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Originally Posted by NeitherFirstnorLast
When people support the idea of tithing, they usually site a number of very specific verses to support their position. The verse they start with is (inevitably) Malachi 3:8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, 'How have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings." This, they say, is their Trump card. Not paying a tithe is robbing God.
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I have all the same questions ... and more. Glad you brought the subject up.
One minister we know feels tithing is our covenant with the Lord, and the source of all our blessing. Without our tithing, we cannot expect God to make good on any of his promises. Like a 4-legged stool, our Christian life is composed of prayer, the word, church and tithing. But tithing is just the base. Upon that base are the many kinds of offerings, missions, gifts to guest speakers, building funds, sowing seeds, pastor appreciation, special events, local fund raisers, sponsoring students, altar calls, healing needs, etc.
Eventually I came to the conclusion that I just could not afford to be a Christian any longer. Apparently, many others felt the same way, and they have left that church too.
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Personally, I have never been convinced of the validity of tithing for the church. Nothing in the New Testament even alludes to it. Apostle Paul had the greatest of opportunities in I Cor 16.1-2 and said nothing. Numerous other times, like II Cor 9, he spoke of giving as sowing and never mentioned tithing. Obviously he had opportunity, yet the Spirit never inspired it.
That minister likes to speak of "equal sacrifice" provided by tithing. That may have been true in ancient Israel, when tithing was akin to national taxation, but today there is no "equal sacrifice" when one makes $250K and another only $25K. One lives well, and the other lives on credit.
In my view, tithing often negates the responsibility of church leaders. The congregation should have a inner "Amen" concerning the financial affairs of her leaders. Why should our giving be so "legal" and demanded of, when the leaders have no such restrictions on their spending? Many of the ones who stress giving so much, are the very ones who love base gain. Leaders love to build their "empires" on the backs of God's people.