One of our priests gave an excellent homily today about the responsibility to tithe faithfully to the church. One point in particular he made stuck out in my mind. Last week, the dome in our cathedral sprung a leak, resulting in one of the canvas icon panels peeling away from the surface. Father said it's going to cost us something to repair the icon panel and the roof, but he's confident we'll pull together as a parish and get it done. But he said that while it's right to want to dig deeper to help the church with this special expense, it's wrong to have the attitude that you'll cheerfully help pay for this big project, while ignoring your duty to shoulder your share of the burden in the boring, everyday expenses of keeping our parish running.
He likened this defective attitude to the sort of person who only prays to God when he has a big need. If we're not the kind of believer who prays faithfully and regularly whether we have a particular need or not, we're approaching prayer the wrong way. I tell you, that hit home for me. I've been praying lately over a particular issue, and it feels as if I were trying to run a marathon while being out of shape. That is, I can tell now what falling out of the habit of regular prayer in the past couple of months has done to me now that I have a serious prayer need.
Anyway, I thought Father's point likening the spirit and discipline in which we tithe to support our parish to the spirit and discipline of prayer was a good one. Father said that the tithing rule is "10 percent off the top, the first fruits." That surprised me, frankly; I had thought the rule was 10 percent of net, after taxes. What tithing rule do you observe, or does your congregation observe? If you are part of a Jewish, Muslim or other non-Christian congregation, what is the general giving rule you and your assembly observes, if any?
I think with shame of the times I've felt kind of stingy about putting the weekly check in the offering basket, but then instantly recalled how freely and cheerfully I've spent money on luxuries.
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Are there any dependable statistics to back up claims like that?
Not all charitable donations are created equal. Giving money to Harvard isn't really comparable to helping homeless people or making sure kids don't go hungry.
"For those of us single adults with a normal lower-middle income who don't have a anything other than charitable donations/tithes, we don't get to itemize."
That's not true. I'm in that boat and I have itemized every single year. Maybe it has to do with the amount of the donations?
"I suspect that if we could grasp just how much Jesus would like to see us sacrifice on behalf of others, and how self-indulgent we are in light of what could be accomplished if we were genuinely broken hearted for the poor and sincerely generous, most of us (myself included) would be utterly ashamed."
Here I go, so lookout:
JESUS WOULD BE PRAISING YOUR CHARITY FOR GIVING UP DAMN NEAR 50% OF ALL YOU EARN TO THE WELFARE STATE AND TO CHURCH CHARITIES COMBINED. HE COULDN'T HAVE EVER IMAGINED A SYSTEM UNDER WHICH PEOPLE GIVE UP THAT MUCH OF THEIR EARNINGS FOR SOCIAL WELLNESS GOALS. YOU ARE ALREADY OUTGIVING ANYTHING GOD EVER ASKED OF ANY SOCIETY.
Sorry I had to yell like that, but you just can't get through sometimes. C'mon people, use your heads here.
Did the early Christian church tithe?
"And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own; but all things were common property to them. ...For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales, and lay them at the apostles feet; and they would be distributed to each, as had need. (Acts 4:32, 34-37)
"But a certain man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife's full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it as the apostles' feet." (Acts 5:1-2)
Things do not turn out well for Ananias and Sapphira after this. Look it up. :o) (And yeah, I know they were convicted because of their *lie*, but why did they feel the need to lie? Presumably because keeping some money for their own private use was not O.K. by the community's standards.)
I don't quote these verses to be self-righteous. Believe me, they are as convicting of me as of anyone -- probably more so than for most people who have posted thus far. My husband and I have used our moderate income as an excuse for not giving more than we do to our Meeting and charity. We currently give less than 10%, and do not generally owe federal taxes. We do not live luxuriously by U.S. standards, but we also do not stretch to the point of having a felt need to rely on God, as others have talked about doing.)
My point in quoting this scripture is only to point out that whether we tithe or not, we modern Americans are a long, long way from what the early Church considered ideal, and not just in our giving. Ironically this is due to our wealth and comfort. (The camel and needle thing.) We really have no cause to gripe about taxes, the burden of maintaining our multi-room homes, our numerous vehicles, our closets full of clothes, or our full pantries. Not as an excuse for not contributing to our faith communities and those in need, at any rate. By world standards, even those of us who live modestly are wealthy beyond anything we deserve. I'm not suggesting that we live like the poor of the world -- I don't believe God asks that of us -- but I do believe that God asks us to have a humility about whatever wealth we do possess, and to share that wealth generously.
As I said, I'm preaching to myself as much as anyone. This topic bears more prayerful consideration on my part.
James October 19, 2009 11:55 PM is correct. Look at what the Biblical tithe(s) was/were for. Look at what you pay in taxes today. To import the Biblical tithing system and impose it on Christian church members is not only anachronistic and contrary to the practice we see in the New Testament, but bone-headed as well.
Jewish synagogues don't have anything like the Levitical priesthood and Temple cult today. Christian churches certainly don't. And those that still have "priests" who offer sacrifices don't have 1 priest for every 11 church members such that the members have to kick in 10% of their income to pay for their livelihood.
But if it makes you feel (self)righteous....
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