I was just listening to Woodrow Kroll and he was talking about tithing. Listen to these statistics.

During the Great Depression in America the average amount that Christians tithed was 2.9% of their income.
Today, in our 'prosperous society' the average is 2.5%! :-?

Any thoughts on this? How is it in other countries? Do Christians you know (or yourself) tithe the ten percent talked about in the Bible (Genesis 28:22)?

I used to tithe...faithfully. I felt bad if I didn't. Then, I really began to examine the scriptures, and I saw that tithing is about on the same lines as circumcision - law. Now, I simply do what the NT tells me to do - give cheerfully, as I purpose in my own heart. My amount of giving has not really changed - although it's not necessarily systematic, it is much more ad hoc. But, I enjoy giving much more, and truly get to put my money where I believe God is moving and blessing.

Just a suggestion, but try a search on "Tithing" here, recall quite a few discussions on this.

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Mike Balog

I agree with Bomar... thats the same conclusions I came to after deciding to study the scriptures for myself instead of listening to what man told me scriptures said. I've done that on any number of topics and realized that a lot of times scripture was saying something totally different from what I was hearing from the pulpit.

Krispy

I wonder if you feel that if tithing were renforced people would give more.
Well, you then have something like our taxes, to which we all contribute - much more than a tenth of our income.

If all of us could do with all our money what we really wanted to without any obligation from anyone - what would we do with it. That would be the test of our heart - our generosity, our trust in God to provide, our view of money.... and ultimately the genuineness of our faith.
Diane

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Diane

Bomar,

Thanks for sharing that! I think if all Christians looked at their giving like you do the percentage would be much higher than 2.5%.
I agree about tithing and the law. But it is interesting to note instances in Scripture before the Mosaic law (Genesis 14:18-20; 28:22). I guess I have looked upon at least ten percent as a good guideline for myself. There are principles in the Scriptures that we can learn and glean from.

Diane,
No, I don’t think ten percent giving should be reinforced in the church. If it is done than the spirit of giving is lost and it simply becomes another routine that must be followed.

I like John Wesley's philosophy of giving: earn all you can, save all you can, and give all you can.

Earn all you can- Idleness is the enemy of the soul, and we have much better things to do than just sit around and do nothing. Being that we are heavenly minded people, we need to make all the money we can.

Save all you can- Don't flush your money down the toilet on a ton of frivolous luxuries (though that's not to say it's wrong to have any). Spend your money prayerfully, buying what you need for you and your family, some creature comforts, then save the rest.

Give all you can- Being that it is hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven, and the love of money is the root of all evil, you are better off giving away whatever you don't need for yourself away to those in need, starting with the saints first, and then afterwards taking care of the heathen. In doing such you show your trust in the providence of God, and instead of simply stuffing your barns full, you empty them believing God will take care of your need should anything else arise. You will also save yourself many troubles.

Very challenging! And Mr Wesley preached on this not a few times. He was very vocal about it. And he practiced it. He later lamented that he did not make this a required rule for the Methodist societies. He was always giving money away. According to Ravenhill, Wesley could've been a millionare had he kept all the money that came his way over his life, yet he died nearly broke.

I wish I could be more like Wesley in this regard.

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Jimmy H

Hello...

I still believe in tithing ([i]please -- don't throw stones![/i]). Its not that I believe that it is necessarily [i]obligatory[/i], but I believe that it is a good concept as set by Scripture.

It is true that the New Testament does not identify the "tenth" as does the Old Testament. However, there are several verses that support laying aside a certain amount of money each week (according to one's income) and cheerfully giving that money for the Lord's work.

Matthew 17:24-27
Luke 20:25
1 Corinthians 9:13-14
1 Corinthians 16:1-2
1 Corinthians 9:15-22
2 Corinthians 2:17
Malachi 3:8-12
Leviticus 27:30

I would never pass judgment on those that do not believe in tithing. In fact, I believe that it is [u]sinful[/u] to judge those that do not or are unable to give. I also believe that modern society often associates a "tithe" with money. If you study the concept, you will find that it was not inclusive of "money." It included produce, products, service and labor. I believe that, when I give, I shouldn't "let my left hand know what my right hand is doing." I believe that our attitude should be to give "expecting nothing in return."

I definitely do not believe in the legalistic "[i]pay your tithe[/i]" type of concept. I also don't believe that I must be limited to the tenth either. The sad thing is that many modern believers feel that if they give their tithe -- they will be financially blessed and never struggle with income. How sad. I imagine that Paul was a definite "giver." But he also hungered (I Corinthians 4:101-13). It is both sad and amazing how this idea has crept into even non-prosperity churches.

But I also believe that my bank account does not belong to me. It is on loan from the Lord. I have noticed that the Lord has sustained me -- even when I have given out of incredible need.

:-(

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Christopher

The hungry bloated stomachs in Haiti for instance, unfortunately are not hit & miss but instead “systematically” require nutrition and this indeed does require financial support. How great it would be if the natural gas company in these parts would not be so systematic in reading my meter and sending me a bill, would be great!!!

I understand the reaction against tithing for some, I remember years ago at a particular large inter-city Church. The Pastor and staff would drive up in new Sedan Deville’s and land in their reserved parking near the front door. Might not have bothered me so much had this been in an affluent suburban area, but in a financially depressed area with a good number of the congregation on food stamps, you get my point? In my estimation this was a legitimate concern, but I want to be cautious that I do not overcorrect in my reaction to abuses, and we all know and have heard of these abuses. And just as we don’t hear much of heroic honest deeds of citizens on ABC World News tonight but rather the negative, as well we don’t often hear of the faithful stewardship in regards to I think the majority of Churches as it pertains to finances. At the end of the day, the same door that we enter through, is the same door that is available to us to exit through should we find abuses.

And the words “enforced tithing”, in my mind would be akin to “enforced” patience, or enforced love, or enforced humility etc….. No, we give because we love, we love because we give, we give to be obedient to the Word, we give to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked. Certainly God does not need our finances, but how do we live w/o His blessing that is associated with giving?

And, having said that…… It is true, there are Churches that require a “record” of giving before they will allow you a position in the Church. And what you end up with are a few key people in leadership positions in a Church who know all the giving habits of all the parishioners, and how does this play out in their interaction and attitude towards those who are not giving as “required”? Surely it is time we put in place some safeguards., for men love to have control. Although we call it Spiritual Authority.

I am for tithing, and I am for giving above that with offerings. And I really sense that many others feel the same way. They simply don’t want others “all up in our business.” I have advocated for a long time that Churches use completely independent third party accounting firms to handle the finances. As it is now, I say give anonymously with cash. Certainly God we can be sure is keeping real good records, and it is His blessings we need, it is His Windows of Heaven we need to be opened unto us, whether or not we have the blessing of a Church or not.

It has been well established here and elsewhere that tithing was in existence long before God ever gave the Law. A cursory reading of Acts we find that many gave everything they had to the work of God. How is it, that we could actually rob God, would be my question? Maybe the answer would be we rob God of His opportunity to demonstrate that He is a God who keeps His promises. A God who rebukes the devourer, a God who blesses a hilarious giver, a God who can entrust us with the true riches as we are faithful with worldly wealth.

tonys

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Tony Sexton

This by the Associated Press;

The number of megachurches with weekly attendance of 2,000 or more doubled over the past five years. The nations megachurches which now number 1,210, draw nearly 4.4 million people a week and collect more than $7 BILLION a year in donations.