Tithing- A Twisted Teaching?

If you attend a Christian fellowship long enough, you are likely to hear many sermons on the subject of tithing. Sometimes the sermons are called something different like "Biblical Stewardship" or "God's Plan for Your Finances". But the message is usually the same: you are required to give a tenth of your finances to the local church if you want God to bless you. If you don't tithe (give 10% of your gross income), you will be under the curses of God and things will not go well for you.

For most of my life I believed this to be true. I had many well-respected pastors and Christian writers reinforce this idea in many creative ways. The popular texts to "support" this view are: Malachi 3:8-10; Matthew 23:23 and a multitude of old covenant laws- Leviticus, Deuteronomy.

I decided to study the topic in detail in 1999. I read over 20 books on the subject- many written from a pro-tithing view. Some written from an anti-tithing view. Let me clarify. I believe that most Christians- myself included- would applaud anyone who gives 10% or more of the income that God has provided for the purpose of meeting real tangible financial needs to spread the gospel of Christ. When I say pro-tithing, I mean that an author expouses a belief that giving 10% of one's income is mandated today. Anti-tithing simply means that the author believes this requirement is no longer valid.

There are huge problems with the way tithing is taught in a large percentage of congregations. The give-to-get philosophy is rampant. The law of attraction nonsense that has inspired the best-selling book The Secret is all too prevalent in Christendom. But I will assume for arguments sake that pro-tithing teachers have no ulterior motives for espousing this doctrine.

The question becomes: should tithing be taught as a principle that applies to Christians today? I believe the answer to this question is "no". Why do I believe this? I have five major reasons:

1. The Word of God does not teach tithing as a principle for believers in Jesus Christ. There are some Old Testament verses that teach the importance of tithing. These verses can be easily manipulated to formulate a belief in tithing for Christians today. But Israel was under a theocracy. God was their Ruler. Tithes were taxes paid to priests who administered the laws of God. We do not live under this form of government. God is still our Ruler. But we now pay taxes to the governments that He has installed to rule us- Romans 13:1.

John MacArthur is a well-respected Bible teacher. He explains this in an answer to the question: does God require me to give a tithe of all I earn? I whole-heartedly agree with his response: http://www.biblebb.com/files/macqa/IA-tithe.htm

2. Tithing diminishes the joy from giving. No one joyfully pays taxes. At least I don't. I suppose there are people out there who love to give 10% of their income to their local church because their pastor has convinced them that there are God-ordained goodies in store for them as a result of their faithfulness. But the New Testament clearly teaches that giving should be cheerful and not under compulsion. 2 Corinthinans 9:7 teaches, "Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

My conviction is that the amount of money and where that money is disbursed should be continually motivated by God's Spirit. We should support the poor and needy; proclamation of the gospel and people/ministries that are discipling us. We are not required to finance massive building campaigns and cushy lifestyles for ministry professionals.

3. Tithing is counter-productive to the clear biblical message of whole-life stewardship. A Christian believes in Christ and submits to Him in every area of life. God now owns 100% of our money, ability, time and health. There is no separation of sacred and secular to the committed believer. The Christian should prayerfully decide how to allocate every resource. In the case of money, we should work hard to obtain honest wealth. But here is where it gets tricky.

Does it honor God to charge your customer twice as much so that you can give more to your local church? Is it really more spiritual to give money to your local church than to provide for your family; help a person in need; pay off debt or save? Common sense tells us that there are plenty of dilemmas that cannot be solved by some black and white rule. We should daily seek the Holy Spirit's guidance on how to distribute the resources God entrusts to us.

4. Tithing is inequitable. Many pastors teach that you are required to give 10% of your gross income to the local church. For the Ed Young Jr's; TD Jakes; Kenneth Copeland's of the world this is easy to teach. If you are making over $1,000,000 per year, you can spare $100k without much of a problem. But what about the single mom of three kids who is scraping by on $30k per year. Is it fair to require her to give $3k per year to the local church?

