CEO of a fortune 500 company. Now, with a 230,000 pay cut, he leads people to spiritual maturity…through godly, biblical discipleship ministries. He prayerfully designs them because thats his gift. Followers who want to honor God and His Word follow them and as a result are led to maturity. Thats the way Romans 12, 1 Cor. 12, Eph 4 work….leaders prepare others for the work of service.
So lets take the skewed historical wierdness out of it, and stick to the Word. It works.
February 28, 2008 at 8:42 pm
Joram
Look, Joe. I deleted your other comments. It’s pretty obvious that you are heavily involved in the institutionalized church and find tithing acceptable, especially if it means funding a pastor(s). I don’t mind you leaving a couple of comments, but spamming (leaving repeated comments) my blog is a bit much, not to mention leaving a novel of a comment. Start your own blog and pick me (or Frank Viola) apart if you find me so unscriptural. Doing the gigantic copy and paste job won’t cut it here.
I don’t mind a little discussion, but if you want a full-fledged debate on whether or not tithing is a Christian practice today, I would suggest finding a Christian internet forum.
February 29, 2008 at 6:09 am
Joe
Joram, I can appreciate that. The post is a study based on the WORD. For the sake of clarity, the post clarifies that tithing is not for today. However, GIVING has always been a mark of discipleship just as loving, serving, leading, etc… Can you, in a couple of lines, defend biblically a position that says GIVING is not for today? For the record, I am not taking a salary. I sold everything I own to serve the urban poor with my family (with about 10 other families around the country)…the work is supported by 100 of families without whose generous gifts, many who now know Christ would not. Those gifts came from people who had a lot to lose and who take the call to abandon everything for the sake of the gospel…(read Irresistible Revolution, a true TD book). Many who have been fed and clothed would not. Living out the gospel and sharing it depends on God resourcing it. Grace giving is His vehicle. This happens all over the place in the world. If you took all the unbelievers in this country alone and put them in one location, it would be the 11th largest country in the world. Getting serious about the great commission requires time, thought, resources. Nothing whatsoever to do with institutions.
I respect your wishes….but I am looking for a fair and unbiased interaction with the Bible and the principle of GIVING….for His work (not about salaries or INSTITUTIONS) but as a part of Kingdom living. If this is asking too much, fine. But I think you owe it to your readers.
In the grip of His grace and for His glory.
J
February 29, 2008 at 8:31 pm
Joram
You said, “However, GIVING has always been a mark of discipleship just as loving, serving, leading, etc… Can you, in a couple of lines, defend biblically a position that says GIVING is not for today?”
You either didn’t read the article or you completely misunderstood it. I absolutely believe in giving as does the author! There is nothing in scripture that states that giving should stop or that we should keep our money/whatever we have to ourselves. I think you are missing the point of the article. The article is chastising the doctrine of tithing (Jewish law) but is not abandoning the biblical principle of giving. This is what the article states in one of the paragraphs:
“Giving in the NT was according to one’s ability. Christians gave to help other believers as well as to support apostolic workers, enabling them to travel and plant churches. One of the most outstanding testimonies of the early church has to do with how liberal the Christians were to the poor and needy. This is what provoked outsiders, including the philosopher Galen, to watch the awesome, winsome power of the early church and say: ‘Behold how they love one another.’ ”
This article is against the doctrine of a mandatory, calculated tithe that was originally cultural, later dying out culturally and eventually revived and adopted by the Catholics. The whole point of the book Pagan Christianity is for us to try and get back to the way the church was in the New Testament as best we can. This is why it states that we should also, when led, give to “other believers as well as to support apostolic workers” and “to the poor and needy.” Giving is a Christian principle, tithing is not. God does, however, look at the heart regardless.
March 4, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Joe
Complete agreement! And bleeding through that thought is the idea that giving is a sign, a litmus for maturity….
Thanks
March 11, 2008 at 5:25 pm
david
Mike,
Paul was certainly an intellectual. A Pharisee trained under Gamaliel- or did you forget. I guess you would rather have ignorant elders wrongfully dividing the Word of Truth. Paul also went to synagogues to teach not to brothels or bars – hardly the hangout of heathens. Get your facts straight!!
March 26, 2008 at 2:28 pm
theMadJW
It becomes even MORE absurd in view of what they TEACH!
