More Nails in the Coffin of Tithing

By Patricia Backora
So whats wrong with church tithing? If I spent from now until Jesus
comes again citing all the reasons, I couldnt even begin. Those
reasons have names, all the millions of people tithing has brought into
spiritual bondage ever since the CAT!"IC C#$C first mandated it
in the earl% &iddle Ages. "ets start off with the minor problem of how
it distorts %our concept of 'od.
The Ultimate Identity Theft
If A e(uals ) and ) e(uals C, then A and C must be one and the same.
*ven a five+%ear+old ,id sees the logic in that, and thats the
impression made on %our subconscious when %ou hand some preacher
%our tithe, allegedl% on gods behalf.
-o wonder so man% Christians e(uate .god/ with the preacher without
full% reali0ing it1 TATS S#)C!-SCI!#S I2!"AT$3 A-2 ITS T*
4$*AC*$S 5A#"T 5!$ 5!ST*$I-' IT1 If %oure told to pa% .god/ ten
per cent of %our income and ushers deliver it to some pulpit preacher,
%our subconscious brain doesnt fail to ma,e the connection, though
%ou would -*6*$ admit it out loud, on pain of getting booted out b%
the ushers. If Im pa%ing '!2 m% tithe, then whoever gets m% tithe
and puts it in the ban, must be7ahem7'!21
!ver and over and over and over again preachers pound pulpits and
scream for churchgoers to .pa% 'od is tithe/, but guess whose
greed%, grasping hand is stuc, out? 4reachers rant and rave about
curses falling on those who .rob 'od/ a la &alachi 89:, but where does
the buc, end, in most cases? 2oes some angel swoop down from the
s,ies in an armored space truc, and haul those bulging velvet
mone%bags up to the Throne of 'od? !f course not1 3our hard+earned
cash ends up in the hands of the pastor, who deposits it in .the
churchs ban, account for ;T* "!$2S wor,/, and the )ig )oss in the
pulpit has the final sa% on how its spent.
<hich begs a (uestion9 <here, oh, where does 4aul ever authori0e an%
.pastor/ =the term is used onl% !-C* in the -T> to ta? 'ods people
and have the e?clusive sa% on how .'ods/ mone% is handled and
spent? 4aul !-"3 collected funds to meet specific emergencies,
although he strongl% hinted that it might be nice if people remembered
that he had the same right to eat that the other apostles did.
Giving Should Not Be a Religious Ritual
At least once 4aul held a fund drive to feed starving saints in
Jerusalem. *ven then, he instructed those who wanted to contribute to
set the mone% aside )*5!$* he arrived in their cit% and showed up at
their gathering. That wa% no plate would have to be passed around
the group when he came =I Cor.@A9@+8>, and no one would feel .on+
the+spot/ pressure to give Bust because 4aul was present. In the
original 4aul sa%s for people to set mone% aside .the first of the wee,/.
The word .da%/ in the CJ6 is italici0ed, meaning it was added b%
translators. 4aul could Bust as easil% have meant something li,e this9
.The first 4A$T of the wee,/. Suppose the laborers in the congregation
got paid at the end of each wee,. So the first part of the ne?t wee,,
before the% blew all their dough on stuff the% didnt need, the% could
set some aside to save for when 4aul came to town to collect the relief
fund.
Some interpret this to mean that *6*$3 first da% of the wee, is open
season on wage earners in the congregation, to fleece to the floc, of
'od. 4auls !-*+TI&* famine relief collection has been magicall%
transformed into a religious ceremon% which puts the screws on 'ods
people to cough up the cash each and ever% Sunda%. This goes against
the fact that Jesus -*6*$ passed offering buc,ets at his meetings, and
4aul taught people to give <IT!#T C!&4#"SI!- =D Cor.E9F>. If %our
pie+e%ed neighbors in the pews are staring holes through %ou
wondering what %oull do about the offering, %ou A$* giving under
compulsion out of fear of social censure1
Is God our andlord or our !ather"
!ne preacher reasoned that Christians owe .'od/ tithe &!-*3
=nowhere taught in scripture> on the same basis that a tenant farmer
who wor,s the land pa%s rent to whoever !<-S his harvest field. That
reflects a perverted view of the special relationship between 'od and
is redeemed children. Jesus plainl% said the children are free from
having to pa% ta?es to their own ,ingdom =&att.@F9DG+DA>. -ot to
mention the fact that ever%thing, and we ourselves, A"$*A23 belong
to 'od, not Bust ten per cent =I Cor.@H9DAI I Cor.A9@E, DH>. The sheer
implication of tithing ten per cent of %our income is that ninet% per
cent is %our own and 'od has no sa% in how its spent.
