The Bible has clear instruction about tithing.  What does your church teach? The answer to this question is significant.  It can provide a window as to whether your church leadership is promoting a community of believers enjoying true body life and fellowship or if they are using a gimmick doctrine to increase income for the budget.  There have been many preachers who have used the tithing doctrine to increase the income of their church and indulge their personal lives.  As a Christian, I am embarrassed by the likes of Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Bakker, Ted Haggart, or Kent Hovind.  These fiery preachers of the tithe used money from their members for illegal and immoral purposes.

I have posted this website for three reasons.  The first is to find and reveal the truth about tithing.  Is there Biblical proof that mandates a certain amount of your income be donated to the church?  Or do church leaders use out of context scriptures to pressure their members into giving more to fund their budget.  My earnest study of the Bible has led me to see that the scriptures do not teach Christians to give a minimum of 10% to the church nor has it revealed that to not tithe (give a minimum of 10%) is a sin.

The second reason for this website is

The Bible is the Source for Christian Truth.  This is where we should find our understanding of the tithe.  The following is a scriptural accounting of tithing.  Some of the following is not mine it was free off the Internet (why reinvent the wheel).  I don’t bother giving credit to the writers, of this I ask your pardon.  One, I don’t want it judged by ‘the who’ did it and two, I don’t want to burden it with the ‘this is such and such and he said such and such.  I try to cover every scripture in the Bible that deals with tithing.  If you find something in the Bible concerning tithing that is not considered here please let me know by emailing me using the 'Contact me' link.

With God all things are possible.  Change is possible.  Traditions that have wrongfully been preached as truth can be abandoned and the truth can set free.  I recently received the following email from a brother.

"The congregation I attend has been a tithing church for generations.  The elders and pastors recently completed a study of what the Bible says about Christian giving.  As a result of this study our church will no longer require tithing.  Rather we will encourage "abundant, cheerful, as you have been prospered and have purposed in your heart giving."  There were several facts that came to light during the study that led to this change.  We discovered:

Hydesville Community Church gives a lot of attention to tithing.  This is the largest church (400-600) in my community (Fortuna, CA and surrounding area) of approximately 15,000.  On any given Sunday you are likely to hear a reference to the tithe.  To demonstrate the tactics of tithe preaching let me relay the following story.

On a Sunday morning, during the Christmas season, people were encouraged to give to the 'Birthday Boy'.  10% of our income was communicated to be the tithe.  The congregation was encouraged to commit to giving 10% to Jesus with a card hung on the tree in front.  During the Lords supper Mike Delamarian (the senior pastor) talked about examining ourselves concerning our tithing.  He said If we have not been tithing (minimum 10%) we should make it right before we eat and drink damnation to ourselves (at the Lord's Supper).  It was clearly communicated that failing to tithe was sin.  During that time he spoke of a previous event when ushers were told either tithe or don’t usher, some ushers resigned.  The message was clear, these ushers had definitely compromised.

In the Tithe Preaching church Sunday mornings are designed to sell.  From program to preaching the week is spent by the paid staff choreographing the performance.  Just as the politician changes his mind to be aligned with the popular opinion so the Church program is designed to attract the maximum number of attendees.  Super Sizing Sunday morning creates the mega church.  The Charismatic preacher plus the talented music leader multiplied by the dynamic youth leader equals the equation of big business.  The Choreographing of Sunday morning is the stuff that 'successful' churches are made of.  From the door greeter to the number of songs Sunday morning is planned to sell.  Maximize the interest by scaling up the entertainment and the congregation is ready for the tithing sales pitch.  "God wants 10% of what you earn to be 'voluntarily given' to this church and if you give this minimum you will be blessed... if you don't not only are you in sin but beware God will getcha".  ('Getcha' is the hip way of preaching from the Mal.3 'curse' verse.) 

” It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.”

Upton Sinclair

The main gist, blindness is proportional to ones personal prosperity.  

The tobacco industry paid scientist for decades to study the effects of smoking concluding that it was not bad for ones health.  For decades these scientist promoted a lie against overwhelming evidence because their paycheck was based upon the lie.  It wasn’t until the dam they had created, holding back this evidence, burst that the falseness of their lies was forced upon them.

The oil industry has its own scientist; they are bought and paid for to conclude that fossil fuel emissions are not harming the planet.  Lately, scientific evidence has been uncovering their lies. 

The industry of Churchianity

This website is not against Christian giving.  If you read the Bible you will see that Christians are called to be giving and generous.  'It is more blessed to give than to receive'.  Giving and Christian are synonomous.  The Lord is the quintessenial Giver.  He has and is giving the Gift of gifts all gifts in one.  Out of His infinitely riches in Jesus He giveth and giveth and giveth again.  In His giving we have received.  Freely we have recieved freely we should give. The Christian is blessed (spiritually) if he/she gives.  But, there is no prerequisite giving minimum, this is necessary for giving to be voluntary.  Giving the amount that the Lord calls you to give requires a relationship with God.  Ask Him and trust Him to direct you in all your ways, including your giving.

