A Tenth

When it comes to giving money, the church has taken many different courses over the years.  In the 1st Century, many Christians practiced what we could call 'proto-communism.'  That is, members of the Christian community sold or gave what they had so that everyone ended up what what they needed.  Yes, it's in the Bible (Acts 2:43-44).  Thought all good Christians were white, capitalist, Americans? 

For several centuries, beginning in the 6th, the church began selling indulgences.  Talk about a capital campaign!  The church tells you for the right price you can buy your dead relatives a ticket to heaven.  Perhaps not the most ethical way to approach fundraising, but it beats the way most politicians raise money these days.

In the Old Testament, the people practiced what was called 'tithing.'  When they brought in the harvest or gathered the flock, they would dedicate 1/10th of everything to God by presenting it at the temple to support the priests and the ministry taking place there.  Now there are some who suggest that the practice of tithing went out of fashion with prohibitions against eating lobster (Leviticus 11:10-12).

It seems that the 'anti-tithers' believe the New Testament practice of giving is more open than this strict 10% philosophy.  When they say that I simply point them to Matthew 19:21--"sell everything and give it to the poor," or Luke 12:33--"sell all that you own."  Jesus thinks 10% is about 90% too little.

Am I saying that 10% is what God expects us to give?  No.  Should we literally give everything we have, including the shirt off our back?  No.

Maybe a good compromise is to take Paul's advice to the Corinthian Church:

[T]he one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.  Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.                     2 Cor 9:6-7