Tithe is too heavy for some people.

[Jesus_is_Saint]

I heard some pastors say that tithe is for the Jews and God, the OT covenant.
For NT christians, you give money with thankful heart, it is not a rule that you must give 10%.
To a widow with children, 10% is too much for her.

 

[Inkfingers]

Tithing is from a time when the Temple was a buidling and the priests a special caste.

In the New Covenant all in the body of Christ are both the temple and the priesthood, so the giving is not a tithe but in the living as Christ.

(2 Corinthians 9:7)

 

[pdudgeon]

I heard some pastors say that tithe is for the Jews and God, the OT covenant.
For NT christians, you give money with thankful heart, it is not a rule that you must give 10%.
To a widow with children, 10% is too much for her.

then you're listening to the wrong pastors.

in every case--whether single, married, or widdowed-- ALL that we receive is from God.
So for a pastor to say that someone doesn't receive enough to enable them to tithe is to directly criticize what God gives us, as well as to criticize their own church for not giving to those same widdows and orphins when they have a duty to do so from God.

 

[Paidiske]

Tithing is not binding on Christians. Contributing to the household of faith (not necessarily financially) is.

 

[pdudgeon]

Tithing is not binding on Christians. Contributing to the household of faith (not necessarily financially) is.

why?

 

[Paidiske]

Why, to which bit?

That tithing is not binding on Christians is demonstrated in Acts 15:19-20, where tithing is not mentioned as something from the law necessary for Christians. There is no mention anywhere in the New Testament of Christians paying tithes.

That contributing to the household of faith is a requirement of Christians is a much more complex picture, but you can look at the stuff Paul writes about each having gifts to contribute to the good of all and so on as a starting point.

 

[pdudgeon]

Why, to which bit?

That tithing is not binding on Christians is demonstrated in Acts 15:19-20, where tithing is not mentioned as something from the law necessary for Christians. There is no mention anywhere in the New Testament of Christians paying tithes.

That contributing to the household of faith is a requirement of Christians is a much more complex picture, but you can look at the stuff Paul writes about each having gifts to contribute to the good of all and so on as a starting point.

thank you. my question was concerning the first part of your answer--that tithing was not necessary because it was not mentioned in the New Testament.

 

[Paidiske]

Arguments from silence are always tricky, but I would not be keen to state that something is essential to Christians when Scripture does not say so.

Some Christians do tithe and I think we're free to do so, if we so choose, I just wouldn't require it.

 

[pdudgeon]

Tithing is from a time when the Temple was a buidling and the priests a special caste.

In the New Covenant all in the body of Christ are both the temple and the priesthood, so the giving is not a tithe but in the living as Christ.

(2 Corinthians 9:7)

a special cast who had no land to enable them to earn a living. instead their living came from the tenth that was supplied to the temple.
So if a church today has a full time pastor/priest whose living is derived from the church, then that church has a choice;
1. either ask for tithes, or
2. apportion out the required living to all it's parish families equally, irregardless of their family income. Of the two methods, the tithe is the fairer of the two.

 

[Paidiske]

There are other methods, though, pdudgeon. Everywhere I've worked has relied on free giving/donations (ie. no stipulated amount or percentage of income). The church has then adjusted its staffing according to what it can afford. (Which is how I've ended up working across two parishes this time around).

The other main method, of course, is to generate income in other ways. Run an opportunity shop, hire out the hall or other facilities, own other properties which generate rental income, (one church I know makes a lot of money for having a mobile phone tower in its steeple!). And so on.

 

[pdudgeon]

Arguments from silence are always tricky, but I would not be keen to state that something is essential to Christians when Scripture does not say so.

Some Christians do tithe and I think we're free to do so, if we so choose, I just wouldn't require it.

of course.
and i fully realize that for pastors talking about money always requires both balance, compasion, and faith on their part, just as it equally requires the same on the part of their listeners.
But when all realize that we're talking about giving to God,
and when they also take into account how generous He is to us for His own part,
it does become easier to carry the money with an open hand instead of with a closed fist.

 

[pdudgeon]

There are other methods, though, pdudgeon. Everywhere I've worked has relied on free giving/donations (ie. no stipulated amount or percentage of income). The church has then adjusted its staffing according to what it can afford. (Which is how I've ended up working across two parishes this time around).

The other main method, of course, is to generate income in other ways. Run an opportunity shop, hire out the hall or other facilities, own other properties which generate rental income, (one church I know makes a lot of money for having a mobile phone tower in its steeple!). And so on.

i agree that sometimes a reluctance on the part of a congregation to fully trust in God results in having to cut corners and other methods of finance.
that's a shame, but it does happen.

 

[Paidiske]

Well, I don't know that trust is always the issue. It can be, of course, but I'd hate to be too quick to throw that around when there are often other issues in play as well.

 

[RDKirk]

I heard some pastors say that tithe is for the Jews and God, the OT covenant.
For NT christians, you give money with thankful heart, it is not a rule that you must give 10%.
To a widow with children, 10% is too much for her.

Destitute widows were not supposed to tithe even under the OT. They received food during the tithe feast. The small change the widow gave that Jesus spoke of was not a tithe, it was an offering--and her ability to give it was based on the fact that the Law also prescribed that she be taken care of in various ways. The OT fully describes what the tithe was, and it was not a sacrifice (the tithe was absolutely not the first fruit sacrifice).

 

[RDKirk]

Arguments from silence are always tricky, but I would not be keen to state that something is essential to Christians when Scripture does not say so.

Some Christians do tithe and I think we're free to do so, if we so choose, I just wouldn't require it.

Ah, but there is no silence. There is plenty of information, particularly in 2 Corinthians 8, about Christian financial giving. Paul explicitly points to Exodus 16:18 as the OT model for Christian giving.

Remember, too, that during the time of the apostles, the Jews were still doing OT tithing in Jerusalem. In order for Christians to "tithe," they would have to be doing what the Jews were doing--because the OT thoroughly describes what tithing is.

If the early Christians were doing something they called "tithing" but it wasn't what the Jews were doing at the same time in Jerusalem, that would have called for some explicit explanation as to whey they weren't doing what the Jews were doing.

 

[Paidiske]

Financial giving, yes, but RDKirk, I can find no NT record of Christians tithing. If you can, please point me to it.

 

[RDKirk]

Financial giving, yes, but RDKirk, I can find no NT record of Christians tithing. If you can, please point me to it.

Please take another look at what I wrote.

 

[Paidiske]

I looked at it carefully; I don't see tithing in what you referenced.

I'm not being narky; if you understand this as tithing I'd genuinely like to understand why, but right now I'm not getting it.

 

[RDKirk]

I looked at it carefully; I don't see tithing in what you referenced.

I'm not being narky; if you understand this as tithing I'd genuinely like to understand why, but right now I'm not getting it.

That's the point...you didn't see tithing in what I referenced.

Nor, when Paul gave a detailed description of what Christian giving should be, do you see tithing in what he referenced either. Paul explicitly referenced Exodus 16:18, not Malachi 3.

My point in response to your post is that there is no "silence" with regard to Church giving. There is plenty of instruction...none of it about tithing.

 

[Paidiske]

Oh, I see what you mean! Sorry for the confusion, obviously time for me to head to bed.

Oh, by the way, I used your tagline - Citizen of Heaven, currently deployed to the US - to make a key point in a sermon the other day. It was well received. So thank you!