Over the past two weeks as I have written several posts about tithing, several people have sent me articles about tithing, or linked to them in the comments. I wanted to remember where they all were, so am making a short list here.
- Frank Viola – He has a great section on tithing in his book, Pagan Christianity.
- Frank Chase – Tithing in the Present. A well-done PDF slideshow about tithing and some surrounding issues. Very thorough!
- Ray Meyhew – Embezzlement: The Corporate Sin of Contemporary Christianity? Well researched, well written, and quite eye-opening!
- George Potkonyak – The Truth about Tithing. The formatting and tone is a little odd, but the information is good.
- Robin Calamaio – No Tithe for the Christian. The author’s writing style seems a bit arrogant, but the information is helpful.
- Russ Kelly on Tithing
- Rough Hewn Ministries – Tithing
- Freed From Tithing, Free To Give by Joel Brueseke over at Grace Roots.
Do you know of any other helpful articles and studies about tithing? Include them below!
I want to say, I have really enjoyed this series on tithing, Jeremy. I plan to do a bit more study on my own because this has challenged so much of what I have been taught. Thanks!
Thanks Laurie! I’ve been challenged by it too as I have studied it more.
Hey Jeremy, you have done great on the posts involving ‘tithing’.
Here is a link to my website which has some other links to articles about this as well.
http://www.roughhewnministries.com/wordpressstuff/index.php/notes-and-articles/tithing/
David,
Thanks for the link! It is great. I added it.
Here’s one someone forwarded to me a year or two ago:
http://www.tithing-russkelly.com/
What does a pastor do who knows that tithing is not a Biblical requirement for Christians? However, his denomination teaches tithing. With the recession and loss of interest in many churches (such as his) that are not mega-churches, his church cannot afford to lose another $ in giving. He has a big mortgage on his house and two kids in college.
This describes a guy I know. It probably describes many pastors. Are they going to tell their church that the Bible doesn’t require Christians to tithe, or repeat the “party line” to guilt people into giving money to pay the church mortgage and their salary (which pays their personal mortgage)?
Also consider that the guy I know went to Bible college, trained to be a pastor, and has never had another job since he graduated from college. He doesn’t want to sell cars, insurance or real estate.
What is the probability that he and others like him are going to tell their church that the Bible doesn’t require them to tithe?
Teaching tithing, the role of “pastors”, the need for expensive church properties and paid church staffs, among other perceived “needs” of many modern-day churches have got the church into this mess, have they not?
Yes, Pastors who study this do get put in a bind about what to do….
Thanks for the Russ Kelly link, I added it.
I still wonder what I would do if I was a pastor and learned this stuff. Honestly, I probably would just ignore it.
This is one I really like – and also the one that caused a bit of a stir in the little fellowship I’m part of….sigh. 😉
Freed From Tithing, Free To Give by Joel Brueseke over at Grace Roots.
Jeannette,
Good memories. Good memories…
Thanks for the link. I added it.
I have not read your articles but I just tuned in and I’d like to make some comments. Mine are a little bit long though. I might have to write a book.
There is this idea that Christians inadvertently put out. It’s this… God really loves you but he wants the tithe and he will curse you if you don’t give it. That is not New Testament Christianity. That idea comes from Malachi, a book written under the Mosaic law. Consider what it say though. Starting in Mal 3:9 It starts off saying that you are under a curse… then in verse 10 it explains that you can get around the curse by tithing. That was the way, under the law. That was not the way before the Mosaic law, nor is it now.
Consider…
Abraham was not blessed for tithing. He was already blessed before he ever tithed. He was prosperous, he had military victory, and finally he had the spoken word of blessing by Melchizedek. Only after he had all the blessing did he tithe. So he was not blessed for tithing.
Jacob told God that he would tithe IF God blessed him first. Ex 28:20 and the blessing he asked for included Shalom (Peace). Shalom, to the Hebrews, included prosperity. So Jacob did not tithe to get blessed. He asked for the blessing first.
Even Israel under Moses was blessed first. Israel was not under the law when they left Egypt, not until they received it at Sinai. So what happened before they came under the law. They were loaded down with silver and gold BEFORE they ever had a chance to tithe. Ex 3:22
In the New Testament we give because we are already blessed, and those who know they are blessed give generously, many of them giving more than the tithe.
When you get rewarded for doing it, and punished for not doing it, and you are given a percentage number – that’s a law. We are not under the law. Our righteousness is in Christ, not in our own obedience, not even to the tithe.
Yes, write a book about money and tithing! It would be a good one!
Modern day Nadab’s, modern day Abihu’s, have turned God’s holy tithe into a ‘strange fire’, into something God never commanded