Posted by
Joel Aaron on Tuesday, November 27, 2007 2:25:01 AM
Can you put a price on faith? That is the question churchgoers are asking as the tradition of tithing -- giving 10% of your income to the church -- is increasingly challenged. Opponents of tithing say it is a misreading of the Bible, a practice created by man, not God. They say they should be free to donate whatever amount they choose, and they are arguing with pastors, writing letters and quitting congregations in protest. In response, some pastors have changed their teaching and rejected what has been a favored form of fund raising for decades.
The backlash comes as some churches step up their efforts to encourage tithing. Some are setting up "giving kiosks" that allow congregants to donate using their debit cards when they attend services. Others are offering financial seminars that teach people in debt how they can continue tithing even while paying off their loans. Media-savvy pastors sell sermons online about tithing. And in a shift, more Catholic parishes are asking churchgoers to tithe.
This trend worries some church leaders. "If everyone gives 2% of their income because that's what they feel like giving, you aren't going to have money to pay the light bill and keep the doors open," says Duane Rice, an official with Evangelical Friends International, a denomination that believes that tithing is required by the Bible. (Fortunately, the "true believers" will fork over millions without asking questions). Steve Sorensen, director of pastoral ministries at Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, says the church requires its paid and volunteer leaders to tithe, and teaches new members to do so, although it doesn't make them show proof of income. "When you tithe, God makes promises to us, that he ... is not going to let anything bad or destructive come about," says Mr. Sorensen. For those who don't tithe, he says the Lord "is not obligated to do those things for you." So if I tithe, God is obligated to do things for me? So God can be bought out like a cosmic gumball machine?
Resistance to tithing has been increasing steadily in recent years, as more churchgoers have questioned the way their churches spend money. Like other philanthropists today, religious givers want to see exactly how their donations are being used. In some cases, the growth of megachurches, some with expensive worship centers equipped with coffee bars and widescreen TVs, have turned people off of tithing. Some Baptist churches are trying to encourage tithing by accepting credit-card payments and automatic deductions from checking accounts. Two years ago, the Rev. Marty Baker, pastor of Stevens Creek Church in Augusta, Ga., created the "giving kiosk" machine that allows congregants to donate at the church from their bank cards. He and his wife launched SecureGive, a for-profit company, which has placed 50 kiosks in churches. He says the machines can help track which families are giving the most. Why is there so much disproportionate animosity to the church over other non-profit institutions asking for money? Is it a backlash to an empire-building fixation among mega-churches? How do big churches get around that image, if at all? Then again, why should churches have to compete in the marketplace of ideas? It’s all God’s money anyway. Of course he wants you to spend it on the new building. It was created for Him so more people can hear about Him. You don’t think He can just turn up in conversation around the water cooler or in a cigar parlor?! He’s God. Jesus may have picnicked on a hillside, in the fish market or the Bethlehem Bar, but in this Season of Giving, remember, God doesn’t come on tap! Don’t blame the church for putting Him back in the temple where He belongs.
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