According to tithe preaching churches just how big of a sin is not giving the minimum 10%?  Evangelical Free Church of America is clear that the sin of non-tithing is comparable to the sin of adultery.  Hydesville Community Church is a member of this organization.  When this doctrine was first questioned Preacher Mike Delamarian (senior pastor at HCC) asked me, 'How much do you give?'  After I responded, 'None of your business.'  He provided the Evangelical Free magazine called Evangelical Free Today.  In this magazine there was an article by Rev. Bruce Johnson called, 'Should Pastors Know What Their People Give?'  Check it out at the following link.

http://www.efca.org/today/media/2005-spring-5-coverfeatures.pdf

In this article the ‘Rev.’ Bruce Johnson says that to not tithe is comparable to adultery.

The typical church is a self perpetuating phenomena. Surviving is its goal, trying to live another day costs a lot of money.  Check out this link to a fun and profound video.

  Link

Tithe so you can have donuts and coffee.  Tithe, so you can have padded pews.  Tithe, so you can sit down while someone spoon feeds the congregation baby food.  Tithe, so you can come on Sundays and have a nice comfortable Christianity.  Tithing is a self serving practice.  The tithe pays for the program that entertains.  It funds the church program that relieves the congregation of its Christian duty of church attendance in the most convenient and painless fashion.

Al Capone was imprisoned not because the police caught him with the smoking gun or found him with the bootlegger’s still.  His gangster friends didn’t rat him out.  The Feds followed the money and found him guilty of tax fraud.  They simply followed the money trail and discovered money laundering, fraud and tax evasion.  How does this relate to the subject of tithing?  What I am proposing is to look at the New Testament and consider all the verses that deal with money. Yes there are a lot of verses about money and Christian giving.  What is the scriptural direction for this money?  In this study when a verse does not specify the use for the money we will not consider it but when it is clear that moneys are to be provided for a particular purpose it will be considered.  If we follow the money verses in the New Testament we can discern what Biblical fiscal responsibility is.  After discovering Biblical fiscal responsibility lets examine how the non-profit organization tithe preaching church spends its money and then follow the money.

Excommunication is a Biblical practice for disciplining the backslidden.  Adultery, murder, homosexuality and idolatry are all listed as sins that if unrepented of warrant excommunication.  It is to be used to awaken the sinner to the gravity of their sin and turn them back to the Lord.  The tithe preaching church often uses the big stick of excommunication to correct the non-tither.  This kind of makes sense.  If non-tithing is a sin comparable to adultery then hey lets make these greedy non-tithers pay.  Consider the news story...

The very first problem that the young church in the book of Acts faced was one of strife and offense.  See Acts 6; the Greek Widows were being neglected. They felt bad, they didn't really fit into a mostly Jewish congregation and they were not only Greek but they were widows, the degree of their difference was multiplied.  They complained that they were not being served like others were being served.  It is worth considering what happened.  Did the early church react, 'stop whining the Lord hasn't called you to complain & grumble?'  Did the church respond with avoidance, ostracizing the widows and pointing the negative finger at them saying, 'see those whiners over there that is how you’re not supposed to be?'  The story line of Acts 6 is simple, some people were offended and complained, the offense was heard and change happened.  The church was listening and responsive to its members.

Preaching on tithing is common.  Whenever funds are needed for the budget a new sermon is crafted to pressure the flock to give.  One day while listening to the local CSN (Calvary Satellite Network) radio station(102.3FM). I listened to the preacher talk about tithing. This preacher is well respected with a large national program. He was quoting the Old Testament concerning the first fruits and the tithe. He was asking the congregation about their financial health and their faithfulness to give and relating the two together. He was promising material blessing if they only would give. He quoted the Malachi 3 verse and said it is a liberating promise, he was saying that the storehouse is the local church and if you want to get blessed materially all you have to do is give your minimum 10% to the church and God will pour out on you a blessing(specifically: material blessing).

Is voluntary giving a new theological doctrine?  Is opposition to the required 10% minimum isolated to this website's voice?  No... See the article published on The Conservative Voice.  More and more Christians are fed up with the church being run as a business and fabricating doctrines to maximize it's budget.  This website has a fairly large national viewership.

The Story Line of Ananias & Sapphira (Acts 5):
The early church was on fire. There is dynamic growth and miraculous vitality. There is a sense of awe and wonder at all that God was doing. Thousands are getting saved, a cripple is leaping for joy, an earthquake occurs at a prayer meeting, boldness is in the heart of believers and there are no impoverished among them. All the material needs of believers are being met. Acts 2&5 describes almost a socialistic style of living among the believers. The rich were giving and the poor were receiving. People didn’t have to give.

It’s amazing how the challenged tithe preacher all of a sudden becomes the persecuted pastor.  ‘O my I am in heavy spiritual warfare, the enemy is on the attack and I am his target,’ all this because his tithe preaching and his use of the fraudulently obtained moneys are questioned.  There is a big difference between the persecuted and the prosecuted.  See 1Pet.2:20, there is a distinct difference between the two.  The prosecuted is bearing the consequences of his own guilt; a deceptive life has caught up with him. The persecuted is suffering for the sake of Christ. 