'od is m% eavenl% 5ather, not some mean landlord who brings the
sheriffs along to throw %ou out on the street if %ou dont cough up the
cash. I ,now what the worst landlords are li,e. .Sergeant 4or,/ was a
member of a church m% husband and I went to a long time ago. e
gave glowing testimonies about what 'od had done in his life. )ut he
dropped the chees% religious act once he stepped out the church door.
Sgt. 4or, was so mone%+hungr% he wouldnt even wait to ,noc, on our
door but would use his own ,e% to barge in and interrogate me about
his rent mone%, even though he ,new m% husband wasnt in. I dont
care if we werent rich li,e him. A"" 'ods children are e(uall% precious
to 'od and Jesus paid Bust as much for m% soul as he did for Sgt.
4or,s. I guess that mean man never read those portions of the boo,
of James which teach rich believers not to be proud, and e?hort
Christians to treat poor Christians with Bust as much courtes% as rich
ones. <hat if Sgt. 4or, had caught me stepping out of the shower
wrapped in a towel? <ould he have wanted some other man barging in
on IS wife, haranguing her about mone% and scrutini0ing her
housecleaning?
If 'od was li,e Sgt. 4or, Id want nothing to do with im1 Impl%ing
that 'od is a mone%+grubbing landlord s(uee0ing rent out of is own
blood+bought ,ids is an insult to im. Thats not much nicer than
comparing 'od to a &afia gangster who uses friendl% persuasion to
e?tort .protection mone%/ from poor street vendors1
Tithing Ro#s Poor $orkers
&onetar% tithing is a lie from the pits of hell, not taught in either
testament. Tithes were to be ta,en from the agricultural produce of
the "A-2 !5 IS$A*", period. And the% consisted of *2I)"* items li,e
fruit and cattle ="ev.DF98H+8J>. The poor peons who wor,ed the fields
-*6*$ paid .tithe mone%/ out of their own wages, or tithes of an%
,ind. Instead of cutting bac, on groceries so the% could afford to
tithe, the% helped *AT the tithe paid b% better+off farmers and
ranchers =2eut.@J9DD+DE>. *ver% third %ear the poor received A"" the
tithe =verse D:+DE>. Is this being done toda%, or is mone% being
e?torted from need% believers each and ever% wee, in these
whitewashed tombs called churches?
ow often do preachers encourage wor,ers to (uit the .harvest field of
their Bob/ and Bust live off the land ever% seventh and fiftieth %ear li,e
scripture commands ="ev.DG>? <hen hell free0es over1 Scripture+
twisting preachers would preach on the sin of slothfulness if Joe )low
out in the pulpit too, even a wee,s vacation. These sinister ministers
need a continual transfusion of mone%, li,e vampires need fresh blood.
It was the responsibilit% of the !<-*$ of the cornfield to pa% tithes,
not the landless farm laborer. 'od didnt want mone% from the
landowner, Bust the crops K cattle. -!T !-C* have I ever heard an%
.ordained/ preacher discuss 'ods $*A" tithing instructions in 2eut.
Chapter @J. This is the !-"3 conte?t in all of scripture where mone% is
mentioned in conBunction with tithing1 !nl% when the Israelites place
of worship was too far to transport the sheep, wheat, olive oil, fruit,
etc., were the% to turn it into mone%. And even then, the% didnt Bust
hand the "evites the tithe mone%. The worshippers used that mone%
to bu% goodies which the% themselves, along with the "evites, poor
widows and orphans in the land, would eat and drin,. <h% dont
preachers ever tell cash+strapped wage earners to obe% 'ods $*A"
instructions on what to do with their tithe and go bu% delicious foods
and alcoholic beverages with it for their !<- consumption
=2eut.@J9DA>? <hen don,e%s fl%1
-ow lets pic, apart even more of this .pa% ;'od rent on %our harvest
field/ snow Bob thats bur%ing so man% Christians under a dunghill of
unmerited guilt.
$hat if Peo%le Tithed on the !RUITS of their $ork%lace"
"ets sa% .)rother "en/ earns his living wor,ing at a pesticide plant. e
barel% ma,es minimum wage and survives on 5ood Stamps.
