Posted on 09/07/2015 9:54:29 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
An Israeli rabbi who recently authored a book on charity has argued that the Bible actually calls on people to give 20 percent in charity rather than a 10 percent tithe.
Shneor Cohen, a 27-year-old ordained rabbi, has argued that a commonly cited justification for giving 10 percent may actually be 20 percent.
"Cohen, an ordained rabbi, said that the sages of the Talmud pointed to Deuteronomy 14:22, which states: 'Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year.' The verse is often cited as the biblical basis for tithing one's income," reported The Blaze.
"However, in the original Hebrew of the Torah, the first two words of the verse, 'aser t'aser,' meaning 'set aside a tenth,' are nearly identical and share the same root as the number 10. This has been interpreted by some to suggest 10 plus 10."
Samuel Lamerson, PhD, president of Knox Theological Seminary and professor of New Testament, takes issue with this interpretation.
In an interview with The Christian Post, the Knox Seminary leader explained that Cohen was "using a particular kind of Jewish exegesis to come to his conclusions."
"Christians, in general, do not depend upon the Mishna or the Talmud for an understanding of the text," said Lamerson.
"This is not an uncommon method for Jewish interpreters but the method used to come to a 20 percent tithe would never be used by Evangelical Christians."
Lamerson also told CP the "Hebrew word for tithe is essentially one that can mean 'one tenth,'" but also that "there is some disagreement about whether or not the tithe is still in force."
"In answer to the claim that it is not, most will simply say that one tenth is a guideline that we have and thus unless there is a better guide this should still guide the giver," continued Lamerson.
"It should be stated that one should not give in a grudging manner, but, as the Apostle Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians, in a cheerful way."
As church membership is on the decline in the United States, churches have seen much discussion emerge about giving.
In 2008, a book titled Passing the Plate noted that "few American Christians donate generously to religious and charitable causes."
"Far from the 10 percent of one's income that tithing requires, American Christians' financial giving typically amounts, by some measures, to less than 1 percent of annual earnings. And a startling one out of five self-identified Christians gives nothing at all," continued the book's Amazon description.
William Willimon, a former United Methodist Church bishop and professor at Duke Divinity School, told CP that because of the trends noted by Passing the Plate and others, the debate over the actual amount of the Old Testament tithe seemed "moot."
"I find that interesting, however, for most American Christians the discussion is sort of moot or theoretical because a very, very small percentage of American Christians give at the level of 10 percent," said Willimon.
"[Passing the Plate] basically showed what pastors have suspected, that our giving rates to the church are in real decline."
Willimon also told CP that he believed it was "worthy to be troubled that Christians are so far off the mark" when it comes to giving.
"I believe they should give more than they are giving," added Willimon. "I've heard expressions like 'I'll give 'til it hurts,' I haven't been around that many Christians who do that."
I’ve even read comments that there three tithes.
Not every year. One is to save up for Jubilee year celebration, I think.
But depending on which TV channel you hear preaching on, you might hear that 10% is for you to keep, and 90% needed for Lear Jet maintenance.
The word "tithe/tithing" is mentioned only twice in the New Testament, and only when Jesus is rebuking the religious leaders for their hypocrisy. It's mentioned 12 times in the Old Testament.
One webpage that I just looked at went so far as to say this:
"We can conclude from reviewing the New Testament scriptures that although there is support for the sharing of material wealth with the ministry, there is no conclusive proof in the New Testament to support the inclusion of the Old Covenant tithing principle in Christian teaching."
Is Tithing required by the New Testament?
I know this type of thinking has gotten me into trouble with my own church, but I pretty much share the same viewpoint. So I'm going to go out on a limb and say that we under no obligation or law to give a certain amount of money to the Church.
Now let me add a clarifying though here. While the Scriptures do not teach that the tithe is incumbent upon New Testament believers, it does teach that Christians are to be generous, sacrificial, expectant and cheerful givers. Giving is done under love, not under the auspice of the Law. We are not commanded to give a set amount, but to be willing to give as God gives us the ability to do so.
I’m wondering why Christians would rely on the law of Moses to determine what amount they give.
10% off the top?
Or after taxes, or after expenses?
Consider that we pay income tax, that was kind of like the OT tithe.
And the Church relies on tax exemption. Givers keep track for deductions. Not good to place trust in US govt.
Note —
Acts 15:29
That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.
No tithe here.
When super mega churches have their own bizjet one tends to wonder about .....
The New Covenant resolves this question. We can no longer give 10%, 20%, or even 50% and say the rest is mine to do with as I please. Everything belongs to God and should be spent/invested/saved/given as though it is His. “Give to Caesar that which is Caesar’s, and give to God that which is God’s.” And it is all God’s!
Makes everything much simpler.
“Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”-2 Corinthians 9:7
The principal, the example of giving is set prior to the law, when Abram gave a tenth of all to Melchizedek.
