Theology Blog

One of the often debated, talked about and yet avoided issues within Christian theology is giving, often called tithing. Lately, I have heard increased questions about this in our ever changing world where there is constant demand and competition for charitable dollars.

Often, Christians talk about the 10% tithe based on passage(s) from the Bible that indicate that we give our first fruits, our first 10% to God. In most cases, God gets our leftovers, not just when it comes to finances. We often forget that everything we have, even our ability to earn money comes from God. We are simply managers, or stewards of all the resources God has given us; our money, time, talents and more. 

Yet, to assume that there is some rigid 10% rule would not be accurate, especially in the context of the whole of scripture, in the context of the New Testament and the Gospel. God is not a legalist. It is healthiest to see the 10% as a guide. Many would suggest that 10% goes to God and that means a local church. Others would suggest it means any faith based ministry, others would suggest any charity. Again, it is unhealthy to get caught up in the details in a rigid way no matter where you fall on this equation.

Ultimately, giving is between you and God. As a pastor, I never wanted to know what anyone gave and if I did, it was because they told me and in most cases, they told me for a reason. We follow a God of grace who wants us to live the most free and abundant life possible. Any suggestion around our money from God is for our good and the good of others. God does not need my money or your money.

When it comes to giving, we should all grow in our giving over time and not just financially. I encourage people to set a charitable giving goal to the church and to other ministries and non-profits just as they set other goals. We are called to be generous. Generosity is life giving. Generosity begets generosity. Generosity is an expression of love and trust.

Of all the things Jesus talked about, money was the second most frequent topic. Again, this was not because Jesus wants to micromanage our money or because Jesus needs our money. Jesus knew that money is a key part of our life and connected to the rest of our life: our emotions, our spiritual life, our body. Money has tremendous power over our life. Money often dictates our priorities, perspectives and decision making. God wants to transform our whole lives to give us life and freedom and for the good of others and the world. This includes our financial life. 

Tithing, giving, stewardship, money management and generosity are ultimately matters of trust. Do we trust God with every area of our life, or do we live in fear and control forgetting that all we have comes from God and we are blessed to blessed others. We are called to a generous life.

For me, I want to be the most generous person I can be. I have often struggled to trust God with money and I have grown a lot in my understanding of finances, my giving, generosity and trusting God. Wisdom is as essential as trust, but I never want to forget that I am blessed and I am called to use all that I am and all that I have for the good of others, including my financial and material resources.  My goal is to give 10%-15% of our financial resources to churches and faith based organizations. I also hope that we can give up to 10% more to other charitable causes. We continue to grow into that.  As we do so, we find more freedom with money and find that we continue to have all that we need and much of what we want. 

Money is complicated, but it can be a gift that blesses others and leads to a life of greater freedom.