$emember, 'od demanded ten per cent of the 4$!2#C* !5 T* "A-2
="ev.DF98H>, not the fruit of the 5ederal &int. So even if )rother "en
outright !<-*2 his so+called harvest field =his wor,place>, the same
principle of 'od onl% wanting the actual produce of the land would
appl% here. )rother "en produces bug spra%, flea powder, tic, dip,
coc,roach motels, weed ,iller, and rat poison, and ten per cent of that
would need to be brought to the church house.
The preacher screams for poor )rother "en to bring in the fruits of his
labor, and sa%s onl% tithing will set %ou free to serve 'od as %ou ought.
The preacher thin,s the 5$#ITS of "ens labor is mone% but "en ,nows
he ma,es something else. $idiculous, isnt it? )rother "en *A$-S
mone% but he doesnt produce it li,e the land =source of the T$#*
)iblical tithe> produces the fruits of the field. e doesnt wor, at the
5ederal &int running a printing press.
)rother "en, bless his soul, barel% graduated grade school. es so
childli,e and trusting that he does Bust what the preacher sa%s. After
dar, "en crashes his pic,up truc, through the gates of the factor%,
then Bimmies a few loc,s to brea, into the warehouse. e tries to load
ten per cent of the factor%s stoc, into the truc, bed. "en hasnt even
loaded up two per cent of the rat poison before the securit% guard
comes off his brea, and arrests "en. <hen "en protests that hes onl%
pa%ing the "ord is tithe, the guard wont bu% it and calls the cops. So
guess where "en ends up? The state pen for grand larcen%1
!ne preacher said %ou can give to other good wor,s but %our tithe can
onl% be paid in church, same as if %ou would onl% pa% for %our
restaurant meal in the place where %oud eaten. )ut what did J*S#S
do after ed finished teaching the multitudes? -o mention of passing
the plate, onl% filling peoples plates with 5$** bread and fishes1 If
%oure tired of pa%ing some preacher to slop %ou with guilt trip
sermons wee, after wee,, then come eat at Jesus restaurant for 5$**
=&att.@H9:I Isa.GG9@> and let I& teach %ou =I John D9DF>.
Pay the Preacher or Go Some&here Chea%er
<h% dont preachers Bust spit it out? The%re paid professionals, same
as a doctor or law%er, so the% e?pect to be paid. $*'#"A$"31 If
churchgoers ma,e constant demands on a preachers time because no
one else in the church is .serving 'od/ there e?cept the floor sweeper,
it can stress the poor preacher out real bad having that ,ind of a load
dumped on his shoulders. 4A3 the poor gu%, for 4etes sa,e. Just put a
bo? at the bac, of the church and let people A-!-3&!#S"3 =&att.A98+
J> deposit mone% in it for him so %our overwor,ed pastor can go on
serving Christians round the cloc, seven da%s a wee,. !therwise he
might have to moonlight at 4i00a ut Bust so he can eat.
If %oure gonna be part of an institutional church, %ou probabl% have to
view it somewhat li,e eating a restaurant meal and having to pa%. An%
club will as, its members to pa% its dues, and for tithe+collecting
churches, that means a fi?ed fee of ten per cent of %our '$!SS
income, before %ou pa% #ncle Sam, the rent, utilities, car pa%ment,
school clothes for the ,ids =unless %oure a rich man and wont miss
it>. 5orget the .I get blessed there so its worth it/ e?cuse. 'od can
bless %ou A-3<*$* two or three are gathered in Jesus -ame, and
e doesnt charge admission. If %ou cant afford the fanc% fi?tures,
'! S!&*<*$* C*A4*$1 Its Bust as plain as the nose on %our face.
If %ou cant afford to dine at the $it0, grab a burger at &c2onalds1
The Rich'Poor (ivide in the Tithe
4reachers demand ten per cent of what %our chec, sa%s %ouve earned
before ta?es. And after all %our fi?ed e?penses, the amount of %our
tithe could run to as much as half of whats free and clear for %ou to
spend on necessities1 Ten per cent of whats left over from deductions
wouldnt amount to much for a millionaire or billionaire. e lives high
on the hog regardless. Jesus made this clear when e C!&&*-T*2
!- =didnt e?actl% endorse> the widows mite amounting to all she had
to live on, while the rich bo%s onl% gave out of their e?tra fat. If %oure
filth% rich and getting richer, %ou eventuall% reach a certain point
where %oure accumulating so much moolah that %ou couldnt consume
in on %ourself in a hundred lifetimes1 So %ou hoard it in Swiss ban,s
where nobod% else can get it. 5ace it, theres onl% !-* pie. In order
for the rich gu% to hog it all, the poor wor,ing schlep has gotta settle
for crumbs. Some rich Christians dont mind '$!SS tithing on their
profit, because this little bit of their e?tra fat is Bust peanuts to them.
