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This is not about how much to tithe but about our view of tithing.God has multiple purposes for instituting the tithe; including His Glory and His love for us. Deut 14 22:"You shall surely tithe ..." 23: "you shall eat in the presence of the Lord your God... in order that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always..." First notice that they ate their sacrifice; it was not a total give away. What does it mean to "fear the Lord"? It includes appreciate, revere, love. The following verses point this out. 24-25:"if the distance is so great...you...

A church congregation tired of sowing seeds and not being able to harvest anything have unleashed their wrath on their pastor who came to the church in a new range rover. The Ghanian pastor is said to have continuously asked his church congregation to give out tithe to receive more blessings. The church gave all they could but as days went by, their blessings showed no signs of knocking on their doors. The young pastor was nabbed while entering a government building compound with his wife seated at the passenger’s seat. The youth of his church pounced on the preacher...

In this file photo, a collection plate containing envelopes specifically for the victims of hurricane Katrina is passed during church service, at the Jersey Baptist Church in Pataskala, Ohio, Sunday Sept. 4, 2005. | (Photo: AP Images / Paul Vernon) One of the most toxic statements a church member or group of church members can make is, “We pay the bills at this church.” Not only is it unbiblical, it is clearly divisive. It creates an “us versus them” mentality in the church.Why is the statement so harmful? Here are five reasons. It makes giving more like paying country club...

Race and Tax Revenue So regarding the methodology, I first looked in several places to figure out how much each race paid in taxes, as the government doesn’t keep such statistics. However, there are statistics collected by the tax foundation showing how much each income bracket pays in taxes.

An Israeli rabbi who recently authored a book on charity has argued that the Bible actually calls on people to give 20 percent in charity rather than a 10 percent tithe. Shneor Cohen, a 27-year-old ordained rabbi, has argued that a commonly cited justification for giving 10 percent may actually be 20 percent. "Cohen, an ordained rabbi, said that the sages of the Talmud pointed to Deuteronomy 14:22, which states: 'Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year.' The verse is often cited as the biblical basis for tithing one's income," reported The...

Most people who attend church are used to seeing the offering plate passed around the pews. People donate what they can as a proud member of the congregation. But a Tampa woman told ABC Action News her church says she must pay more than $1,000 a year in donations or she wouldn't be considered a member. "People were really friendly there, and I really enjoyed being there," said Candace Petterson.

When David Lee Richardson wrote a book that essentially implied tithing is a rip-off, I guess he didn’t think the consequences all the way through. Especially since the church he held a leadership position in, was none other than the Dallas, Texas mega-church, The Potter’s House, founded by public figure Bishop T.D. Jakes. Now, after being stripped of his title and told that he and his family are no longer welcome at the church, Richardson has filed a lawsuit. The church has a congregational attendance rate of 17,000 and is home to familiar names like Sheryl Brady, Joby Brady, and...

Q: I am a graduate theology student, and in class we covered the reforms of the Council of Trent. I came across this passage from Chapter 12 of the Decree on Reformation of Session 25: “The holy synod therefore enjoins on all, of what rank and condition soever they be, to whom the payment of tithes belongs, that they henceforth pay in full the tithes, to which they are bound in law, to the cathedral church, or to what other churches… they are lawfully due. And they who either withhold them, or hinder them [from being paid], shall be excommunicated…”...

With the in-your-face display of greed and arrogance of the so-called pastors on the reality show Preachers of L.A., I began to wonder: when will black Christians wake up and say enough is enough?  Although there are some white pastors of mega-churches who have a net worth of almost triple their congregants as well, I want to focus on the plight of the black saints who sit under the ministry of black pastors (and some white pastors) Sunday after Sunday and continue to live paycheck to paycheck.After some years of attending mega-churches pastored by both black and white men and...

In America we treasure our religious freedom. The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution says that government will keep out of the religion business and guarantees religion will be practiced freely without interference by government. “The wall of separation” is revered. Have we misunderstood the meaning of the wall of separation? We all should be reminded that the First Amendment keeps government out of religion, but says nothing about keeping religion out of government. Under our Constitution, religious people and religious institutions are welcome in the halls of government. They are free to bring their religious convictions with them wherever...

