Get Religion has a post in response to a Wall Street Journal article entitled, “The Backlash Against Tithing”.
A few quotations from the WSJ article:
Can you put a price on faith? That is the question churchgoers are asking as the tradition of tithing—giving 10% of your income to the church—is increasingly challenged. Opponents of tithing say it is a misreading of the Bible, a practice created by man, not God. They say they should be free to donate whatever amount they choose, and they are arguing with pastors, writing letters and quitting congregations in protest. In response, some pastors have changed their teaching and rejected what has been a favored form of fund raising for decades.And here’s an interesting quotation from Professor Andreas Kostenberger:
He teaches that if you add up all taxes paid by the ancient Israelites, they exceed 10%, and that in the New Testament there’s no percentage rule. He says pastors perpetuate the 10% figure out of “pragmatism, tradition and ignorance, quite frankly.”I thought this commenter on the GR blog brings up an excellent point, “The real issue is resolved in Romans 12:1 where it is made clear that God will settle for nothing less than 100%.”
So, how much do you tithe? Have you ever attended a church that demanded its members tithe? How do respond to pastors like Rev. John C. Hagee who teaches, “If you obey God and you tithe, God will return it to you 30, 60, 100 fold?”