<hen these characters give, the% ma,e sure ever%bod% ,nows about it
li,e the 4harisees did =&att.A9@+D>. That ma,es them loo, li,e the
great philanthropist who serves 'od and man,ind. Its great for their
4$ image to have a whole Sunda% School building named after them.
As a wor,ing person, it costs %ou mone% to ma,e mone%. Just li,e a
$IC Christian businessman who preachers will allow to deduct his
operating costs =business lunches, income ta?es, raw materials,
salaries pa%able, utilities, advertising costs, cappuccinos, cruises, etc.>
from his tithe pa%ment, and whats left over is the $ich &ans 'ross
Income subBect to the church tithe. <here legalism is concerned, it all
depends on what %our definition of .is/ is.
5unn% how its different for poor wor,ing schleps out in the pews.
<heres the scripture that commands ,ingpin preachers to s,im the
cream off the top of a poor mans pa%chec, while going eas% on the
rich t%coons who might get scared off if the%re held to the same
legalisms as ever%bod% else? 3ou can bet %our boots )rother )ristle
wont allow %ou to do li,e the rich ban,er and deduct %our e?penses
for gas, car repairs, wor, clothes, childcare, etc. before tithing because
%ou aint important enough. &one% doesnt tal,, it swears.
*ver% billionaire factor% owner factors in operating costs before he
figures out what hes $*A""3 made. At wor, %our boss doesnt
consider %ou a person so much as a flesh and blood &ACI-* which
churns out hamburgers, plastic plates or flea and tic, dip. As a wor,ing
machine, %our bod% creates &AI-T*-A-C* C!STS for its basic
up,eep. 3ou probabl% need to eat more to ,eep on going. 3ou have
to bu% power suits for the office, ma%be even get %our hair st%led. -ot
to mention the wear and tear on %our old car, %our corns and calluses,
and %our worn+out shoes if %oure on %our feet all da%. If some rich
Christian cattleman deducted the cost of his feed, straw and medicine
he needed to maintain his cattle from his tithe pa%ment, his pastor
wouldnt blin, an e%e. )ut if 3!# plead with %our pastor that %ou
gotta eat and put gas in %our bro,en+down Balop% or %ou cant ,eep
going to wor, to *A$- tithe mone% for him, hell accuse %ou of not
loving Jesus enough1 If that rat face catches %ou out with %our famil%
enBo%ing an ice cream cone, hell as, %ou wh% %oure wasting .the
lords/ mone% on sinful lu?uries. The pastor goes easier on the rich
Christian businessman ;cause hes in the top one per cent and harder
to replace. If the pastor rubs $ichie the wrong wa%, or preaches
something $ichie doesnt want to hear, $ichie will split and ta,e his
millions with him. )ut theres millions more EE percenters out there
Bust li,e %ou.
'$!SS TITI-' could cripple a povert%+stric,en person financiall%.
Imagine some poor widow named .Susie/ earns L8HH a wee, cleaning
rooms in a motel run b% a mean Scrooge who wishes the minimum
wage was half of what it was. She pa%s L8H in withholding ta?es
which are automaticall% deducted from her chec, b% her boss. 4lus
Susie pa%s LDH a wee, for her bus pass and LGH for a bab%sitter.
Another L@HH a wee, goes to rent a tin% room for herself and her
child. 4lus she pa%s LJH a wee, in utilities. Susie has Bust LAH left.
Although L8H is one+tenth of her '$!SS wee,l% income, its half of
what shes got left after all these 5IM*2 e?penses. )ut poor Susie has
to pa% .god/ =her rich pastor> L8H, leaving her onl% L8H for food and
other essentials. )ecause the church does the opposite of Jesus and
TAC*S 5$!& the poor instead of 'I6I-' T! the poor, Susie must turn
to the world for help. She receives 5ood Stamps and visits communit%
food ban,s so she can eat so she can live so she can go on wor,ing for
mone% to for, over to the rich so T*3 dont have to live li,e she does1
Including her rich pastor, who has comprehensive health insurance
while Susie cant afford doctors or dentists. A pastor who gets to go
on fun vacations twice a %ear while Susie doesnt even get sic, leave.
