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Tithe Charts
Tithe Charts, like the nifty one I found here are so insulting . . . maybe it’s just demeaning to my intelligence. Seriously, who can’t do the math in their head? If you have $100, all you have to do is move the decimals over 1 spot to the left. So, $100 now becomes $10. If you can’t figure out how to count 10%, I’d like to know if you were intelligent enough to complete a job application; because I can’t imagine you are earning a paycheck to tithe from in the first place.
A tithe chart is something I’d hand to an 8-year-old. People already call tithing the ‘training wheels of giving’, but strangely, we need a tithing chart to teach them how to use the training wheels. Kinda stupid if you ask me. I don’t think it’s that preachers think we’re stupid; I think it’s because they are desperate to influence how much you bring in.
Nobody wants you to pray or think about your giving. They just want you to do it. I’m not saying that we should make it difficult for people to give; but my goodness, training a group of people to be free thinkers in the Church is few-and-far-between. We seem desperate to have God’s children to be Spirit-led, and yet, we map out their giving with a tithe chart!
One of the most frequent quotes in tithing sermons is “the last thing to be baptized is the wallet”. Depending on your perception, you might think a baptized man kept his wallet out of the water, but I believe it’s because the pastor took it out of the man’s pocket.
Right before most people are baptized you will hear, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, Son, & Holy Spirit”. But, because of the fear and uncertainty of Spirit-led giving, the pastor snatches the wallet prior to dunking. For as long as the Holy Spirit stays away from your wallet, tithing maintains control over what you give.
Who do you think is most reluctant to baptize the wallet – the pastor or the giver?
Ed Young Scandal
So the wolf (aka – deceiver, serpent), Ed Young, takes some time to scam people in the middle of a service to fill a form out with their checking account and routing number and put it in the offering plate towards their tithe. If you don’t have time to watch the video I already pointed out the ridiculous, insane, abusive comments from this Ed Young scam.
Here’s what Ed Says,
– “Bringing your FIRST to God is all about the automatic withdrawal.”
– “We have security cameras” [to watch you].
– “How do you expect to show up here [in church] and expect a blessing? you are wasting your time and God’s time”
– “Over and above the tithe is generosity” (as if tithing is a duty, and you are not even considered generous until you reach this mark)
– “Christian Schools, Missionary organizations, a person who works in ministry is not the Church”. (I didn’t realize that the saints of God are not the Church)
– “Praying about tithing is really a dumb prayer. You don’t have to pray about tithing”
Thanks from FBC Jax Watchdog for posting this video.
UPDATE: Since Ed Young does not like to be exposed he has unlawfully had the vimeo video revoked. But here is a video on youtube that lawfully exposes Ed Young’s Scam
UPDATE TO THE UPDATE 3/3/2011:The original Vimeo video has been restored. Ed Young could not scam his way out of this one.
Tithing Statistics
Here is a short preface before I start diving into tithing statistics. God said in Leviticus 27:30 – “the seed of the land and the fruit of the tree is holy to the Lord”. The significance of this passage is that carpenters, lawyers, bankers, blacksmiths, etc. did not tithe on their occupational income. If they grew personal crops, or raised 10 or more animals then, yes, they had to tithe on their agrarian increase. Other than that, they didn’t tithe.
According to tithing statistics from the Barna Research Group, an average of 5% of Christians tithe in a 2008 study (1). Before you draw any conclusions – according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in 2000 only 1.9% of the employed labor force worked in agriculture anyway (2 or 3). This means if we were Israel in Leviticus 27, only 1.9% of our employed population would be required to tithe.
Considering today that 5% of the American workforce actually tithe but less than 2% are employed in the agrarian labor force, I’d say we’re tithing about 3% more than we’re supposed to. I understand that Israel was an agrarian society back then, but the amount of food grown per person has not decreased. If anything, I would imagine we consume and grow more food than any culture has in history.
I know that the amount farmers have decreased today, but this shouldn’t matter because the overall production (food needed per person) hasn’t decreased. Although it shouldn’t matter that the number of farmers have decreased, let’s follow this to the full conclusion for hoots and giggles. The US Department of Agriculture states that the agricultural GDP (Gross Domestic Product) accounts for only 0.7% of the total GDP (3). This means that US citizens are producing 99% of their wealth through other occupations as carpenters, bankers, lawyers, etc.
