Comments on: Rich Christians and World Poverty. How much should we give?

By: LA

LA — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 12:19:33 +0000

Take a look at Kiva if you're interested in micro-economic loans -they're doing amazing things!

By: Anita Mathias

Anita Mathias — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 10:49:02 +0000

LA, Wow, Threads of Hope sounds amazing.
I guess the Bible suggested 10 percent of income (produced by time and talent) out of mercy to the Old Testament Jews who would otherwise get themselves tangled up in one more layer of legalism and hand-wringing. So giving money produced through time and talent is another way of giving these?

As I said, I taught Bible studies as my service to the church when I was establishing our business, and plowing most spare cash into it.

I am currently trying to “tithe” my time—spend a tenth of my time on the things of God. I’ve taken a personal two year commitment—and I can tell you it’s very, very difficult!! ☺

By: Anita Mathias

Anita Mathias — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 10:46:22 +0000

Thanks, Trevor. I had never thought of it as unjust because a flat sum (like a poll tax) would seem more unjust for the poor. If anything the requirement that those who made more (by sacrifice and hard work) should have to give more seems unjust (if they were unhappy about having to give, in the first place).

Do you think the tithe was the basis of the income-based taxation of most economic systems?

It’s no longer a requirement to New Testament Christians, but I wonder if Christians could significantly dent world poverty if we directed our tithe towards the majority world.

By: LA

LA — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 06:16:19 +0000

Tithing...I love what you said about tithing to inwardly focused churches...love, love that distinction. We have several in this area that fall under that category.

I am involved in a charity that I think is an excellent model for not just feeding the poor, but actual development - a Micro-Economic Development Project called Threads of Hope Textiles. I like this model because rather than just feeding, we're giving them an opportunity to feed themselves AND even more importantly, the whole community. Ladies and their families in Peru make these incredible textile art pieces which we sell stateside. 92% of the money goes directly to the artisans. And what we pay them goes out into the community putting money into their local economy. It flows throughout the community breathing life into the whole community, not just food to a few tables. The money creates jobs and opportunities for others and the effect is palpable.

I would ask if you consider time and talent to be included in your Rogation? As a geek and type A personality, I often give considerable amounts of my time and talents to the church. That is valuable and I believe should be considered in the equation.

Another pet peeve I have about tithing is the heinous (IMHO) act of publicizing the donors. Our church actually put up what I affectionately referred to as The Wall of Guilt...it contained the names of everyone who pledged (and how much) in order to guilt everyone else into pledging. It lasted 2 weeks when a number of us demanded it be pulled down. "Thank God I'm not like THAT man" is the passage that first came to mind :)

By: Trevor Saxby

Trevor Saxby — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 11:35:11 +0000

Have you read Stuart Murray's "Beyond Tithing"? He shows, among other things, the inherent injustice of the tithe. To someone earning £40k a year, 10% will hardly be noticed. The rich can preen themselves because they tithe, but they're still rich by the standards of Jesus and the Apostle James.

Stuart told me, by the way, that although a lot of people didn't like what he wrote, nobody has set out to refute it.

By: Anita Mathias

Anita Mathias — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 22:30:49 +0000

Hi James,
I grew up in India, which might be why the wealth of successful Western churches strikes me as obscene in a world of crushing poverty.
Our churches will do just fine if we include some of the Old Testament categories of the needy in our giving--aliens, and orphans among them.
We've always split our giving between our local church and organisations such as World Vision, Compassion and Christian Aid which work in the majority world.
And welcome to my blog, James!

By: James Espie

James Espie — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 21:47:37 +0000

You make a really good point about giving "beyond the church" - I think a lot of people (myself included) don't consider this!

Nice work!

By: Anita Mathias

Anita Mathias — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 21:28:13 +0000

Thanks so much, Susan!! God bless!

By: Susan McKenzie

Susan McKenzie — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 16:36:43 +0000

This is the BEST teaching on tithing I have ever heard!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!