Susie must show up at wor, ever% single da%, even if the roads are
iced over in winter and traffic cant get through. *ven if overwor,ed,
overstressed Susie is deathl% sic, on such a da%, pu,ing or hac,ing her
head off. &iss a wor, da%, her boss sa%s, and theres plent% of other
peasants out there who would be glad to get her Bob. Susies pastor
dines at the finest restaurants while Susie gobbles a (uic, peanut
butter sandwich. &eanwhile, her boss tries to ta,e awa% the
emplo%ees 8H+minute lunch brea, .to improve efficienc%/. A (uic,
cand% bar would ,eep the girls going Bust as well, he claims.
)efore she got a better Bob, m% own mom wor,ed under such
miserable conditions. A lot of church fol,s dont get treated much
better at their Bobs, and Sunda% brings onl% more miser% as the fatcat
preacher s,ims the cream off their peanuts pa%. Tithing underscores
the star, ine(ualit% of well+being in the church of Jesus Christ, which
4aul taught against in D Cor.:9@J+@G.
Tithing (istorts )our *ie& of God and Preachers
&an% preachers teach that onl% church .tithes and offerings/ count as
giving to .'od/. If %ou bu% dinner for some elderl% person or help the
homeless, it dont count and %ou STI"" owe .god/ ten per cent of %our
income 4"#S a big fat tip in the form of .offerings above and be%ond
the tithe/. Christians have been trained li,e mon,e%s to view
seminar%+trained preachers as hol% beings who stand in pro?% for 'od
to dispense is blessings to common Christians and ta,e is mone%.
And its not long before some babe in Christ subconsciousl% reasons9
.If Im pa%ing m% mone% to 'od and the man up front is ta,ing it, then
he must be '!21/ )efore %ou ,now it, his whole view of 'od is
distorted. <hen the bab% Christian has a problem, he runs to the
pastor for .counseling/ )*5!$* he offers up a pra%er about the
situation to Almight% 'od. Imagine what this 6I4 treatment does to
the preachers ego1
I used to steer dangerousl% close to idoli0ing human preachers, the
wa% Id hang onto their ever% word, but now its finall% sun, in9 !-"3
C$IST STA-2S )*T<**- #S A-2 '!2 1 I have read I Tim.D9G so
man% times, but it ta,es the ol% Spirit to reall% drive it home to m%
deepest understanding. Christs office of sole &ediator between us
and 'od cant be emphasi0ed enough because this glorious revelation
is able to set fol,s free from feeling intimidated b% preachers who tr%
to stand between ordinar% believers and 'od. Actuall%, were one spirit
with Christ imself =I Cor.A9@F>, so ta,ing the argument a step further,
<*- S!&* 4$*AC*$ TAM*S 3!#, * TAM*S J*S#S1
The "ord would give me small sums of mone% to meet some imminent
need onl% e could foresee. )ut I was so )$AI-<AS*2 b% prosperit%
preachers that instead of .eating m% seed/, Id .reinvest it in the fertile
ground/ =dunghill> of some televangelists ministr%, and Id mail it off
real (uic, before .satan tempted me/ to change m% mind, so )I-'!1
'od would hurr% up and give me m% hundred+fold return on it and
ma,e me rich. )ut instead of reaping a bumper blessing of good
things afterward, Id alwa%s reap the whirlwind. *ven if %ou dont
reali0e what %oure doing, 'od doesnt li,e being turned into a slot
machine at Crap Shoot Cathedral.
Some mone%+hungr% preachers even resort to scaring people with the
unpardonable sin and divine Budgment if the% dont cough up the cash1
Saints, 'od is opening up all the religious bird cages of fear which
have imprisoned is people ever since this ungodl%, un+Christli,e false
clerg%+lait% s%stem first crept into is church centuries after the death
of the earl% apostles. Its this manmade 2I6ISI!- between the
.leadership/ and the .pew Christians/ which has contributed to
ine(ualit% of well+being in the )od% of Christ.
$hat you (+N,T -no& Can .urt )ou
4reachers will overwhelm %ou about how much the% ,now about the
)ible from 'enesis to $evelation. .)rother './, this full gospel
preacher we ,new, had been wal,ing with the "ord for ages, and he
preached libert% in Christ Jesus and how were free from the "aw =as
free as preachers will "*T us be>. )ut he hung onto the !T tithing "aw.