If we base our tithe on the amount of overall increase of food, then our tithing average should be less than 1%! If we were trying to mimic Israel’s tithe in the bible, we would be tithing 4% more from our GDP income than we should be. According to the USDA.gov we output $81,600,000,000 in agricultural goods in 2010 (4). If my math serves me correctly, 10% of that is 8.1 billion dollars.
What I’m trying to say with these tithing statistics is that the Church today is actually receiving a higher percentage to operate God’s ministry than Israel had been. Put simply, Israel’s ministry operated on 10% of their agricultural increase, but we operate on four times that amount!
Giving statistics state In 2008, over 100 billion went towards houses of worship (5). We need to start asking ourselves why the Church leaders cry out for more tithing from the pulpit when it seems that we should be capable of operating on 17 billion instead of over 100 billion.
What are your thoughts?
Crystal Cathedral Files for Bankruptcy
This story came to my attention from the Yahoo Tithing Study Group. You can read the story here on nbc.
Crystal Cathedral Ministries, an Orange County landmark and megachurch founded by television evangelist Robert H. Schuller, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Monday morning. . .
. . . The Cathedral, which has been a landmark and a tourist attraction with its glistening glass tower, is now faced with $55 million in debt because of the economy and dwindling contributions.
Nope. We don’t want to admit that it was stupid financial decisions, so we have created a straw man to beat up instead. It’s the economy’s fault, and it’s your fault because you are not giving what you used to.
. . . Church board member and Schuller’s son-in-law, Jim Penner, said Friday that the cathedral’s intention is to repay all vendors 100 percent.
At least they have good intentions. But then again you know how the saying goes – the path to heaven was paved with good intentions and crystal cathedrals.
Among the long-time vendors for the “Glory of Christmas” pageant still waiting to get paid are Oliver, who supplied camels, horses and sheep for the pageant; wardrobe manager Juliet Noriega; dry cleaner Bruce Johnson, who cleaned the actors’ costumes; props manager Sharon Crabtree, and Carin Galletta, whose public relations firm provided publicity for the pageant.
I’m sorry, but, um, next time let’s use props instead of real, live animals.
The 12 Step Program: Tithers Anonymous
Some of us might feel deep down in our hearts that tithing is not a command for us today, but the fear of consequences keeps us from letting go. Detaching our lives from tithing brings fear of spiritual death, curses from God, financial ruin, and ostracism; which are all signs of our unhealthy dependence. We are addicted to tithing like druggies are addicted to crack cocaine. If the consequences of not tithing is holding you back from freewill, Spirit-led giving, then this 12-step program is for you. We are going to layout a program to free the Church from the tithing addiction and onto a road of free giving led by the Holy Spirit.
Step 1: We admitted we were powerless over tithing—that our lives had become unmanageable.
Admission that tithing is a problem is the first step. If you cannot admit yet that tithing is unbiblical and that you are powerless on your own to stop tithing, then here are a few articles to get you started on finding the truth.
- Top Arguments for Tithing
- 10 Solid Arguments Against Tithing
- Top Reasons Why Tithing is Not Required
- If it Looks Like it & Acts Like it
Step 2: Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Our minds have been brainwashed that tithing is required for so long that it is inhumanly possible to reprogram our minds to respond correctly anymore. It will take prayer and intense research in biblical truth to transform our minds. There will be doubts and second-thoughts along the road of finding the truth, but eventually you will reach your destination, and you will be happier than ever. If you need help preparing yourself for the mental and spiritual battle about to talk please, read this article below.
Step 3: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
I would say that this is the first pro-active step you will be taking on your 12 step journey. The first two steps are admissions, but now you’ve taken a real step in a good direction. Making a decision to stop tithing after years of abusing, is not easy. We need to trust that God has something special for us in store.
This hope will carry us through our next 9 steps. Trust is never easy, but after admitting the truth about tithing in our lives we’ve gotta act on faith in order to do the right thing.
When i began my journey away from my tithing addiction, i had to practice a sort of blind faith. Although, i had scripture to support my change in heart, i still needed to place my life and my decision in God’s care. It was no longer my burden.
Step 4: Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
In this step, we will take an overall look into our spiritual life. This is neither about the technicalities, nor about tithing; this is about examining the condition of your heart. We must first admit to ourselves where we have found faults before we admit them to others.