Shouldn't we ponder Andrew Murray's words: "How different our standard is from Christ. We ask how much a person gives? Christ asks how much a person keeps?"

The idea that all people should give 10% of their gross income to the local church reminds me of Jesus' stern warning to the Pharisees- religious leaders of Israel in Jesus' day. Luke 11:46, "Woe to you Pharisees! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers."

5. Church history is noticeably silent on the topic of tithing. The teaching of tithing for believers has only come into vogue since 1900. Jesus only mentioned it once in the Gospels- Matthew 23:23- and this was not an endorsement of it for his followers. Paul never mentions the tithe. Nor does Peter, James or John. The author of Hebrews mentions the tithe but again only to illustrate a different theological point.

Martin Luther and John Calvin- two of the most voracious students of Scripture- did not teach tithing as applicable to the new covenant believer. Luther said this in a sermon dated August 27,1525: "But the other commandments of Moses, which are not (implanted in all men) by nature, the Gentiles do not hold. Nor do these pertain to the Gentiles, such as the tithe...

Early church leaders wrote the following comments in reference to the subject of tithing:

“The wealthy among us help the needy…As for the persons who are prosperous and are willing, they give what each thinks fit.” Justin Martyr, 160 A.D.

“Instead of the Law commanding the giving of tithes, He taught us to share all our possessions with the poor.” Irenaeus, 180 A.D.

“On the monthly day, if he likes, each puts in a small donation- but only if it is his pleasure and only if he is able. For there is no compulsion; all is voluntary.” Tertullian, 197 A.D.

Why is tithing taught in churches today? It's good business. The more a church takes in, the more financially secure and comfortable things are. But is it biblical? My conviction is no. Believe me it would be easier to say and think otherwise. The pro-tithers is a larger club. And they tend to take care of their own. They don't enjoy dissenting opinions.

But I have to stand on conviction. Perhaps God will show me different in Heaven. But I won't bet on it for the reasons I have stated above. Hopefully, all pro-tithers and anti-tithers can agree on this: all resources should be maximized for God's glory and the advancement of His kingdom.

For His Glory,

Ashley Hodge

Basketball and Stewardship

I love the game of basketball. I attempt to work into my schedule at least 3-4 hours of basketball every week. When it is just me, a basket and a ball, I often have my best thinking time. This is the time I come up with blog topics.

Yesterday, I started thinking about the link between basketball and a resurrected body.

Have you ever seen a really talented player who didn't understand the game and think: why did God distribute that kind of talent to someone who is wasting it? Likewise, I have played with guys who are fun to play with because they understand the team concept. But the skills are limited.

I look forward to a resurrected body and mind. I look forward to glorifying God by focusing passions without the hindrances and limitations of sin. I am excited about the potential pick-up basketball games in the new heavens and earth.

I started thinking about a pick-up game with a potential God Squad- guys who have made a public profession of faith in Christ and seem to have a demeanor that matches this profession. These names come to mind:

C- David Robinson
PF- Dwight Howard
SF- Dwayne Wade
SG- Pistol Pete Maravich
PG- Chris Paul

It would be a tough team. But I believe many ordinary Joes like myself will be able to compete and play on their level with a resurrected body and mind. I love basketball so much that there was a time in my life- before marriage to Amy- that I thought...

"I should just rent a simple apartment next to some good outdoor courts and an indoor gym. Then I could play pick-up basketball 4-5 times per week. And if I stay single... I could watch every college and NBA game that I want... And..."

Fortunately, I matured. But the longing for this has just been delayed to enjoying it fully in heaven. Now, I catch a glimpse from time to time. I understand Eric Liddel's line in Chariots of Fire, "God made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure." God didn't make me a tremendous basketball player, but He did create in my heart a desire for the game. And when I play, I feel His pleasure.