Sometimes when all you hear is silence it is evidence of cowardice.  Sometimes when you know the truth and you are silent you are cowardly.  The Lord knows I have been cowardly in the past.  Here is a question of some significance.  What happens at the tithe preaching church when the tithing doctrine is questioned? What happens when the use and the call for finances are challenged?  What is the response?  If silence is all that occurs beware.  When there is upright financial stewardship there is no need for silence.  If silence results when the tithing doctrine is questioned it is a good indication that some kind of hanky panky is going on.  The tithe preacher cannot stand up in light.  The preacher of the tithe owns a message that is built on sand and any storm of questioning will result in his house of cards falling.  Shame on the preacher/ organization that cannot stand the light of day.  It takes courage to question the tithe and hold church leaders to Biblical financial accountability but what kind of church is it that is not faithful in its financing?  The tithe preaching church needs to be questioned in the light of the scriptures.  My experience saw the truth avoided and the scriptures ignored.  If this is your churches response you should question the depth of the tithe deception.  The Proverbs say, 'the righteous are as bold as lions but the wicked flee when no man is pursuing.'  It is surprising when a Christian ministry clams up at the questioning of its finances.  This sham should be exposed to the light.  Hence this website calling for public scrutiny and light. 

Medieval Catholic indulgences versus The Tithe Doctrine

Back in the dark ages the Catholics invented all kinds of ways to have a guiltless time sinning.  Mardi Gras is a great one, demonstrative hypocricy... party hardy today tomorrow we will serve God. Indulge today, tomorrow we need to abstain.  In the middle ages the Catholic invention of indulgences was a real moneymaker.  Indulgences could be purchased.  Go ahead and sin as long as you pay us $ we will be happy to grant you forgiveness.  The moneychangers of the Jewish temple are needing a good whipping again. Hydesville Community Church (HCC) teaches if you don't pay your minimum 10% you are in sin this doctrine is not unique to this church but is common in Christian circles today.

The sale of Indulgences taught = Pay $$ and you can get out of sin.

The tithe doctrine teaches = Pay $$ (minimum of 10%) or you are in sin.

Each doctrine extorts from the people.  Guilt and fear are used to pry loose moneys from the simple and trusting.  This is nothing less than the fraudulent fleecing of the flock.  Mutton and wool are extracted by the tithe preachers of our generation just as the pope and his minions extracted from the catholics using the indulgences doctrine long ago.

Politicians are supposed to recuse themselves from matters that would bring them profit.  Corruption is often identified in a politician's vote that funds his / her own pocket.  This type of corruption is reminiscent of the tithe preacher.

Before his death Larry Burkett was a popular radio talk show host.  He was a Christian financial advisor and author of many books.  He was a proponent of the tithe and many refer to him as the expert on whether Christians should tithe or not.  When I started to voice my concerns about the tithing doctrine at Hydesville Church a Larry Burkett tract / pamphlet was given to me.  The pamphlet is called 'Giving and Tithing' and is put out by Christian Financial Concepts.  It is a window into the tithe preacher's methods.  When you read the pamphlet you assume the reason it exists is that it contains scriptural evidence on how the tithe applies to the Christian but upon reading it you will be disappointed.  Larry gives one paragraph of how Abraham tithed and this was pre-law and so we should too.  Then, Larry is off and running about how to apply this great scriptural truth, and apply it he does, in just about every situation he has the answer.

Corruption and scandal in the church have been around since its inception.  The disgrace that accompanies this has been the cause of many avoiding Christian fellowship altogether.  There are many individuals in the Bible that are examples of what greed for power and money, over God’s people, does.

1) Balaam is an Old and New Testament example of how the exploitation of God’s people is looked at by God.  The famous talking donkey story is a window on how God abhors the use of His people for personal gain.  (Num.22-23, 2Pet.2:15, Jude11, Rev.2:14) 

2) Eli’s sons used God’s people to indulge their own appetites.  In 1 Samuel 2&3 we read what the Lord thought of them and ultimately it was their sin and Eli’s allowance of their sin that cost them their lives.

3) The Old Testament contains many stories of false prophets who lied their way into positions of power and money.  They, under the guise of serving the Lord, sheared His sheep to warm themselves.  (Ezek.34)

A recent article in a local news journal covered the sensation of the big church Hydesville Community Church.  See the following link for the article. 

Article Link 

A paragraph in the article mentions this website and my offense with the tithing doctrine held by Hydesville.  The article calls me the gadfly of Hydesville Community Church.  Hydesville is so big it even has its own gadfly, me.  After checking with my kids to make sure that they are not embarrassed by their dad being a gadfly I will put up with this distinguished title.  I would prefer the title 'truth teller' but you can't dictate to the press what they should print.  I guess I take some comfort in the scripture 'woe unto you when all men think well of you.'  If a gadfly is persistent, I hope to qualify for this particular virtue.  Also the fly is notorious for locating excrement and filth.  Where there is smoke there is fire.  Flies denote garbage.  The tithing doctrine is the cornerstone upon which the business of churchianity exists and it qualifies as a magnet for said gadflies to pester and annoy looking for change.

If you have any questions or would like to add to the website, I am available at the following email address:

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