If we locate the areas in our life that cause our minds and hearts to ignore the truth, then in the future it will be easier to uncover the false gospel. Maybe pride kept us from seeing the truth. Maybe it was fear. Whatever it was, make a note of it. The link to the article here will help you see the tactics some have used to mislead others.
Step 5: Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
I think this was one of the most difficult steps, but consequentially a step that indicates the most progress as well. As a male, admitting we’re wrong is not easy! Imagine the world if we enjoyed admitting our faults to others. I don’t mean that we enjoy our faults, but there’s something about public admission that releases a large burden off your back. It is so relieving!
Because tithing is the issue, we may have used biblical distortion or even greed. Many people use tithing as a magical potion to gain wealth. Even fear can be wrong. If we are fearing God in the wrong way, and that caused us to cling to tithing, then we must admit what led us astray.
It would seem that the burden on your back is being carried by others now. Psychologically, it is amazing how this works. Admitting our faults also encourages a form of accountability. Self awareness helps, but public awareness brings much more pressure to stay on track. There are slew of other benefits that step 5 brings to the table. Since we are more concerned with changing our life and less concerned about what others think about us; step #5 also means that we’ve proudly displayed how serious we are about our decision. Please read the link to my tithing testimony below to help you.
Step 6: Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Only you can answer for yourself if you are ready, but i would assume if you’ve gotten this far, you probably are.
Step 7: Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
We cannot remove our faults ourselves, so it is important to ask for help. Only God has the power to help us remove them. Trials and temptations will come in the future, but remember, this is to make you stronger. After my decision to stop tithing, i stumbled many times, but i got up after each incident. Now my faith in God to lead me in my finances and giving is stronger than it had ever been.
Step 8: Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
Put some effort into remembering the people you have hurt, or led astray with your teaching or beliefs on tithing. Analyze family, friends, and friends of friends. For some of us, it maybe hundreds, if not thousands of lives we have affected.
Step 9: Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Here’s the time to eat some humble pie. This step is necessary to not only help us heal, but to help others heal as well if they are struggling because of your wrong doings. I would consider this your first step at evangelizing the truth about tithing. Once others see your change in heart (although, they may not remember your fault), they will appreciate your testimony and begin to research the truth on their own.
People interpret scripture in so many different ways, so it may just be your change of heart that convinces them to see the truth. You can’t push people towards the truth, you must lead them, and they must follow.
Step 10: Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
Easier said than done – Keeping track of our actions, and categorizing them according to right and wrong. I’m not saying that everyone needs to keep a journal and record everything. But step #10 helps develop a habit to become self aware so we become more conscious about how our actions affect others. Our life is not about us; it’s about others.
The thing that was funny about tithing is that it was all about us. It was about avoiding the curse in our lives and making God happy about our works; but now this should all begin to change.
Step 11: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
The best way to prepare ourselves for the final step is to immerse yourself in God. You will need wisdom and power to begin the end of your 12 step journey. At this point, you are practically a fully recovered tithing addict, but walking with the power of God needs to become habitual. Continue to use what you have learned in the last 10 steps to carry you through. Also, learn to rely on God and others for accountability.
Quitting tithing was harder than actually tithing itself because of the level of responsibility freewill, spirit-led giving takes. Conscious contact with God will provide the necessary nutrients to maintain a healthy giving lifestyle.
Step 12: Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to tithe-aholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
The final step to recovery is really the beginning of another journey to help others recover from their tithing addiction. At the end of my 12 step journey in tithers anonymous, i decided to dedicate a website and eventually a blog to chronicle my research on tithing. You may wish to do something like this as well. Maybe there’s another way for you to help others recover from their tithing addiction. Whatever God lays on your heart is what you should pursue.
Although we are free from tithing, we are not released from the ability to give sacrificially, liberally, and cheerfully. We need the power of the Holy Spirit to train us how to give correctly. So this is another journey we are beginning as well.
Our Spirit-led giving must testify as an example that tithing is not necessary, nor is it biblical. The bible is full of clear direction on how we should perform Spirit led giving. Here are some links below to equip you on your Spirit led journey.
- How Spirit Led Giving Could Transform the Church
- Bible Verses on Spirit Led Giving
- How Were Offerings Used in the New Testament
Conclusion
Once you have completed the 12 step (stop tithing) program, go and be free, be sacrificial, be cheerful, and be liberal with the grace that God has given you. Freely you have received, so freely give.