History of tithes in North America

[freeatlast]

I know of a church sold it's paid for building to Wal_Mart for 3 million.

Moved to a rented school house for two years (no AC in the 2 summers)

Moved less than a mile and built a new building, went @ 2 mil in debt. Lost several families over their decisions.

Now they are asking (just short of demanding) 20 percent from every family.

BTW they had not in any way outgrown the building the sold to Wal Mart.

Hope they make it...but I have my doubts

[Sam]

Originally Posted by Scott Hutchinson

Here is the history of tithing.
http://www.tossingtables.com/podcasts/tithing.html

Finally, an article on tithing which:

--does not try to enforce the Old Testament law of tithing on New Testament Christians

--does not promise health, wealth, and prosperity if we give enough money

--does not heap guilt, shame, condemnation, and hell fire on people if they do not give at least 10 percent of their income to a local church

how refreshing

[James Griffin]

Originally Posted by James Griffin

New article in Christianity today.

Surprising article, for entire discussion including just how new collecting tithes is in North America click link below.



Passing the Plate
After America ended state support of churches in the early 19th century, the collection of "tithes and offerings" became a standard feature of Sunday morning worship.
by Mark Rogers

Thursday, March 12, 2009


As instrumentalists play or a soloist sings, as ushers file slowly down the aisles, congregants give money as an act of worship and to support the ministry of the church. If the people don't give, then the pastor goes unpaid, the building never gets built, and the missionaries stay home. When Christians go to church, most expect the collection of an offering as much as they expect preaching, singing, and prayer. Unlike preaching, singing, and prayer, however, the weekly offering did not become a fixture in American worship services until the late 19th century.

Colonial American churches did not depend on voluntary, weekly giving from their members. Instead, as had been the case in Europe, the government established churches, sanctioning certain congregations and supporting them financially. Most New England colonies established Congregational churches, while the Southern colonies along with New York, New Jersey, and Maryland established the Anglican Church. Most of the colonies could not imagine a state without an established church. A prosperous society depended on having citizens of good character, and the people expected churches to create virtuous citizens. Since churches served the public good, it made sense to fund them through public taxes and fees—such as poll and property taxes—rather than voluntary offerings.

Public funding of American churches did not cease immediately after the American Revolution. While the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment prohibited Congress from establishing a national church, the states still supported churches through taxes. In the years following the Revolution, men like Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and John Leland fought against religious establishment in Virginia. Isaac Backus and other Baptist ministers led the charge in New England. Only in 1833, when Massachusetts rescinded its religious tax, was every state church in the Union officially disestablished.








http://www.christianitytoday.com/glo...gtheplate.html

BUMP for Aquila

[sandie]

Originally Posted by Sam

Finally, an article on tithing which:

--does not try to enforce the Old Testament law of tithing on New Testament Christians

--does not promise health, wealth, and prosperity if we give enough money

--does not heap guilt, shame, condemnation, and hell fire on people if they do not give at least 10 percent of their income to a local church

how refreshing

The link doesn't work anymore. phooey

I'd like to especially read how it doesn't promise health, wealth, etc.
It's been my experience that God is faithful due to His attributes, not ours.

[Sam]

Originally Posted by sandie

The link doesn't work anymore. phooey

I'd like to especially read how it doesn't promise health, wealth, etc.
It's been my experience that God is faithful due to His attributes, not ours.

I noticed that the link doesn't work any more.
I downloaded the article from that site back when it was active but I don't know where it is.

[sandie]

Originally Posted by Sam

I noticed that the link doesn't work any more.
I downloaded the article from that site back when it was active but I don't know where it is.

Okay, thanks anyway.

[Sam]

Originally Posted by sandie

The link doesn't work anymore. phooey

I'd like to especially read how it doesn't promise health, wealth, etc.
It's been my experience that God is faithful due to His attributes, not ours.

The History of Tithing

The modern definition of tithing is giving 10 percent of one’s income to a religious organization. During New Testament times “tithing" referred to the Jewish practice of giving 10 percent of one's crops or animals to support the Temple. The words ttithing" and “tithe" come from an old English word meaning tenth.

