Theology Blog

It has been interesting over the years to see the various theologies of giving that exist in the church. So often, giving is done out of habit, tradition or worse yet emotion instead of a careful, thought out philosophy or theology of giving. I have seen several theologies of giving at play:

Giving out of Obligation: simply put, you give because you feel you have to give. There is no joy, it is simply another obligation.

Giving out of Habit: you have always given, your parents gave, so you give too.

Giving to get Something: this is a bit of the prosperity Gospel. You give to get something in return from the church or from God.

Giving to Feel Good: you give to be able to feel good about yourself and to pat yourself not eh back.

Giving to Avoid Guilt: much like obligation giving, you give because you feel guilty if you do not give. This guilt may come from within or could come from the church.

Giving to Avoid Punishment: in this case, people give so that God will not punish them as if we have to pay the church for God’s love…

Giving to Get God’s Favor: this is almost identical to getting something, but less tangible. Here it is all about having God see you as good because you give.

Giving to gain Power: I have seen this a lot. As a pastor, 90% of the people who tell me what they give, do so for a reason. They want me to know. They are used to their money giving them power.

Giving as a way of Voting: in churches, people vote with their feet and their wallet, so in this case, giving is used as a weapon of sorts to vote your pleasure or displeasure with staff, programs, mission or direction

Giving to be Generous: those who give to be generous simply want to bless others and express love and thankfulness. It is not a call, obligation or tool, it is a gift.

Giving because God calls us to Give: the scripture is clear, we are called to give part of what we have back to God and his church. All we have after all comes from God.