I’m wondering why Christians would rely on the law of Moses to determine what amount they give.
I will try to give a short answer - because they have been brainwashed by pastors and denominations pushing a false doctrine. The laws of Israel to provide for the Old Covenant priesthood are not applicable to the New Covenant Church or Christians. Jesus removed us from the law.
There are lots of competing views, but I believe (in overall context since “tithing” is never directed to Christians in the New Testament) that our giving is to be a gift of the heart as we are directed by the Holy Spirit.
I give to our church to help pay the pastoral staff, keep the lights on (not build a new mega-building), and support local ministries. I am a member of the church and that seems reasonable to me. However, the bulk of our support is made to other ministries or missions as we feel directed like Gospel for Asia (a very effective ministry). I don’t keep “score” although I suspect that a Rabbi would not find fault.
Beware of any church that claims 10% paid only to them is a law or that the church is the storehouse. False. Beware of any church that tells you that you will be blessed tenfold for each dollar you give them. False. We already received the blessing beyond measure - Jesus. God does not need our money - he wants our love and worship. Give in that spirit and you are following the spirit of Christ. Get bogged down in the law and you and your church have missed the point.
That is my .02. There are some great messages about this online that are rooted in scripture and sound reasoning. If your church falsely applies the law of the Levites there are over 400 other ones to keep and the old testament is clear - follow them all or follow none.
The one time tithe of Abraham does not apply to Christians and the cherry-picking of old testament tithing by a Christian church fails to tell the whole truth or use the entire scripture. I don’t consider myself a scholar, but studying the whole passage in the old testament vs. the cherry-picked scriptures may surprise you because those preaching “tithing” (often over and over) are not even representing the Old Testament Covenant correctly.
I said short answer and could not help myself. Cliff notes if nobody wants to read all of this -
We are under the NEW COVENANT - not the old. We are not Jews living in the promised land. If tithing was important to Christ surely he or Paul would have mentioned it. If tithing was essential for salvation the gift of Christ would not be free. Beware of anyone who preaches differently. Give freely from the heart as you feel directed.
The principal, the example of giving is set prior to the law, when Abram gave a tenth of all to Melchizedek.
The gift of Abraham was a one-time gift of the spoils of war. It is never repeated again in scripture regarding Abraham nor is there any evidence that Abraham “tithed” regularly.
After this you get into the promised land and the Levitical priesthood under the laws of Moses. Certainly not applicable to Christians today because we don’t observe these laws - nor was it the 10% monthly, nor do we celebrate, nor do pastors preach it correctly.
The only mention of tithing in the New Testament were directed at hypocrisy in the Temple. Jesus lived under the law - but he removed us from the law.
We should give out of love as directed by the Holy Spirit. The reality that we have “Christian” churches bogged down in 10% pre-tax vs 10% post-tax argument saddens me.
As we are living under the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, much more is required. We are to give over and above the tithe, so it could be 15%, 20%, or even 50% depending on how much we feel blessed to give, considering 100% belongs to the Lord and without His blessings, we'd have nothing.
I don’t give to organizations that drive better cars and live in better houses better than I do. I never thought Jesus said to build churches that cost so damned much there is nothing left to give to the needy.
Tithing is for suckers who obey their guilt complex.
Really? So I can buy my way there? Whoda thunk?
Giving from the heart shows that we have the heart of Jesus. However, you can’t put a percentage on it and there are many ways to give back beyond writing a check. We should also give of our talents, time, energy, and attention to further his kingdom.
I will tell anyone who will listen to BEWARE of any church or pastor that seems fixated on your wallet and there is no magical number as a percentage that demonstrates our walk.
Every Christian should contemplate the lesson of the widow’s mite. Was Christ celebrating a poor woman who gave everything, was he rebuking the hypocrisy of the temple/priests that were supposed to care for her (not take from her), or was it both?
The answer to this question (individually) reveals our understanding of the heart of Christ. I believe it is an important question for each Christian to answer and study.
Any pastor who preaches this story while beating you over the head about tithing has missed the beautiful lesson straight from Jesus that best reflects his heart for giving. That is a pastor who is perverting the scripture for his own gain. Strong statement, but that is my opinion.
I'm thinking that when the Bible was written, taxes were much lower.
The tithe under old testament law was a tax on the Hebrews - it is far more complicated than Christian pastors make it when they cherry-pick parts of it to beat their congregation down about giving (to them).
Regardless of the complexities it does not change the absolute truth that Christ removed us from the law. So beyond a basic bible history lesson the Old Testament tithe has no relevance to the New Covenant body of Christ. What does it say about the church and those we place in the pulpit that it is one of the most frequently heard sermons on Sunday’s?
RE: I’m thinking that when the Bible was written, taxes were much lower.
During the time of Moses and before the Kings, those were THE TAXES.
I think you miss the point: if 10% was good enough for Abraham, 20% seems above and beyond the call of duty.
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