My wife and I have traveled back and forth across the country the past year. It has given us the opportunity to visit a number of churches. We have felt the movement of the Holy Spirit in every service we have attended. That is, until recently, when he heard a message we found quite disturbing. It actually wasn’t the main topic of the pastor’s sermon. Rather, it was a sidebar at the end of his message. It concerned the church’s finances. He told the congregation that weekly collections had not met budget all year long. And he admonished church members...

When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, “Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?” He said, “Yes.” And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?” Peter said to Him, “From strangers.” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And...

Mitt Romney's newly released tax returns provide more than an accounting of the Republican presidential candidate's remarkable personal wealth. The documents also give a rare glimpse into tithing to the Mormon church by one its most prominent members. Romney reports he will give a total of $4.13 million to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints over two years as part of his overall charitable donations. The former Massachusetts governor reported income of about $43 million for the two years. Separately, over the past decade, Romney and his wife, Ann, have given more than $4.7 million to the denomination...

On his income taxes released today, we see that Romney gave $4 Million tithe donations to Mormon Church. Do Mormons help poor Americans with these donations? Do the Mormons have something similar to Catholic Charities, which helps thousands of Americans (both Catholic and non-Catholics) with basic life needs, medical help, childcare help, education help, etc. The main question is do Mormons use the $4 Million from Romney to ONLY advance the Mormon religion without helping the American poor. Does Romney even know or care what the Mormon Church does with his $4 Million donation? I think that is a fair...

A majority of evangelical leaders believe that the Bible does not require Christians to tithe, according to a survey released by the National Association of Evangelicals on Wednesday. Fifty-eight percent of respondents (members of the NAE board of directors) said they do not think giving 10 percent of one's income to the church is mandated by the Bible, while 42 percent do. Likely the wording of the survey explains why most of the respondents said offering tithe, a strong tradition among evangelical churches, is not a duty of believers. Dr. John Walton, professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College in...

The greatest con men in America are those in Ecclesia and in media that deliver a message that if you give them money ,you are" giving to God". They know that tithing is not in the New Testament and Biblical giving is in the context of the poor but the "professional " Christian has to convince you that he is God and you can give your hard earned money to him and it "like giving to God.". He will even tell you that if you :"plant a seed"( give him your money), God will send you a "hundred fold".( I...

Years before the nation's capital legalized same-sex marriage in March, one church in Washington, D.C., opened its doors to gay couples as part of its mission to establish an "inclusive body of Biblical believers." Pastors Christine and Dennis Wiley performed a 2007 commitment ceremony at their altar. That action split the historically black church, prompting half of the congregation to leave. Yvonne Moore not only left Covenant Baptist, where she had worshipped for nearly 40 years: she filed a lawsuit for her weekly tithes because, as she said, "They didn't respect the members enough to listen to us." Moore said...

The head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America reported that 40 positions may be cut as the denomination struggles financially. "These have been very painful days in this organization," ELCA Presiding Bishop the Rev. Mark S. Hanson told the Church Council Friday, according to the ELCA News Service. Lutherans are looking to reduce their 2010 budget by 10 percent due to decreased giving over the past 30 years, the economic downturn, and the decision by some congregations to withhold funding. Several congregations have decided to cut all funding to the ELCA following the controversial vote in August by the...

Sunday Poll: Do you tithe? A Daily Poll.

The Tithe is Abolished! By Gary Amirault The tithe is a subject that is very dear to most church leaders. Those denominations that can get their members to actually bring in a full 10% of gross income can create very powerful forces far beyond their strength in numbers. The leading "tithing" sects according to an article in Christian Ministry, are interestingly what Evangelicals would term "cults." The Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and the World Wide Church of God are the leading givers. The fourth is the Assemblies of God. According to Newsweek, most church members give far less than 10%,...