Freedom from Tithing
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Explanation of Protest Coin
Tithing hard for the poor, easy for the rich.
Explanation: Commonly, people don't think through on this issue. Ten-percent of income for everyone sounds fair on the surface but when carefully considered, it is clear that this standard is much more difficult for the poor. We would like to remind the reader that only those who had a harvest were required in the Old Testament Law to tithe. The Law also had a provision for the poor. The corners of the field were not to be harvested. The poor were able to glean the corners of the field of the prosperous.
Consider the words of the Lord Jesus about how He measures giving in two parallel passages:
And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. And calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, "Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on." Mark 12:42-44
And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury. And He saw a certain poor widow putting in two small copper coins. And He said, "Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on." Luke 21:1-4
The Lord Jesus draws a distinction between giving out of surplus or giving out of poverty. When we fail to draw this distinction, we might think erroneously that 10% of income is exactly the same burden for all. However, it is not the same burden. The burden becomes greater as poverty becomes greater. The burden becomes lighter as the wealth becomes greater.
A Comparison of 4 Tithing Men
The Third World Poor Man
$100 per month income
Tithe: $10 per month
Lives on $90 per month
Tithing out of his poverty
Strongly impacted by tithing.
Has no other resources to fall back on.
The North American Poor Man
$1,000 per month income
Tithe: $100 per month
Lives on $900 per month
Tithing out of his poverty
Considerably impacted by tithing
Has few resources to fall back on.
The Prosperous Man
$10,000 per month income
Tithe: $1,000 per month
Lives on $9,000 per month
Tithing out of his surplus
Impacted very little by his tithing.
Has many resources to fall back on.
The Rich Man
$100,000 per month income
Tithe: $10,000 per month
Lives on $90,000 per month
Tithing out of his surplus
Not impacted by his tithing.
Has abundant resources to fall back on.
The greater burden is upon the poor. This affects their capacity to buy food and basic necessities. They are tithing out of the money that they must daily live on. The poor are often in serious debt and have no other resources. As the income increases, the burden of tithing diminishes. The prosperous and rich are not affected in lifestyle by tithing. They have plenty to take care of food and basic necessities. They are giving out of their surplus while the poor man is giving out of that which would take care of his basic needs and his ability to deal with indebtedness. The sacrifice is not equal. The tithing doctrine puts unfair pressure on the poor and no pressure at all on the rich.
What must the Rich Man do in order to equal the sacrifice of the 3rd World Poor man in our example of tithing? The Rich man must give all away all his assets and all his income except for $90 each month. Only then, have these two men borne the same burden and made the same sacrifice in giving. This unfair burden on the poor is another sure proof that the tithing doctrine is not from God.
Many poor people feel rejected by God, Christians and the Church because they feel that they cannot tithe and still survive. It is arrogant and self-righteous that we, who often have tithed out of our surplus, to judge them so harshly on the basis of a false doctrine.
Often the reasoning is being offered that tithing will cause the poor to be blessed by God. This would be true is tithing is actually being required by God. However, it is not being required by God. Therefore, there may not be any blessing attached at all.
Do the math. Help the poor Christian by opposing the tithing doctrine.
Explanation: Commonly, people don't think through on this issue. Ten-percent of income for everyone sounds fair on the surface but when carefully considered, it is clear that this standard is much more difficult for the poor. We would like to remind the reader that only those who had a harvest were required in the Old Testament Law to tithe. The Law also had a provision for the poor. The corners of the field were not to be harvested. The poor were able to glean the corners of the field of the prosperous.
Consider the words of the Lord Jesus about how He measures giving in two parallel passages:
And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. And calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, "Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on." Mark 12:42-44
And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury. And He saw a certain poor widow putting in two small copper coins. And He said, "Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on." Luke 21:1-4
The Lord Jesus draws a distinction between giving out of surplus or giving out of poverty. When we fail to draw this distinction, we might think erroneously that 10% of income is exactly the same burden for all. However, it is not the same burden. The burden becomes greater as poverty becomes greater. The burden becomes lighter as the wealth becomes greater.
A Comparison of 4 Tithing Men
The Third World Poor Man
$100 per month income
Tithe: $10 per month
Lives on $90 per month
Tithing out of his poverty
Strongly impacted by tithing.
Has no other resources to fall back on.
The North American Poor Man
$1,000 per month income
Tithe: $100 per month
Lives on $900 per month
Tithing out of his poverty
Considerably impacted by tithing
Has few resources to fall back on.
The Prosperous Man
$10,000 per month income
Tithe: $1,000 per month
Lives on $9,000 per month
Tithing out of his surplus
Impacted very little by his tithing.
Has many resources to fall back on.
The Rich Man
$100,000 per month income
Tithe: $10,000 per month
Lives on $90,000 per month
Tithing out of his surplus
Not impacted by his tithing.
Has abundant resources to fall back on.
The greater burden is upon the poor. This affects their capacity to buy food and basic necessities. They are tithing out of the money that they must daily live on. The poor are often in serious debt and have no other resources. As the income increases, the burden of tithing diminishes. The prosperous and rich are not affected in lifestyle by tithing. They have plenty to take care of food and basic necessities. They are giving out of their surplus while the poor man is giving out of that which would take care of his basic needs and his ability to deal with indebtedness. The sacrifice is not equal. The tithing doctrine puts unfair pressure on the poor and no pressure at all on the rich.
What must the Rich Man do in order to equal the sacrifice of the 3rd World Poor man in our example of tithing? The Rich man must give all away all his assets and all his income except for $90 each month. Only then, have these two men borne the same burden and made the same sacrifice in giving. This unfair burden on the poor is another sure proof that the tithing doctrine is not from God.
Many poor people feel rejected by God, Christians and the Church because they feel that they cannot tithe and still survive. It is arrogant and self-righteous that we, who often have tithed out of our surplus, to judge them so harshly on the basis of a false doctrine.
Often the reasoning is being offered that tithing will cause the poor to be blessed by God. This would be true is tithing is actually being required by God. However, it is not being required by God. Therefore, there may not be any blessing attached at all.
Do the math. Help the poor Christian by opposing the tithing doctrine.