Genesis 14:20 contains the first Biblical reference to the practice of tithing. After Abraham is victorious in a battle against some neighboring kings, he gives a tithe of his spoils of battle to Melchizedek the high priest of Salem. It is important to note that Abraham tithes voluntarily and, as far as we know, he tithes only once.

It was not until 500 years later (circa 1400 BC), after the exodus of the people of Israel from Egypt, that God instituted a law requiring the people of Israel to tithe (Numbers 18:21-26). The purpose of the tithing law was to provide support for the priests and Levites who served in the Tent of Meeting. Another law requiring each Jewish male to pay an annual temple tax had a similar purpose to the tithing law (Ex 38:26). The Tent of Meeting was where the priests administered sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins committed by the people of Israel.

In about 950 BC, King Solomon built a temple in Jerusalem to replace the Tent of Meeting (1 Kings 6 – 10). Upon completion of the Temple, the priests and Levites relocated their sacrificial ministry from the Tent to the Temple. The people continued to support the priests through tithing and the temple tax.

From this time forward, the Jewish people practiced tithing with varying degrees of compliance until the last Temple was destroyed by the Romans around 70 AD. With the destruction of the Temple, the ancient Jews ceased tithing as there was no longer a Temple or priestly ministry in need of support.

The Christian Church emerged some time before the destruction of the Temple . Almost all of the first Christians were of Jewish descent, many of whom struggled with understanding how their new faith in Jesus impacted their practice of Judaism. The Letter to the Hebrews was written to such Jewish Christians. It taught that the Temple was no longer necessary, as forgiveness of sins now came through faith in the death and resurrection of Christ, not through the sacrificial ministry of priests in the Temple (Heb 10). It follows that if the Temple and the priests were not necessary, tithing to support them would also not be necessary. Considering this, it is not surprising that there is no record of Jewish Christians tithing to the Temple after the foundation of the Church. Additionally, the New Testament does not contain any command that Christians tithe.

References to tithing in the New Testament are limited to Matthew 23:23, Luke 11:42, Luke 18:12 and Hebrews 7:8-9. The verses in Matthew and Luke are spoken to Jews still subject to the tithing laws, not to Christians. In these verses, Jesus questions the priorities of Jews who place a heavier emphasis on tithing than on charity, mercy and the like. The author of Hebrews refers to tithing to make the point that Christ is greater than the Jewish high priest (Heb 7:8-9, see also Matt 17:26). The author does not instruct Jewish Christians to tithe. To do so would contradict the main theme of the letter which is to prove to Jewish Christians that the resurrection of Christ renders the Temple obsolete.

Soon after Pentecost, with the help of the Apostle Paul, the Christian faith spreads beyond Israel and many Gentiles become Christians. (Jews refer to non-Jews as Gentiles). The first Gentile converts to Christianity were often “God-Fearers." God-Fearers were Gentiles who appreciated Judaism and attended Jewish synagogue services, but did not convert to Judaism usually due to the circumcision requirement. As God-Fearers did not undergo circumcision and convert to Judaism, they were not expected to follow the Jewish Law, meaning they were not obligated to tithe, pay the temple tax, obey the sabbath and the like.

In each city the Apostle Paul visited, he evangelized the local synagogue first, resulting in God-Fearers and Jews converting to Christianity. These new Christians formed local churches in homes (Acts 8:3, Rom 16:5, 1 Cor 16:19, Col 4:15, Phm 1:2). Paul and his colleagues repeated this process in several cities, founding churches in Galatia, Ephesus, Thessalonica, Philippi, Colossae and elsewhere.

As Paul traveled from city to city, he would instruct his churches remotely through letters. These letters make up the bulk of the New Testament. Some of them were likely written prior to the destruction of the Temple (e.g. 1 Thessalonians and Galatians). Paul insists that Gentile Christians (including God-Fearers) reject circumcision and subjection to the Jewish Law (Gal 5:2-6). It is not surprising then, that Paul never suggests that Gentile Christians begin tithing to the Temple or paying the Temple tax. Nor does Paul--or any other New Testament author-- institute any system similar to tithing for the support of the Church.

Since there was no New Testament equivalent to tithing, a question arises regarding how churches were supported. During New Testament times, churches were not institutions. They did not have dedicated buildings or full-time leaders supported by attendees. Instead, churches were similar to modern day home groups. They met in homes with leaders who had means of income other than congregational support. New Testament churches, in other words, had no costs of operation.

