Free Republic

At a time when some voters are asking how the religious views of candidates will shape their policies, a professor’s discovery of how little tax the biggest landowners in her state paid to finance the government has prompted some other legal scholars to scour religious texts to explore the moral basis of tax and spending policies. The professor, Susan Pace Hamill, is an expert at tax avoidance for small businesses and teaches at the University of Alabama Law School. She also holds a degree in divinity from a conservative evangelical seminary, where her master’s thesis explored how Alabama’s tax-and-spend policies...

A small book on how to lead a more generous life by pastor Brian Kluth is something of a "publishing miracle" that is being ordered by churches and denominations across the United States and around the world. "A 40-day Spiritual Journey to a More Generous Life" has 100,000 copies in print in nine months. One publisher, David Neff of Christianity Today, said "anytime you get 100,000 copies of any book into the churches, you're making some impact. Doing so in a 9-month period is spectacular." Hundreds of churches are ordering copies for every family. Denominations are sending copies to every...

"I'm so angry now I can't control my car when I'm on the road. I was so angry a couple of years ago I almost drove my car off the road. I was suicidal, and I'm figuring this is getting to the point now where I cannot manage myself because I'm working so hard and the prosperity hasn't come in that these pastors said, 'Oh, you're going to outgive God, and God is going to give back to you.'" When the promised divine intervention didn't materialize, she turned back to the church. But when she called Thomas in March 2001,...

Should Christians tithe? Recently, I was asked about tithing. Being like most Americans, I don’t tithe regularly. It’s not that I think I shouldn’t, it has more to do with my current debt. I’ve always felt that tithing would be a great thing to be able to do, but sadly, I have never been able to do it on a consistent basis. So, I decided to do a more thorough Biblical study on tithing, so that I could give an answer consistent with what God wants. What I discovered surprised me, so I decided to post what I found to...

Tithe and offerings MARK 12:42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. 43 And he called [unto him] his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: 44 For all [they] did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, [even] all her living. Tithe means ten percent but as Christians we need to do more than ten percent. Jesus wants all...

Televangelist Gene Scott Dies at Age 75 LOS ANGELES (AP) - Gene Scott, the shaggy-haired, cigar-smoking televangelist whose eccentric religious broadcasts were beamed around the world, has died, a family spokesman said. He was 75. Scott died Monday after suffering a stroke, said the spokesman, Robert Emmers. The longtime pastor of Los Angeles University Cathedral began hosting a nightly television broadcast of Bible teaching in the mid-1970s.

The Tithe: Land Rent to God John Kelly In the twenty-fifth chapter of Leviticus, God, speaking of the land he promised to the Israelites, announced a principle, which became the central economic statement of the Old Testament. The “milk and honey” that characterized descriptions of the land’s potential flowed from it. It reads: "Land will not be sold absolutely, For the land belongs to ME, And you are only strangers and guests of mine." —Leviticus 25:23 This quote is the basis for a comprehensive set of macroeconomic laws that set up the new nation of Israel. While these laws were...

Jean and Jim Darrell are a Los Angeles couple of modest means who live frugally by necessity. He works part time for an internist, doing office work, and she augments the family income by house-sitting and taking care of a friend's pets. They drive a 1989 Mazda and seldom go out to eat. Yet they've been giving one-tenth of their gross income to their church for the past 20 years -- even when Jim Darrell was laid off.

At St. Cecilia Cathedral, the Rev. Damien Cook receives a collection envelope from 20-month-old Sadie Kirschenman. And, she said, unlike her hometown priest, "it isn't the only thing he talks about." Still, Kirschenman said, she has mixed emotions when Hunke begins a homily about money at St. Cecilia Cathedral in Omaha. "There's some guilt that you don't do enough," she said. "And yet you don't want to hear about it." Kirschenman isn't alone. According to a recent Lutheran Brotherhood survey, half of Christians think that money and material possessions should not be discussed in church. Pastors also shy away from...

Various studies conducted by Barna during 2002 pointed out how much Americans identified faith as a key factor in their life. Large majorities claimed that their "religious faith is very important" in their life and described themselves as "deeply spiritual." Yet, those same studies revealed that less than half of the people who describe themselves as Christian also described themselves as "absolutely committed to the Christian faith." Less than one out of every ten regular attenders of Christian churches give 10% or more of their income - a "tithe" - to their church. A majority of teenagers attend a Christian...

Does the Bible teach that Christians are required to tithe to the Church?By Brian Knowles      The practice of tithing is common in Christian Churches. It has been since the Roman Catholic Church first declared it compulsory for Catholics and Jews many centuries ago (though most do not practice it today). The issue here is not whether Christians may of their own free will tithe – of course they may. A Christian is free to give any amount he or she wishes to the Church, to the poor, or to anyone else for that matter. But voluntary tithing is...

Click here for printable version of storyE-mail this article to a friend Record highWest Virginia contractor wins largest single lottery jackpotThursday December 26, 2002 By Gavin McCormickThe Associated Press A 55-year-old West Virginia water and sewer contractor has won the $314.9 million Powerball jackpot, the largest single lottery jackpot in history.Andrew Jackson Whittaker Jr. received a $10 million advance check from Gov. Bob Wise Thursday at a news conference. The balance of Whittaker's $314.9 million won't be presented for another two weeks.Whittaker said he originally thought he had lost the jackpot because the numbers came up wrong on the televised...

There are a number of "churches" represented out there. What are your thoughts on this: it's not a "denominationally bound" question. It applies to all groups. 1. How to withhold money? First, the larger the group withholding, the better. Second, if you just give it to some other church agency or group from your denomination, the leadership will just funnel that money to the general fund. To truly withhold you need to either put the money in some personal escrow account or spend it for God according to your understanding of His interests. Notice that this is not a recommendation...