by Jim Gordon
If you have spent anytime in the institutional church system you know something about tithing. Tithing is talked about in every church whether it is every week, every month or only a certain time during the year. We need to remember there is a difference between tithing, giving and financial support.
I remember feeling guilty because I felt I could not afford to tithe. You know, the real tithe, ten percent of your income and that was not take-home pay that was ten percent of all you made.
I can remember one church we used to attend the pastor would have the ushers count the money after the offering and if there was not enough in it he would tell them to pass the plates again. Another church we went to the pastor told the congregation they needed to give one month’s salary to support a special building project they had going.
Now I know not all churches go to that extreme, but all churches will talk about the tithe. What bothers me about all this is that the tithe is an old covenant teaching. I believe that tithing is no longer something we need to worry about. We no longer have a storehouse to bring the tithe into. Many teach that the church is the storehouse but that is certainly not the case. If you read more about what tithing was and what the purpose was back in the old testament you will see it is no longer for us.
The church is not a building or storehouse. God does not live in buildings made by hands. We are the temple of God and he lives within us. The Church that God is building is not a religion or institution or organization. The Church is made up of the community of believers who live for God each and every day by the guidance of the Spirit that is within us.
I have no problem with giving. In fact, we are to give but we are not to tithe. Giving is done out of love, it is done out of caring. It has no set amount and is not an obligation for us to fulfill.
If people decide to attend a church building and be part of the religious institution that is OK as long as they know that it is not God’s house and tithing is no longer required. If the pastor would just be honest and tell the people that they are part of an organization that meets in a building and it needs their support. They have bills to pay, salaries to meet, utilities to pay and expenses that have to be paid if they are going to run the organization.
What upsets me is when the pastor tries to guilt the members into giving their money because they are giving to God, or they are told they are robbing God by not giving their ten percent. They are told to bring the tithe into the storehouse so that others can be helped, then most of the money goes to pay the expenses of the organization. Just be honest and tell them there are expenses that need to be paid and if you are part of this group you need to help pay the bills.
I could go along with that much better. I could go along with being told we need to financially support the organization to pay the bills. Beyond that we are free to give what we feel is right and directly to people who need it without going through the organization who takes its cut.
So, for those who are still in the institutional church give your money as financial support of the organization. There is nothing wrong with that, but do not think you are giving to God. Do not let the pastor guilt you into giving because you are robbing from God. The old covenant has been fulfilled and we now live by grace in the new covenant where tithing is no longer needed.
Follow your heart and give to others out of love and as you feel led. If you attend a religious organization then give your money to financially support it, but do not feel guilty or be guilted into giving money out of any obligation. You are free to give as you see fit.
So true. Thanks for the comment.
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Religion twists too many things and keep the religious perpetually confused about simple things.
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Here is an interesting follow-up to your comment. I read this after your comment about working as a waitress. This is from the book ‘Be the Love You Want to See in the World’ by Susan Cottrell: Sometimes the more righteous (by righteous I mean self-righteous) a person is, the more unbecoming they are. The more they claim moral high ground, especially religious righteousness, the harsher and stingier they can be. For example, do you know the most dreaded shift for food servers? Sunday lunch. Churchgoers who come in after church services have a reputation for being rude, self-important, and stingy. According to the tenets of Jesus, as we read in the gospels, those who claim to follow him should be the most generous tippers, the most gracious guests, the most accommodating and least demanding of people. Instead, the opposite reputation precedes them.
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I understand. The church system needs our money but most of it goes to salaries, upkeep and yes, building programs. I do not think tithing in the old covenant sense is still required today. Yet giving out of love and an amount each of us decide is what pleases God. Just like your friend is doing by giving direct to places and people who need help. Thank you for your kind words about our posts and thanks for your comment.
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Good post! It reminds me of the second-to-last church I attended. The second-to-last sermon I sat through was on how you can’t curse what God has blessed. The last sermon that very next Sunday was on how you’re cursed if you don’t tithe. Hello?! And so very predictably, they were going into a building program, so the arm twisting had begun. That was it for me.
A friend of mine in Florida is just now seeing the church system for what it is, and has decided to do her tithing (which she still wants to do) to groups that are helping the hurricane victims in Panama City. I didn’t know the city was still such a mess. So many people everywhere that could benefit from all that money extracted from the faithful tithers across the country! And so many that can’t honestly afford that tithe but do it anyway because of the threat of the curse. So sad.
Keep up the good work; love your posts!
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When my wife and I were in the church system, we had a pastor who talked about that. He always told us to tip well when we ate out after church. He said it looked bad when people went to eat after the service, sat for a couple hours talking and letting their kids run around then leave a two dollar tip. We always remembered that and have always tried to be good tippers. Just supports our view of tithing, rather than give to a system that uses the money on salaries and building expenses, give the money directly to those who need it. Thanks for your comment.
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I used to work as a waitress and hated working on Sundays because church people are the worst tippers. Waiters always tell me this is still the case. It seems that when church people give a lot to church they tend to be less generous elsewhere.
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