Just because they did not tithe does not mean that the early Christians neglected supporting their leaders or giving to Charity. Paul teaches that apostles had the right to request financial support, a right Paul himself did not exercise because he did not want to burden the congregation (1 Cor 9:14-15). The churches also routinely supported widows, orphans and other poor people (1 Tim 5:9, Acts 2:45, Acts 6:1). Paul placed a special emphasis on supporting famished Christians in Jerusalem, asking the Corinthian Christians to take a regular collection for a time to support them. Before asking this, he reminds the Corinthians that the collection is voluntary and not a command (2 Cor 9:7). In summary, whether to apostles or charity, the early Church gave freely as they had means, not because of an expectation or religious requirement that they give a fixed percentage of their income. The Church continued with this voluntary approach to giving for over three centuries.

to be continued in part 2

[Sam]

continued from part 1

“The early Church had no tithing system. The tithes of the Old Testament were regarded as abrogated by the law of Christ…..As the Church expanded, however, and its material needs grew more numerous and complex, it became necessary to adopt a definite rule to which people could be held either by a sense of moral obligation or by a precept of positive law. The tithing of the Old Law provided an obvious model and it began to be taught—more commonly in the West, however, than in the East—that the faithful should give tithes of their income. When the view began to get sufficient support, it found legislative expression. The Council of Macon in 585 ordered payment of tithes and threatened excommunication to those who refused to comply."


Summary and Conclusions
Catholic Christians believe in the authority of the Pope, the Councils and the Bible. As such, they tithe as defined by the Council of Macon and later pronouncements on tithing. For Protestant Christians relying solely on the Bible to inform their faith and practice, understanding early Church practice as reflected in the New Testament result in some different conclusions regarding giving:

1. Each time the New Testament talks about tithing, it is referring to the Old Testament law requiring Jews to give 10 percent of their increase to support the operation of the Temple and the Jewish priests. The Letter to the Hebrews teaches that Christ's sacrifice rendered the Temple and the priests obsolete. This is why the New Testament never applies the practice of tithing (i.e. giving 10 percent of one’s income to support the Temple) to Christians.

2. The requirement that Christians “tithe" (tithing here meaning giving ten percent of one's income to support Church buildings and pastors similar to how the Jews tithed to support the Temple and priests) was devised by the Church in 585 AD, centuries after the New Testament was written. This further explains why such a requirement is not mentioned in the New Testament.

3. While the New Testament neither instructs nor suggests that Christians set aside a fixed percentage of their income to support Church leaders or church buildings, it does encourage Christians to give freely and generously to worthy causes such as aged parents, the poor, missionaries and Church leaders.

4. The New Testament states that Church leaders may earn their living from the Church, meaning the leaders may appeal to the Church for voluntary support.

5. The New Testament does not give guidance on Christian priorities when deciding whether, or how much, to give to the church, missionaries or the poor. This means the common Protestant teaching that the local church should have pride of place in Christian giving (before charity, missions or other religious causes) has no Biblical support. It is worth mentioning that 1 Tim 5:8, 1 Tim 5:2 and Mark 7:11 suggest that caring for one’s family and parents is a top priority.

6. The New Testament encourages giving out of abundance or prosperity. It does not expect sacrificial giving, although it does commend it. (See Luke 21:2-4, 2Cor 8:14, 1 Cor 16:2 and 2 Cor 8:8).
__________________

[Sabby]

Wow, Sam,

Great essay and right on the money!

Seriously, this is a divisive issue particularly for pastors that need tithes to continue to be "full-time". So many preachers go into ministry with the idea of pastoring a "big church" that is self-supporting; iow, can afford paying a pastor a "full-time" salary. Being full-time becomes a guage of ministerial success in some quarters and can be very stressful. Rethinking tithing will require ministry to completely reorganize the way we "do" church.
Do you think this will be seriously discussed at any GCs any time soon? lol

[sandie]

^^^^
Very good.
Thanks for posting this, Sam.

It makes a monumental amount of sense.
It pleases me no end to give, but somehow I knew prosperity wasn't attatched to it, nor did the NT require it in the same sense the OT did.

I am glad that Jesus said if we give it would be given unto us, pressed down, shaken together....