What does tithing mean today?
Most people tithe because they believe it is the right thing to do. They believe that they are to give 10 percent of their income back to God. Is there a problem with this?
I believe there is. The attitude towards tithing is very legalistic. I have to give 10 percent of my money. People don’t have to do anything except eat and sleep. They should voluntarily give ten percent of their earnings. Tithing should be a joyous experience.
My parents expected me give 10 percent of my allowance to the church when I was growing up. I obeyed them and did so, but very reluctantly. i did not want to give up my money when I had no idea where it was going. I remember asking my dad at a very young age:
“Where does my money go that I tithe to the church?” my dad replied,
“Well, most of it goes to support the church, the pastoral team, missionaries, and what’s left over goes to the poor.” I asked him,
“How much of it goes to the poor” and he told me,
“Not very much.” so I told him,
“I want all of my money to go to the poor.”
It fascinates me that the purpose of tithing is still an interesting subject to me today. I think most churches use their funds to expand their church size, to pay their leaders (average pastor salary in US is 60 grand), and various ‘evangelization’ efforts.
whatever’s left goes to the poor.
I do not think this is the way God intended for us to tithe. I think tithing should look more like Deuteronomy 14:28-29:
28 “At the end of every third year you shall bring out the tithe of your produce of that year and store it up within your gates. 29 And the Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates, may come and eat and be satisfied, that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.
If we are a community of faith and we live together and share our wealth, and work cooperatively towards Kingdom building as in Acts 2,
45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.
there would be plenty left over for us to share with, which would be a step towards feeding the hungry. Our modern society is geared towards individualism, the family, and doing what you need to do to provide for the family. This does not allow for sharing our possessions. Instead we all have a bunch of stuff we don’t need and it just so happens that our neighbors have the same junk.
Tithing goes against the grains of what we learn from society. I think this is why it is so difficult. Tithing does not necessarily have to mean giving 10 percent of your income. In the old testament, people tithed by giving up their crops, their livestock, and their time. Today people give money, which mainly is not used for it’s original purpose.
Relational Tithe is a website where 100% of their tithe goes directly to meeting needs of people.
I think that’s pretty respectable.
