TITHING? STILL REQUIRED?
A Couple of Articles from the Christian Post
Is Tithing an Iron-Clad Rule for Christians?
By Lillian Kwon , Christian Post Reporter
June 11, 2012|4:40 pm
The question remains for many Christians today: Does the Bible require believers to tithe (or give 10 percent of their income) just as God's followers did in the Old Testament?The short answer: yes and no, according to evangelical pastor J.D. Greear.
Pastor of The Summit Church in Durham, N.C., Greear has received many questions about whether or not tithing is biblical. The question, many times, goes back to "are we under law or under grace?"
Greear maintains that although "Jesus left us under NO PART of the law, not the tithe or anything else," the idea of giving 10 percent of all that God gives remains a "good guide."
"We are no longer under the theocratic nation state of Israel, but how God has set up his economy for His people has not changed," he wrote in a blog post. "The law was given to help people live in the shalom of God. That's what gives the law (principles like taking a Sabbath and the tithe) an enduring effect."
Tithing, he stressed, is not an "iron-clad rule" for Christians as it was for Israelites. At the same time, the Gospel calls for a higher level of response to God's laws, he argued.
"[T]he law said 'Don't murder;' yet, Jesus said the Gospel demanded we love our brother always and not hate him, not even our enemies," he wrote. "So, if the law says 'Give 10%,' what kind of generosity does the Gospel call for? Would it not be GREATER generosity than 10%, just as the other commands were also intensified in Christ?"
A report released last year on the "state of church giving through 2009" revealed that tithing among Protestants hit its lowest level in 41 years. Parishioners were only giving about 2.38 percent of their income to the church in 2009, down from 2.43 percent in 2008, according to the report by empty tomb, inc.
Also, a 2011 survey found that a majority of evangelical leaders do not believe the Bible requires tithing. The National Association of Evangelicals survey revealed that 58 percent do not believe tithing is required while 42 percent do.
Nevertheless, most of the NAE leaders said they give at least 10 percent of their income and maintained that Christians should give out of generosity.
Pete Wilson, senior pastor of Cross Point Church in Nashville, holds a similar view.
"If you ask me if you should tithe I would say. Probably not. I think you should actually be giving a larger proportion of your income away," he stated in a May blog post.
"The grace of Jesus Christ should compel us to give more than the law ever required!"
In the same way, Greear believes that for "Gospel-touched people, tithing should never be the ceiling of their giving, but it should be the floor."
And Christians should set aside that "tithe" first rather than last after other expenses. For him, the principle of "firstfruits" also means tithing pre-tax.
"[M]ost of us, even those with more than we need, will almost always feel like we can't 'afford the 10%.' I never get to the end of my month with 10% of my income just laying around. That's why I think the principle of firstfruits is so crucial to living under God," he wrote. "Firstfruits should go to God, 10% is a great place to start."
Recognizing that his arguments on tithing could come off as "self-serving" and "manipulative," considering his role as a pastor, Greear urged those who are suspicious to give their tithe somewhere else.
"[I]f this bothers you, we don't need your money. Give it somewhere else, but I want you to experience the joy of obedience and faith in this area," he stressed.
In response to a reader who maintained that tithing ended at the cross and who further rejected the argument that those who don't tithe are robbing God, Greear made one thing clear: "God doesn't need our money or our worship or our commitment or anything else."
"The church service is entirely about what God has given to us in Christ and how we freely respond to that out of our worship and sacrifice and money," he stated. "God doesn't need anythign (sic) that is offered in worship. We are the needy ones. So, our giving is to God, but in response to what God has done, and used to propagate even more of what God is giving to us."
The Summit Church pastor gives more than 10 percent of his income to the church. While he and his wife started at 10 percent, he said they have yearly increased the percentage of what they give and now give "way above the tithe to our church, and then beyond that" to other ministries.
June 11, 2012|4:40 pm
The question remains for many Christians today: Does the Bible require believers to tithe (or give 10 percent of their income) just as God's followers did in the Old Testament?The short answer: yes and no, according to evangelical pastor J.D. Greear.
Pastor of The Summit Church in Durham, N.C., Greear has received many questions about whether or not tithing is biblical. The question, many times, goes back to "are we under law or under grace?"
Greear maintains that although "Jesus left us under NO PART of the law, not the tithe or anything else," the idea of giving 10 percent of all that God gives remains a "good guide."
"We are no longer under the theocratic nation state of Israel, but how God has set up his economy for His people has not changed," he wrote in a blog post. "The law was given to help people live in the shalom of God. That's what gives the law (principles like taking a Sabbath and the tithe) an enduring effect."