!h, '. didnt e?actl% badger us about it. )ut he did teach that even if
church tithing isnt e?actl% a law, its still a 4$I-CI4"* we should follow
as Christians, and .tithing is the training wheels of giving/. <ell, I
loo,ed up the word .principle/ in m% GH+pound dictionar%, and guess
what? A 4$I-CI4"* IS A "A<1 Ill pa% a billion buc,s to the first wise
gu% who can find a verse in the )ible which sa%s tithing is the training
wheels of giving. IT AI-T I- T*$*1
'. was the best e?pert on !ld Testament Tabernacle worship Id ever
,nown. e ,new and understood A"" the comple?ities of the ancient
Jewish religious rituals, from the m%steries of the brass laver to the
altar of incense. 5urthermore, '. taught that replacing 'ods divinel%
ordained wa%s of worship with 2!CT$I-*S !5 &*- has brought untold
chastenings to the people of 'od over the centuries. )rother '.
attac,ed Christmas celebration as of the devil. *aster bunnies and
*aster eggs were satanic. !nl% Than,sgiving was a valid holida%. )ut
although '. warned against false religious holida%s and he was such an
e?pert on how the ancient ebrews worshipped 'od, -!T !-C* did he
e?pound on the scriptures which spelled out how 'od wanted tithing to
be done, and the fact that tithed 5!!2 provided a than,sgiving feast
for the tither and the poor of the "and. After all those sermons on the
various animals offered up at set seasons for sacrifice in the Temple,
wh% no mention of what e?actl% was done with the Jewish tithe, a ,e%
part of the Israelites worship routine?
And if this )ible e?pert C-*< the real )ible truth about what 'ods
tithe consisted of =5!!2>, <! was to pa% it =farmers and ranchers of
ancient Israel !-"3>, <*- it was to be paid =!-"3 at harvest time
and !-"3 before Christ ended the !ld Covenant and its "evitical
s%stem>, and <! was allowed to collect it =!-"3 sons of "evi, not
ein0+GF 'entiles, see eb.F9G>, then wh% in Sam ill did '. and other
affiliated preachers promote, or even allow, these unscriptural tithing
heresies in their home churches? Surel% this particular false church
tradition would bring down Bust as man% chastenings on the church as
hunting eggs on *aster Sunda%1
So wh% didnt )rother '. spea, out against a practice he C-*< to be
scripturall% unsound, after all the warnings hed given out to do things
'!2S wa% or else? Two or three times a %ear his church ran
conventions on his campground. 4eople from all over the nation would
drive down to enBo% free food and fellowship, as well as a whole host
of guest spea,ers, along with spirited worship services. Just imagine if
)rother '., or an% one of the other brothers had had the guts to get
behind the microphone and preach TIS e%e+opening sermon9
.)rothers and sisters, Ive come to share an important revelation with
%ou. I wont beat around the bush Bust to fill up m% time slot./
The man shifts from one foot to another and wags his head. .!h, lord,
Ill Bust spit it out. Tithing is -!T what %ouve been taught that it is.
3ouve heard all the singing weve done about ;we are one in the spirit,
we are one in the "ord. )ut tithing helps promote a deep division
between the ;haves and the ;have nots in the )od% of Christ. 3all
have heard some of us preach about how each one of us has a
ministr% to serve the "ord. )ut when the tithe is ta,en up, where does
it go? To so+called ordained ministries. After all these edif%ing
messages about how 'od has ordained A"" Christians to be fruit
bearers for is Cingdom. I 4eter D verses G and E teaches that were
A"" priests unto 'od. So when we open up the offering bo? wh%
dont we give %ou gu%s some of the tithe mone% for a change, since
weve done all this tal, about ever%bod% having a ministr%?
.Just ,idding, saints. -ow for the $*A" shoc,er. -!<*$* in all of
scripture do %ou ever read of tithe mone% being ta,en from the poor or
an%bod% else. Jesus never too, it, 4aul didnt ta,e it. &onetar% tithing
wasnt even taught in the !ld Testament. -ow lets all crac, open our
)ibles and Ill show %ou what was $*A""3 paid in tithes./
Suddenl% one of the church elders springs to his feet, smiling sweetl%
and sa%ing9 .I feel a song coming on right now. Than,s for sharing,
)rother arve%./
)efore the piano pla%er hits one ,e%, arve% grabs the microphone and
screeches9 .$ead 2euteronom% chapters @D and @J and "eviticus DF
and %oull learn the $*A" truth about the tithe1/
.Thats enough, )rother arve%1/ the elder moans, giving him a slight
nudge. .'o bac, to %our seat1 Saints, lets worship the "ord.
*ver%thing else is unimportant. "ets focus on Jesus alone./
)ut )ibles start flipping open and before %ou ,now it, the rest of the
service ends in Bo%ful praise that the truth has finall% been revealed.
2espite all that tal, about Training <heels Tithing, the% discover
the%ve reall% been riding a s,ateboard down the slipper% slope of
deception.