COMPLETELY devoid from Reality & the Bible!
theMadJW@yahoo.com
August 15, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Robin Calamaio
As a pastor, there are two things I have never done. I never presented this “new teaching” – as “the tithe,” and I never laid this man-made concoction on the brethren – claiming God requires 10% of one’s gross earnings to go in cash to the local church for life. What I have taught is: “If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially those of his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1Tim 5:8) and “Owe nothing to anyone” (Ro 13:8). Those calling for this “tithe” are doing so – claiming God’s authority behind their message and often warn of consequences for “robbing God.” One definition of extortion is “to get (money, etc.) by violence, threats, misuse of authority …” (Webster’s New World Dictionary, 1974). This “new teaching” is extortion.
August 16, 2008 at 6:08 am
Mike
David, I would rather have a man filled with the Holy Spirit in whom God speaks to, not some stuffy intellectual. Paul considered his “degrees” as dung as I also concider the present day seminary grads degrees!!!
October 6, 2008 at 9:45 am
Ben
This article is filled with a lot of truth. However, the tithe and the monetary supporting of professional ministers is only a small part of the problem, and I wish he would have addressed the larger issue a bit more. (Maybe in his book?) That is, that the institutional church is being revealed more and more as a thing created by men and for men. “Church” as most Americans know it today, is not Biblical at all. The whole institution, its systems, and programs are not at ALL what the Lord ever designed. It is clear, even to those in the system, that something is wrong. But their only answer is “how do we DO church better?” Its a bad question. We’re not supposed to do church “better” in its current state at all. The Lord is drawing his children out. He is drawing them to Himself, to a true relationship with a person, that is Jesus Christ our Lord. Ask the Lord to reveal Himself to you, so you don’t miss it.
October 25, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Chris
I went along happilly in church for years until I chaired the Finance committee and was a member of the Pastor Parish committee. What an eye opener into the politics and greed of the clergy. I have come to believe that in most cases the pastor is less ethical than anyone in the congregration. Also, a large portion of the money required to be paid to the higher church is for clergy benefits – local pastors on up to the Bishop. When negotiations are going on regarding a pastor’s salary, the pastor’s immediate superior is sent down to mediate or so they say. Actually he entirely represents the pastor against naive and trusting committee members. The higher church is nothing more than a labor union for clergy. Our current pastor got such a great package of pay and benefits that we have used up all the money we had in savings and are now faced with having to give up some of our programs.
November 7, 2008 at 7:17 pm
Nathan
Great article! However I do have one question?! Under the subtitle “Is Tithing Biblical?” a comment was made that I feel lacked thorough explanation (This was the Biblical tithe. Notice that God commanded Israel to give 23.3% of their income every year, as opposed to 10%.) and thus has caused me to question its validity. It is my understanding that the word tithe literally means “tenth”. Therefore to say that 23.3% is a tithe does not add up to me.
It is also my understanding that during those times they paid their tithe biannually. So, it would make sense to see how someone could mistakenly attempt to add the two together and come with 20% annually? That still doesn’t explain where the other 3.3% derived from. Nonetheless, regardless of how I attempt to put it all together I continue to fall short.
Could someone please explain this to me biblically and in much greater depth?
Thanks in advance for your assistance!
December 16, 2008 at 6:45 pm
Todd
I have stopped supporting ( financially) the church I attend, for one reason. The amount of money that is spent on the support of the ministry. I do not see tithing as necessary in the N.T. but I would gladly give that and more if it were spent in a responsible way. The church today has become a repository for money and not a funnel for the finances to reach the intended recipients namely the poor. How many times do we see in the bible where God talks about giving to those in need, the apostles say the very same thing, ” I you do it unto the least of them you do it unto me” I am not opposed to a pastor earning a living. What I am opposed to is no over site. Too many pastors have developed an attitude of entitlement, I have heard from the pulpit ” the tithes belong to the ministry”. If that were the case my pastor would be a millionaire in a few years. Those in power rarely give up that power willingly and money plays a huge role. God has been dealing we me about this for a long time, it was a hard decision to stop tithing, once I did I asked God to help me make the right decisions concerning my offerings. I have not yet arrived but I do not feel guilty about supporting other organizations. It is such a shame that for the most part church ministry has become an exclusive club, and those that are in it are blind to the needs of those around us many in the churches we attend. The church in ACTS gave to those that were in need “Not to the ministry” and God added to the church such as should be saved. We would do well to learn from them.
June 15, 2009 at 10:13 pm
Tithing « The Redheaded Skeptic
[...] to do it when we could, but I can’t say I think it was money well spent. Really, tithing is completely different in the Bible than it is practiced now. We knew it, and didn’t agree that tithing as practiced in the Baptist church is entirely [...]