Saturday, August 23, 2008

 

The Importance of Tithing

Folks, this is going to sound corny, as if I'm doing my gosh darnedest to sound like Gary North or Charley Reese. So be it: My wife and I are Christian and so we tithe, meaning we set aside 10% of our monthly income and give it to the Church. (This book gives an in-depth explanation of tithing's Biblical origin, whether tithing on only after-tax income means you're going to Hell, etc.)

I have noticed that without fail our monthly budgets are overflowing with money when we are tithing, and we are living paycheck to paycheck when we are not tithing. Really, I am quite confident that this statement accurately describes my household, and I bet it does yours, too.

The principle can work for secular people as well, but it doesn't have the supernatural implications. Here, the idea is one important reason to form a budget and make long-term savings goals, is that it gives you discipline to get your finances under control. After all, you have to know how much you make each month, and how much you spend, in order to make long range forecasts. Finally, if you keep a meticulous budget like this, it will be painfully obvious to you what you are sacrificing by eating out every day, rather than brown-bagging it. Your budget shows you quite clearly that this is preventing you from taking a Vegas trip in x months. Really? Is Arby's that much better than a deli sandwich you can make in your kitchen? Do you really need to hit Starbucks every morning?

Incidentally, this is a great illustration of my view that everything "supernatural" that God does in someone's life, is also perfectly consistent with the laws of physics. So when you start tithing--and think, "Oh no, if things were tight before, how can I give up an additional 10% of my money off the top??"--all of a sudden your nets are overflowing with fish. And people think, "A miracle! The Lord kept His promise."

But the atheist accountant could point out all the pragmatic and psychological reasons that the very decision to begin tithing, had on monthly inflow and outflow. Nothing magic here!

Right, and that's how God controls everything. It's not just miracles but also everyday life that He controls. It's far more elegant that we can discover simple laws governing subatomic particles, and that this all yields the tremendous complex beauty of the macro world.

So if you are a believer and have been feeling guilty, start tithing. If I told you that a certain prayer would give you an extra 5% income per month, you'd say the prayer. Well I'm telling you that if you start tithing as you know you ought to, then you will get paid for it, literally.

Finally, if you are a skeptic: You understand that the above appeal didn't really depend on belief in an omniscient Deity. So if you want to multiply your paycheck, adopt a long-term budget in Excel (or something comparable), so that you can really see how much your current behavior influences the trend of your standard of living. Now here's the kicker: Go ahead and every month donate 10% to your favorite charity(ies). (Steve Landsburg argues it's "rational" to concentrate your entire donation into one lump sum for the most important organization, but I disagree.)

I think that if you designate a truly altruistic use for 10% of your income, that somehow keeps you objective and you can more dispassionately assess your financial situation. It probably also makes it harder for you to just skip "doing the budget" for a few months because things are crazy at work, you caught the flu, your girlfriend dumped you, etc. But hey, if you're just saving for your future retirement, then you're not hurting anybody by spending recklessly in the present...

So if I'm right about that last observation, then that gives a good, secular explanation for why it's not a burden but actually a blessing if people really think they have a duty to give 10% of their income to something much more important than their consumption.



Comments:
"My wife and I are Christian and so we tithe..."

You sound like a character from a Dorothy Sayers novel -- "He used to be a Romish Catholic, but then he became a Christian."
 
Sorry but I don't get the reference... It's true that being a Christian now means more than when I was raised as a Catholic. However, I think that's mostly because it was a very lukewarm Catholicism that I learned.
 
My observations largely follow what you have said. When I choose to give, I have enough.
 
Whatever you want in life, give it away...
 
Bob, I agree with your assessment of the importance of tithing, from both a theological perspective and as a practical matter.

Let me also point out that a few years back Ted Turner discovered "tithing" as a purely non-religious expression, and he has stated publicly that he has been changed and enriched thereby. So as you said, regardless of a person's religious preferences, it just works (but there is also a supernatural benefit for both Christians and Jews, as you already pointed out).

Also, please let me invite you (and others reading this) to participate in my online discussion of how biblical economic policies can be applied to a modern economy. The direct URL for that post is here:

http://thewisdomofgold.com/2009/01/19/biblical-economic-policy-and-the-modern-economy/

I look forward to your perspective therein.

Oh, and I am still waiting for my copies of your "Politically incorrect" book and two study guides to arrive from Mises.org. I'll give you feedback once I have them and as I digest them.

-Rev. Rich Vermillion
 
I assume Gene was struck by the apparent non-sequitir in the phrase he quoted, as I was. You make it sound like the fact that you tithe follows from being Christian when in fact most Christians don't tithe. One might take that to mean you think those who don't tithe are not real Christians the way the Sayers' quote implies Roman Catholics are not real Christians.

"So if you are a believer and have been feeling guilty, start tithing. If I told you that a certain prayer would give you an extra 5% income per month, you'd say the prayer."

I've been a believer and I know I would not have said such a prayer because you told me it would give me 5% a month. I would simply have checked you off as obviously irrational on the subject of prayer.

Is there any reason why budgeting won't work just as well without tithing? Suppose you simply save 10% each month in a safe but temporarily illiquid asset? The 10% is not available for you in the short term so you have to be just as meticulous about your budget, don't you?

"Right, and that's how God controls everything. It's not just miracles but also everyday life that He controls. It's far more elegant that we can discover simple laws governing subatomic particles, and that this all yields the tremendous complex beauty of the macro world."


Surely you can see that a hypothetical God added nothing/nada/zilch to the explanation you just gave.

As Laplace said "I had no need of that hypothesis". He didn't mention God in his explanation of the mechanics of the Universe because God would explain none of it.

You could add "And this is the way God wants it" to all your economic articles, but it wouldn't add anything of explanatory value.
 
Tithing was part of the Mosaic law that ENDED at the cross. Generous giving is what the New Testament teaches. Pastors teaching that tithing is required today are perpetuating one of the largest frauds in the history of the US. Tithing didn't even begin in the US until around 1870. Also, tithing was ALWAYS on ASSETS, and NEVER on INCOME. The assets always came from God, NOT man. God NEVER required anyone to tithe on anything that man made or earned. Church leaders change God's words and tell you to tithe on your income. That is wrong. Learn the truth at: www.tithing101.com and stop the false teaching!
 
OK, but why give it to the church for them to give to someone of their choosing? Why not find worthy recipients yourself using your own judgement?
 
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