Tithing, he stressed, is not an "iron-clad rule" for Christians as it was for Israelites. At the same time, the Gospel calls for a higher level of response to God's laws, he argued.
"[T]he law said 'Don't murder;' yet, Jesus said the Gospel demanded we love our brother always and not hate him, not even our enemies," he wrote. "So, if the law says 'Give 10%,' what kind of generosity does the Gospel call for? Would it not be GREATER generosity than 10%, just as the other commands were also intensified in Christ?"
A report released last year on the "state of church giving through 2009" revealed that tithing among Protestants hit its lowest level in 41 years. Parishioners were only giving about 2.38 percent of their income to the church in 2009, down from 2.43 percent in 2008, according to the report by empty tomb, inc.
Also, a 2011 survey found that a majority of evangelical leaders do not believe the Bible requires tithing. The National Association of Evangelicals survey revealed that 58 percent do not believe tithing is required while 42 percent do.
Nevertheless, most of the NAE leaders said they give at least 10 percent of their income and maintained that Christians should give out of generosity.
Pete Wilson, senior pastor of Cross Point Church in Nashville, holds a similar view.
"If you ask me if you should tithe I would say. Probably not. I think you should actually be giving a larger proportion of your income away," he stated in a May blog post.
"The grace of Jesus Christ should compel us to give more than the law ever required!"
In the same way, Greear believes that for "Gospel-touched people, tithing should never be the ceiling of their giving, but it should be the floor."
And Christians should set aside that "tithe" first rather than last after other expenses. For him, the principle of "firstfruits" also means tithing pre-tax.
"[M]ost of us, even those with more than we need, will almost always feel like we can't 'afford the 10%.' I never get to the end of my month with 10% of my income just laying around. That's why I think the principle of firstfruits is so crucial to living under God," he wrote. "Firstfruits should go to God, 10% is a great place to start."
Recognizing that his arguments on tithing could come off as "self-serving" and "manipulative," considering his role as a pastor, Greear urged those who are suspicious to give their tithe somewhere else.
"[I]f this bothers you, we don't need your money. Give it somewhere else, but I want you to experience the joy of obedience and faith in this area," he stressed.
In response to a reader who maintained that tithing ended at the cross and who further rejected the argument that those who don't tithe are robbing God, Greear made one thing clear: "God doesn't need our money or our worship or our commitment or anything else."
"The church service is entirely about what God has given to us in Christ and how we freely respond to that out of our worship and sacrifice and money," he stated. "God doesn't need anythign (sic) that is offered in worship. We are the needy ones. So, our giving is to God, but in response to what God has done, and used to propagate even more of what God is giving to us."
The Summit Church pastor gives more than 10 percent of his income to the church. While he and his wife started at 10 percent, he said they have yearly increased the percentage of what they give and now give "way above the tithe to our church, and then beyond that" to other ministries.
Most Evangelical Leaders Say Tithe Not Required by Bible
By Michelle A. Vu , Christian Post Reporter
April 7, 2011|7:08 am
A majority of evangelical leaders believe that the Bible does not require Christians to tithe, according to a survey released by the National Association of Evangelicals on Wednesday.Fifty-eight percent of respondents (members of the NAE board of directors) said they do not think giving 10 percent of one's income to the church is mandated by the Bible, while 42 percent do.
Likely the wording of the survey explains why most of the respondents said offering tithe, a strong tradition among evangelical churches, is not a duty of believers.
Dr. John Walton, professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill., said he was not surprised by the survey finding after he looked at the wording of the question. He said the word "required" is the operative term.
"People who might have felt very strongly about tithing still would have said, 'Well no, but I'm not sure I would call it required,'" Walton explained to The Christian Post. "Back to the old [argument], are we under law or under grace."
Many of the NAE leaders noted in their response that although tithing is an Old Testament legal model, New Testament Christians should give out of generosity. The overwhelming majority, 95 percent, of respondents said they give at least 10 percent.
"Anything less seems like an ungenerous response to God," wrote David Neff, editor-in-chief of Christianity Today, in his response.
Dr. Kurt Fredrickson, director of the Doctor of Ministry Program at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, Calif., said the language he is increasingly hearing among pastors is whole life stewardship.
"It is about how do we give our whole selves to God, which includes money of course, but also our time and gifts," said Frederickson, who was a pastor for 24 years. "I like David Neff's comment ... there is certainly the sense that the way we spend our money says an awful lot about who we are as a person."
The Fuller professor pointed to John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, who gave away more of his income as he earned more and kept his living standard the same. He ended up giving away about 90 percent of his money and living on 10 percent.
Instead of thinking about strict obligation, Old Testament professor Walton also called on Christians to think about tithe in different terms.
