This morning I’ve started work at Logan Uniting Church, where I’ll be guest preacher for two months. I’m sitting in the office of Graham Keech, senior minister, who’s off for a four months of long service leave.
First up this Sunday is a focus on tithing. Glen Schweitzer, associate minister, will be preaching in both Sunday services on tithing as a life-giving principle. I’ll be following up the following week with teaching on generosity.
So where would you start on such a sensitive topic? I know there’s usually a bit of nervousness about planned giving. We’re not that keen to let people tell us what to do with ‘our money’. I’d start with humour – like with the new slogan, “I’ve upped my pledge, up yours!” Maybe unpacking the healthy scepticism we have about churches that rigidly extract ten percent of the income of their members.
ReverendFun has some very witty cartoons on tithing. They’ve been collated here. Sheepcomics has an excellent 13 panel cartoon on a solution to the tithing question.
Tithing to the Australian Government
The principle of tithing is carried out at a federal level in Australia. Once someone earns over $6,000 they pay 17c for every dollar earned. We pay 30% of income over $21,600, 42% of income over $58,000 and 47% for income over $70,000. On top of that the Government claims 10 per cent of everything we spend in Goods and Services Tax.
Tithing to Celebrating Life
Looking at the instructions for gathering the ‘first fruits’ in the Old Testament, it appears as though this was a means to being able to feast together, as much as supporting public servants (members of the tribe of Levi). In Numbers 14:22-29 the people are instructed to eat and drink their tithe, or use it to buy food and drink for a feast. Every three years the tithe would be given to support the priests and their families.
First, a yearly tithe for the Levitical priesthood (Numbers 18:20-24). Second, the Levites’ own tithe, which first went to Aaron the high priest (Numbers 18:25-30) and later to the temple of Israel (Nehemiah 10:38). Third, there was a yearly tithe that was eaten in God’s presence at the dwelling place of His name. This tithe could be converted to money and the money spent on making merry, even on “strong drink” (Deut 14: 23-26). Fourth, there was a tithe once every three years (Deut 14:28-29) which the Israelites deposited in their own towns to feed the Levite, the alien, the orphan and the widow. The typical Israelite contributed about 23% of their income to “tithing”, but then they “partied away” one of those tithes.
(Thanks to Wes Shepherd for this summary.)
New Testament Principles
Tithing isn’t listed anywhere in the New Testament as a requirement for followers of Jesus. There are cases of people selling homes and sharing the proceeds with the poor. There are cases of people being challenged on issues of integrity (Annanias and Sapphira). And there are cases in which people are encouraged to be generous with one another, sharing resources for the sake of the needy.
Recent Blog Posts on Tithing
Will Wallace at Will… of God, has posted his thoughts on Jesus being our tithe. Quietning at My BathTub writes about Paul’s recommendation that each person give ‘in keeping with his income’.
What would you say?
my new tithing question is “how does the congregation tithe?”
i’ve been looking at my sister’s church lately who is going to build a $4million building. I wondered what would happen if we challenged to tithe 10% to a new church or church plant elsewhere
Or challenge a church that’s currently dying to think about honouring the tradition that planted their church and tithe to a church plant…
Don’t start me on stewardship, that’s another long and loud rant…
The key issue is that the New Testament does not teach tithing as a requirement for believers.
The reason for tithing to the Levites under the law was that they did not get a share in the promised land…..this cannot be paralleled to the modern church.
The New Testament church is encouraged to be generous to the needs of the poor…..and to support of itinerant ministers….apostles being ‘sent out ones’. Paul emphatically commands all others to follow his example of being self supporting…and even commands people to keep away from those who will not provide for themselves …. 2 Thes 3:6-10
So we are left in the realm of ‘free will giving’…..and that only comes when the hearts of the of God’s children are drawn in passion to participate with what the local assembly is doing. Are people being helped?…Is the Spirit of God touching people and changing lives?
Just as blood cannot be obtained from stones neither can financial support be extracted from people who are not passionate about what God is doing in their lives