2a%s after the convention, )rother '. doesnt li,e the feedbac, he gets
from the pastors of all these churches the people came from. The
truth has set 'ods people free, but Bust a little more than their pastors
would have li,ed.
N N N N N N
-o ,idding, its ta,en me man% decades to as, this basic (uestion9
<h% didnt these learned brethren at the campground meetings use
some of 'ods precious time to <A$- the floc, of 'od, not onl% about
false tithing doctrines, but about televangelist con artists and
prosperit% pimps out for a (uic, buc,? 4eter and 4aul warned the floc,
of 'od about these deceivers =Acts DH9DEI D 4et.D9@+8>. 4art of the
problem is the campground brethren .didnt want to offend an%bod%
because we love ever%bod%/, so the% steered clear of an%thing
controversial. Instead of e?posing false doctrines to protect the sheep,
some of these good brothers would drone on aimlessl% for hours
sharing their life stor% and mumbling about nothing much in particular,
wasting 'ods time and ma,ing me fall asleep in the pew. To sidestep
the need to rebu,e the sna,es snea,ing into the pasture, these
spiritual watchmen would insist that the onl% important thing was to
thin, about how wonderful Jesus is, and the%d perfume the air with
happ% songs li,e ."ets Tal, About Jesus/. Satan doesnt mind sweet
music as long as it distracts Christians from what hes doing.
3es, lets 2! tal, about Jesus1 <hat do %ou ma,e of the wa% Jesus
chewed out the scribes and 4harisee h%pocrites in &att.D8, calling
them blind guides, fools, and sna,es on their wa% to hell? Jesus didnt
pass out smile% stic,ers to croo,s who lusted after the widows mite1
The in+depth stud% of the Jewish Tabernacle, and the anal%sis of the
differing functions and senses of our spirit, soul and bod% are
fascinating topics. Its good to get educated and stuff more facts in
%our comatose brain. )ut oddl% enough, while 4aul touches on the
Tabernacle and the "evitical priesthood in his epistles in order to
illustrate deeper truths, -!<*$* does he sa% 'entile Christians need
to master a bunch of charts about !ld Testament worship
paraphernalia and rituals in order to get the solid meat of the <ord.
I reall% didnt need to ,now which species of beast got sacrificed at
which hour of which da% in the Temple. I didnt need to ,now that 'od
and ever%thing e does can be divided up into different patterns of
sevens, and all the divine m%steries of 'od can be reduced to a series
of hand% charts. Instead of dr% intellectual dissertations, we needed to
hear the T$#T about deceptive doctrines leading 'ods people bac,
under legalistic bondage. <e needed to be told to watch our wallets
when we went bac, home, and warned about all the spiritual predators
out there misrepresenting 'od and selling im for carnal gain in wa%s
Judas could onl% dream of.
This 4rosperit% Cra0e didnt reall% start in earnest till the earl% FHs, a
time when the camp ground ministr% was at its height and still drawing
carloads of families from all over the #.S. =gas was far cheaper then>.
After countless hours of teaching the deep m%steries of 'od, -!T !-*
of these anointed brethren spent one second to tell the truth about the
tithe, and not one word of warning about the pitfalls of the -ame it
and Claim it 5aith+in+5aith doctrine which was rapidl% gaining
popularit%. Surel% 'od would have wanted us to ,now.
It might seem unloving to call out certain T6 preachers as heretics, or
to dare to denounce a T$A2ITI!-A" church doctrine as a doctrine of
devils. )ut thats what the watchmen of the church are called to do.
It isnt Bust what preachers teach that matters, its what the% 2!-T
teach. A pastor or elder =shepherd of the sheep, see @ 4et.G9@+J> is
responsible to feed the floc, of 'od. )ut unless a shepherd also
prevents doctrines of devils creeping in to deceive the sheep =I
Tim.J9@> hes onl% done half his Bob1 A good shepherd will rid his
pasture of poisonous weeds and sna,es. e doesnt ,eep (uiet about
the tin% tric,le of spiritual poison feeding into the stream of truth
where the 5loc, of 'od drin,s. The devil doesnt mind the saints
gathering to enBo% a spiritual smorgasbord so long as he can
contribute his own covered dish.

Time and again, '. and associated ministers emphasi0ed the
importance of preaching 4auls gospel of grace =see $om.D9@AI @A9DGI
D Tim.D9:>. 4aul, who -*6*$ !-C* taught tithing, never once rebu,ed
an%one for the alleged sin of non+tithing, and never once collected
tithes, declared that he shared the <!"* counsel of 'od with the
saints =Acts DH9DF>.