"A stewardship worldview would include a sense of gratitude toward God as the source of our goods. If we are trying to express our gratitude toward God, I don't think our words are enough," said Walton.
Still, the 10 percent standard in the Old Testament can serve as a "benchmark," he added.
"My gratitude to God is unlimited so does that mean I need to give everything?" he posed. "What would be an appropriate expression of gratitude? And that is where the Old Testament information comes in. That God considered an appropriate expression to be a tithe."
He added, "Sort of like the benchmark for tips in a restaurant. It sets what the expectations are."
In contrast to nearly all the NAE leaders who said they tithed at least 10 percent, Empty Tomb, Inc., reported that evangelicals give churches only about four percent of their income. Among all Christians, the percentage is even lower – only 2.43 percent.
Douglas LeBlanc, author of Tithing: Test Me in This, commented, "What is maddening to me is if there were a more explicit command to tithe, I think there would still be folks who would say, 'We are not in bondage to the law after all.'
"American Christians in particular, I think, will never fail to find a way out of tithing if they are not interested."
NAE President Leith Anderson commented at the end of the survey that he hopes to see more "generous, proportionate, cheerful and sacrificial giving among American evangelicals" in the years to come as churches increasingly offer financial courses and teach on stewardship.
The NAE conducts a monthly Evangelical Leaders Survey among its board of directors, which include the CEOs of denominations, missions organizations, universities, publishers and churches.
By Michelle A. Vu , Christian Post Reporter
April 7, 2011|7:08 am
A majority of evangelical leaders believe that the Bible does not require Christians to tithe, according to a survey released by the National Association of Evangelicals on Wednesday.Fifty-eight percent of respondents (members of the NAE board of directors) said they do not think giving 10 percent of one's income to the church is mandated by the Bible, while 42 percent do.
Likely the wording of the survey explains why most of the respondents said offering tithe, a strong tradition among evangelical churches, is not a duty of believers.
Dr. John Walton, professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill., said he was not surprised by the survey finding after he looked at the wording of the question. He said the word "required" is the operative term.
"People who might have felt very strongly about tithing still would have said, 'Well no, but I'm not sure I would call it required,'" Walton explained to The Christian Post. "Back to the old [argument], are we under law or under grace."
Many of the NAE leaders noted in their response that although tithing is an Old Testament legal model, New Testament Christians should give out of generosity. The overwhelming majority, 95 percent, of respondents said they give at least 10 percent.
"Anything less seems like an ungenerous response to God," wrote David Neff, editor-in-chief of Christianity Today, in his response.
Dr. Kurt Fredrickson, director of the Doctor of Ministry Program at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, Calif., said the language he is increasingly hearing among pastors is whole life stewardship.
"It is about how do we give our whole selves to God, which includes money of course, but also our time and gifts," said Frederickson, who was a pastor for 24 years. "I like David Neff's comment ... there is certainly the sense that the way we spend our money says an awful lot about who we are as a person."
The Fuller professor pointed to John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, who gave away more of his income as he earned more and kept his living standard the same. He ended up giving away about 90 percent of his money and living on 10 percent.
Instead of thinking about strict obligation, Old Testament professor Walton also called on Christians to think about tithe in different terms.
"A stewardship worldview would include a sense of gratitude toward God as the source of our goods. If we are trying to express our gratitude toward God, I don't think our words are enough," said Walton.
Still, the 10 percent standard in the Old Testament can serve as a "benchmark," he added.
"My gratitude to God is unlimited so does that mean I need to give everything?" he posed. "What would be an appropriate expression of gratitude? And that is where the Old Testament information comes in. That God considered an appropriate expression to be a tithe."
He added, "Sort of like the benchmark for tips in a restaurant. It sets what the expectations are."
In contrast to nearly all the NAE leaders who said they tithed at least 10 percent, Empty Tomb, Inc., reported that evangelicals give churches only about four percent of their income. Among all Christians, the percentage is even lower – only 2.43 percent.
Douglas LeBlanc, author of Tithing: Test Me in This, commented, "What is maddening to me is if there were a more explicit command to tithe, I think there would still be folks who would say, 'We are not in bondage to the law after all.'
"American Christians in particular, I think, will never fail to find a way out of tithing if they are not interested."
NAE President Leith Anderson commented at the end of the survey that he hopes to see more "generous, proportionate, cheerful and sacrificial giving among American evangelicals" in the years to come as churches increasingly offer financial courses and teach on stewardship.
The NAE conducts a monthly Evangelical Leaders Survey among its board of directors, which include the CEOs of denominations, missions organizations, universities, publishers and churches.