In heaven, playing basketball and having time to read all the books I want to read are going to be permanent realities. I believe this. Because I believe heaven is the earth renovated. Our purest longings will be fulfilled as we enjoy the full presence of Christ and the elimination of the curse of sin. Psalms 107:9, "He satisfies the longing soul and the hungry soul He fills with good things."

One other plug for basketball... If you are a fan and you don't know about Bill Simmons' basketball blog, you need to read this. Here's a link:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/blog/index?name=simmons

Simmons understands the game better than any sports writer I have ever read. He is to writing as Hubie Brown is to announcing. They are in leagues by themselves.

Praising God for the Gift of Recreation,

Ashley Hodge

Lessons From Moving

Moving- we forget the pain. Every time I do it, I say "I will never do it again." And then a few years later I do it again.

Our family moved last week. We are keeping all of our stuff in storage as we wait patiently for a new home to be completed that should have been completed months ago. We decided to accept my wife's parent's gracious invitation to house us for the next few weeks (hopefully) while we are in transition as our new home is completed.

Moving has made me quite philosophical. I believe there are spiritual lessons to be learned in all we do. But I tend to contemplate them more at times of life change.

Lessons From Moving:

1. We have too much stuff. This is the obvious one. But never does it become more glaring than when you go through a move. Despite vowing to have nothing stored in the attic, we managed to fill a 1700 square foot house with lots of things. My wife and I promised each other as we spent days packing: we are okay with owning high quality things. We just want to commit to own less of it and have room for our family and possessions to breathe. As great as we think possessions are, it all becomes one giant hassle when you pack and move them.

Jesus said to them, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions." Luke 12:15

2. There is great freedom in having less. Currently about 95% of the things we own are being stored. To me it is freeing to have less stuff to care for. One of my favorite parts of moving is the excuse it gives me to purge and recycle possessions by giving them to charity. I love to purge. My wife used to hate it. But lately she has been admitting that she sees my view- which makes me giddy. We were created to live simple but we constantly gravitate towards complexity.

Ecclesiastes 7:29, "God has made men upright, but they have sought out many devices." It is probably stretching the original meaning some but I have always felt that verse telling me that God made us simple, but we have sought out complications.

3. Nothing in this life goes as planned. In my pride, I congratulated myself for my precise planning. We had sold our home to an acquaintance without going through the hassles of listing it. We leased it back and gave ourselves ample time to move into our new home (we thought). But pride always has a way of embarrassing us. God has many lessons to teach us and the one I must learn over and over is to never place trust in my own cleverness. I get knocked down every time.

Proverbs 16:18, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling."

4. This world is not our home. Every time I start to place confidence in this world, I get disappointed. The new home we envision doesn't turn out quite as nice due to shoddy workmanship. Our dreams are never realized because we live in a world that shows daily reminders that it is fallen. Sin has distorted this world and will continue to do so.

An aside... I am all for the new focus on environmentalism (as long as it is reasonable). I think we should consume less and care more for God's creation. But as my friend Gary Randle said to me recently, "All this talk about going green. We are trying to save a planet that God tells us is going to burn." (2 Peter 3:12). Our hearts are meant to be fixed on heaven. This world under the curse of sin will never be paradise. We have glimpses but nothing to set our hearts on. We should travel light in this life.

I John 2:17, "The world and its desires are passing away, but the one who does the will of God lives forever."

Moving builds in me much needed humility. It reminds me that life is never about stuff. It teaches me that we are currently living in a wilderness in temporary tents. We are seeking the Promised Land.

But often we seek heaven on earth instead of seeking heaven in heaven. All of the grandest homes are one tornado, hurricane, tsunami, fire or earthquake away from being destroyed. Life is about God and others. We can enjoy great prosperity in the eternal life to come (as we fully enjoy God and others). Possessions become our comfort too easy. Thank you God for continuing to destroy these idols in my heart by any means that You see fit.

For His Glory,

Ashley Hodge