Oh man. When a friend suggested we ask Facebook friends what to do when a pastor or staff-member is not tithing–and not even giving anything to the Lord’s work–I went with it. And the fur flew, far more than I expected. Answers ranged from “Terminate the guy, immediately” (a large contingent said that) to “Tithe? That’s Old Testament law and has no place for New Testament believers!” to “Who are you to judge?” They argued back and forth, and some became rather unChristian in their comments. Then, one group accused the other of Pharisaism and condemned the condemners.
Amazing how this issue arouses the dander of some otherwise reasonably minded people. Even so, ever the one to charge hell with a water pistol, I thought I’d take on the subject. Here goes….
First, I write as a tither. But it was hard getting started, I will admit.
Giving one-tenth of my income to the Lord was never taught in the churches I grew up in. As a college student I joined a Southern Baptist church where tithing seemed to be a pillar of the faith. One day, the minister of education approached to ask if I would give my tithing testimony. I stared at him blankly and said, “What is that?” First time I’d heard of this thing called “tithing.” He was aghast. But then, Ron Palmer had come from a longtime Southern Baptist family where tithing had been ingrained in him since childhood. It was new to me.
Learning to tithe was slow and hard.