rethinking the "tithe"

I just finished a book that looked at American Christian giving through a sociological lens.

It was interesting. Americans are not very generous. 2.5% I think is the average giving across the board, somewhere around there. And the numbers are actually skewed, because a small minority of Christians give a lot that has an effect to bumb up the average. So basically, the average American Christian is really stingy in their giving, around the 1% of total income level.

Well, why?

I'll let you read the book to explore the possibles they brought up, I think some great points were made and discussed, and some I didn't agree with. But the fact remains. The idea of the "tithe" as we now have it is not working.

So it got me thinking. This might be a radically bold suggestion, but why don't we change the entire mentality of what "tithe" implies for an American Christian. Forget 10%. In fact, I don't think there's a direct Biblical basis for 10% giving. That's something that comes out of Deuteronomy and Leviticus, and the people involved actually ended up giving more than 10% of their possessions/money in a year's time. So, why not get rid of this somewhat off-base Scriptural mentality that is clearly not working.

Jesus' view and affirmation on tithing is different:
"As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. "I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on." (Luke 21:1-4)

Nothing of 10% is mentioned or alluded to. Jesus affirms something beyond any set amount, and in fact, I think is affirming much more than just the monetary issue at hand. Jesus is emphasizing (through his affirmation) that we should be giving to where it makes us uncomfortable, at least in the wordly sense of the world. This woman was a widow. She didn't have the means and recourses to go out and get a job, nor a long time horizon to put her two coins in a 401k and watch her nest egg grow. I think she was able to, and did give because this widow knew her God was and was assured that He is Great Provider.

So in light of this, and other teachings throughout Jesus' ministry, we in fact should be giving a very large portion of ourselves and our finances. Which would add up to a lot more than 10%. Jesus gave all of Himself up for us, and we barely give more than 2.5% of our money!!, and money is only one aspect of our entire person!! don't forget our time, our relationships, our intelligence, our.....

So maybe the American church should start teaching something else. Who knows, maybe something like a "reverse" budget. You don't make a budget based on how much you earn, you figure out how much you need to fulfill basic living expenses in line with Scripture, and then the rest is given. Plan out how much you need for food, clothing, shelter, and paying taxes to Caesar, whose money it is anyway. And maybe throw in a dinner or two dining out with the wife or husband so you can have some quality fellowship time. The rest of the income goes to support Kingdom building work. Missions. Work that shares the gospel. Bible printing or translating or distribution. Hospital building. Building schools where the Gospel is taught. Meeting hands and feet needs in communities at home and abroad. There are a zillion ways the money of this world can be put towards Heavenly purposes.

"Well Hunter, that's just unrealistic" you might say. I don't think so. Don't get me wrong, giving more money for the sake of giving more is not going to do anything except make you poorer. Spiritually and materialistically. But people can get by and live joyously on not much money at all. You might have experienced this. Why do people in "third-world" countries seem so joyful and content when you interact or hear about them on missions trips? They certainly don't have 401ks, bank accounts, savings. They've got a lot of Jesus. So they might be "third-world" to the world as we know it, but they certainly aren't "third-world" to God.

I really do think we would serve ourselves, the church, and most importantly, Jesus, much better if committed time to sit down, study Scripture, seek the Holy Spirit, and really try to get a handle around the "tithe" that God really wants us to be sharing in our lives. Yes, it's going to be uncomfortable and challenging. But I think the reward on the flip side will be well worth the effort, and in doing so, I think we'll come to the conclusion that we'll want to be giving away much more than 10%.