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Academic

: Less than the Least

Tithes and Offerings--Skeel

By David Skeel and Bill Stuntz

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At the end of each year I wonder whether I and my family's giving for the year fully reflects the Bible's teachings. It isn't so much the question of how much to give that I puzzle over. While the New Testament doesn't specify the amount we should give, it strongly suggests we should give at least as much as the ten percent tithe (before-tax, not after-tax, income) called for in the Old Testament.

More puzzling for me is which giving should count. Our principal giving should be to our church, of course. But should we think of giving to other Christian organizations—say a crisis pregnancy center or a Christian magazine or a soup kitchen-- as part of our giving or not? I tend to finesse this a little by directing a substantial majority of my giving to the church, while also giving to these other Christian organizations. It seems to me that the work they are doing is also a crucial part of the church's mission, even if the particular organization is not directly involved in worship.

But perhaps I'm wrong about this. I can imagine that some might take the view that Biblical giving only includes giving to the church, since this is the center of worship. It seems to me that this narrower view has at least one surprising implication: if outside Biblical giving does not include giving for charities that operate outside of the church, this implies that the role of these charities is likely to be limited and that much of the funding for social services will need to come from elsewhere. The government is the most likely source. Those who hold to a narrow view of Biblical giving should therefore also favor a generous, government-funded social safety net. I wonder if most do.

Full post as published by Less than the Least on January 18, 2010 (boomark / email).