Some preachers we ,new didnt e?actl% push tithing, but the%
A""!<*2 this sna,e+in+the+grass doctrine to remain in the pasture of
the "ord. These seminar% graduates ,ept (uiet about what the )ible
actuall% teaches about tithing. *ven when I was a babe in Christ I
wondered wh% 4aul never reminded an%bod% to pa% their tithe1 There
seems to be a conspirac% of silence among preachers who hope their
floc, never find out the $*A" truth about seed faith =slea0% faith>
giving and tithing, so the cash will ,eep rolling in .for the lords wor,/.
<ithholding the truth from those who have a right to ,now it is
tantamount to a lie. -o wonder the power of 'od is missing from the
churches toda%. e wont endorse such secret deception1
'od aint stupid. e sees right through this sanctimonious waffle
preachers resort to in order to hang onto tithing9 .Its between %ou
and the "ord. If the "ord tells %ou to tithe, do it and %oull be blessed1
And, b% the wa%, well be chec,ing %our giving records./
This ma,es Bust as much sense as the preacher sa%ing9 .If 'od wants
%ou to offer up a cat on %our barbecue grill, 2! IT1 Its strictl%
between %ou and im./
<hat a clever copout that is for greed% preachers1 <hat a
sanctimonious snow Bob1 Alwa%s third+part% the blame because 'od is
allegedl% honor+bound to do this if we do that. ow man% Christians
turn their bac, on 'od when e fails to reward them with a truc,load
of cash for obe%ing some unbiblical heres%? <hen the brown stuff
hits the fan ='al.89@H,@8> and the curse of the "aw comes on %ou for
failure to ,eep the tithing law '!2S <A3, plus all the rest of the old
law, conniving preachers can dump all the blame on 'od and wash
their hands of all responsibilit% for steering %ou bac, under the "aw.
If the apostles didnt tell the earl% Christians to do it, then 'od wont
tell %ou to do it either. Ceep one old law, %ou gotta ,eep ;em A""
='alatians 89@H>. Just !-* old &osaic ordinance will tie %ou bac, to
the entire !ld Covenant "aw and its shed load of curses for failure to
,eep that law to 'ods e?act specifications.
If 4aul didnt teach tithing, but modern preachers insist on it, how can
the% claim to be followers of 4aul or teachers of IS gospel =I
Cor.J9@AI @@9@>? 4reachers commit a '$A6* sin against 'od whenever
the% dig up the defunct !ld Testament tithing ordinance and A22 IT
T! the ol% 'hosts commandments to Christs -ew Covenant church
=2eut.@D98DI Acts @G9DJI D:+DE>.
-owhere does 'od authori0e an% 'entile Tom, 2ic, or arr% to ta,e up
tithes, or to change the tithe from farm produce to filth% lucre. To
read m% free boo, about tithing =and religious fasting, which is -*6*$
taught as church doctrine b% the earl% apostles>, log onto this lin,
http9OOwww.scribd.comOdocOJA@FFH:O5asting+Tithing+)lessing+
)ringers+or+)urdens
&% free boo, of prophetic words from the "ord9
http9OOwww.christianit%oasis.comOpurit%publicationsOGHDDO)eholdISee,
&%!wn.htm
&% web sites9
http9OObanpreachergreed.tripod.com
http9OOboogerbuc,s.tripod.com
http9OO,ingdomage.tripod.com
&% anti+tithing videos9
Tithe+atron is Coming to Church
http9OOwww.%outube.comOwatch?vPvQA+n?fuF%&
The Apostles 2id -ot Teach 5asting and Tithing
http9OOwww.%outube.comOwatch?vP+pJshuAvaDJ
'od $ebu,es 5at Cat 4reachers
http9OOwww.%outube.comOwatch?vPEFd:i,l<'AQ
The 4reacher and 4oor <idow
http9OOwww.%outube.comOwatch?vP8,?tCMr:gp,
)u% a )ud <ith 3our Tithe
http9OOwww.%outube.comOwatch?vPo%Bre6G!(J*
)ig )uc,s and the )oogerman
http9OOwww.%outube.comOwatch?vP$fCg3vu*uGI
Tithe or 3ouRll 5r% in ell
http9OOwww.%outube.comOwatch?vPGC#uFg:fv<I
5leecing the 5loc,
http9OOwww.%outube.comOwatch?vPnC#lbiDTm2c
Jesus "oves 3ou if 3ou Tithe
http9OOwww.%outube.comOwatch?vPba?<AapJT: