Uncovering False Teachings: The Tithe (Part Two)

False Teaching Three: Our tithes must go to our local church. Our offerings can go to the church or to a Christian charity of our choice (or put in the benevolent fund at church.)

Many churches teach some variation of this. For example, they may say it's okay to split your tithe, with part of it going to the local church and the rest going to other Christian endeavors; however, most teach that supporting your local church with your money (10%, usually) is part and parcel to what it means to be a "practicing member of the body of Christ." You may have heard sermons preached that lean heavily on the Malachi passage in Part One where the pastor claims that the phrase, "bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house," (Mal. 3:10a) means you must give first and foremost to your local church.

Again, since teachings on the tithe are false, so is this teaching. And, in fact, the collected tithes were sent to Jerusalem (where God would put His Name). Every 3rd year tithes were given in the locality where the tither lived. So, the concept of "we must give our tithes to our local church" is flawed on many levels.

And doesn't the entire concept of publicly placing a check or a wad of cash in an offering plate run directly contrary to Christ's teaching in Matthew 6:1-4?:

"Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

Even in this passage, Jesus is talking about giving to the needy, since that's the only form of giving He actually endorsed for His followers. But one must point out that, since we do not practice Judaism (and don't have to tithe), neither do we have to support the Judaic Temple or synagogues. And, no, the local Christian church is not the modern equivalent of the Temple or synagogues. If you read your New Testament carefully and study history, you'll find that the early Christians were not required to attend the Temple or synagogue services. That was part of Judaism, and Christians were a "new creation" (II Cor. 5:17). In fact, many of the new Christians of that day were Greeks and Romans and wouldn't have been allowed in the Temple or in the synagogues at all. And even though Jesus went and spoke in the synagogues first, He soon left there and met with people in homes, in the fields, and on hillsides, where all were welcome.

Recall that Jesus said, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days" (John 2:19). He was speaking literally of His body, but also (I believe) figuratively of the ekklesia--the body of believers who would come after Him as His representatives on earth who would soon also be filled with the Holy Spirit. Recall that later, in I Corinthians 12:27, we read: "Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it."

And consider the following teaching by Paul:  

"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit" (Ephesians 2:19-22).

We--those who trust in and follow Jesus Christ--are ourselves God's house! We do not need to "go to church" to meet God. We ARE the ekklesia. In fact, the phrase "go to church" isn't used anywhere in Scripture because it didn't make sense. There were no designated Christian meeting places. They met wherever they could (usually in small groups in someone's home), and when they met, there was no preacher and no single leader (at least, not once the body was flourishing, and not in the same style as we have today. I intend to write about this in a later post.). They all shared equally with every member of the body functioning and exercising their gifts. So, we need not "go to church" to meet with God. We can meet Him just as easily in our living rooms, on a walk in the park, while doing the dishes, in the midst of a funeral, sitting in a coffee shop with a friend, or even lying in bed with our spouses (perhaps with a toddler tucked between us). After all:

"...the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says: ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me?' says the Lord. 'Or where will my resting place be'" (Acts 7:48-49)?

If a house made of wood or stone can't contain God and clearly isn't even important to Him, why do we still feel like we have to go there to find Him? So, no, even our offerings need not go to feed a church organization (which will use the vast majority of the funds to pay for the cost of the building, salaries for the clergy, and their local programs.)

Consider the following church survey graphic by Rollie Dimos, Internal Audit Director for the AG National Leadership and Resource Center:

Biblically, 100% of the money we give should go to helping the needy and spreading the Gospel. However, Dimos reports that only 21% of the money the surveyed churches took in went to those causes--that is, if we assume the nebulous category called "Ministries & Support" means helping the poor. However, it is more likely that 12% is just more church-based programming. Nowhere does Dimos actually spell out that any of the funds went to helping "the poor, the alien, the orphan, or the widow." So, if a church is following this model, they may not give anything at all to truly needy people, whether those people are in their congregations or not.

One of the women who took my survey (When giving to "the Lord," where should the bulk of the money go? To the local church? Or to the needy?), claimed she preferred to give her money to the church so that they could figure out how to help the needy with it. That way she didn't have to do it herself. Really? Is this kind of sterile, superior separation between "us" and "them" biblical? Is it Christ-like? And what if your church doesn't do anything for the needy? Are you still okay with slapping a check in the plate and trusting them with it?

False Teaching Four: It's also important to give of my time and to be hospitable, but that is separate from my mandatory financial responsibilities to my church.

Since we have no mandatory responsibilities to the local church at all, this teaching misses the point entirely. It's not just "important" to give of our time and be hospitable, a Christlike, self-less, others-centered generosity of spirit should characterize the Christian life in every possible way. 

Consider how the following Old Testament and New Testament teachings about hospitality and generosity align with one another:

"If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and are unable to support themselves among you, help them as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continue to live among you. Do not take interest or any profit from them, but fear your God, so that they may continue to live among you. You must not lend them money at interest or sell them food at a profit" (Lev. 25:35-37).

"If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need" (Duet. 15:7-8).

"Blessed are those who have regard for the weak; the Lord delivers them in times of trouble. The Lord protects and preserves them—they are counted among the blessed in the land—he does not give them over to the desire of their foes. The Lord sustains them on their sickbed and restores them from their bed of illness" (Psalm 41:1-3).

"Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ" (Gal. 6:2).

"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life" (I Tim. 6:17-19).

"And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased" (Heb. 13:16).

"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you" (Luke 6:38).

"Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys" (Luke 12:33).

"Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses" (Prov. 28:27 and 37:26).

"Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice. Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes. They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor, their righteousness endures forever; their horn will be lifted high in honor" (Psalm 112:5-9).

False Teaching Five: Despite that this is mandatory, we must give our tithes and offerings with a good attitude, for "God loves a cheerful giver" (II Cor. 9:7). 

Though I don't want to say it's impossible to give a mandatory gift with a generous, cheerful heart, it certainly goes against human nature. I was raised to tithe and I never begrudged God of that 10%. After all, I believed it was all His, anyway (and the rest was mine, or so I thought, because this kind of flawed teaching begets many other flawed teachings), and in tithing I felt I was showing my gratitude. But, there was little joy in putting a check in an offering plate, seeing it whisked away to parts unknown, and never actually seeing it do any tangible good in the world. I bet I've paid a great many electric bills in my time, but how many single moms did I provide with shelter? How many babies were rescued from abortion? How many homeless men were given a meal? How many abused women found safety--because of what I gave? Probably not many. 

But I also remember a time when a friend confided to our MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group that she and her husband were struggling because their only car broke down and it was going to be $150 to fix it and they just didn't have that much in the bank. I secretly wrote her a check for $150 and slid it to her. Now THAT gift is one that I remember and rejoice over because I know it actually filled a real need. I got more joy from giving that measly $150 than I've ever gotten from putting thousands and thousands of dollars into an offering plate. And, my goodness! What joy would be mine today if all those thousands of dollars I spent on my right to sit in a pew and listen to a preacher had been instead spent on building a safe home for victims of intimate partner violence, or purchasing a mobile unit for the local pregnancy center, or helping a family adopt a handicapped baby, or... or... or....?


THIS POST IS CONTINUED HERE: Part One, Part Three.