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Christianity Today, December, 2008 |

Cover Story

Scrooge Lives!

Why we're not putting more in the offering plate. And what we can do about it.

Rob Moll | posted 12/05/2008 09:22AM

This could be the worst moment in our lifetimes to discover that American Christians give away relatively little of their money.

The economy is in the midst of the worst downturn in at least 17 years and ...

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D Miller

Posted: December 19, 2008 1:24 AM

In the magazine, it shows a graph of all denominations and the percentage of income that they’re giving on average. By at least double, the Mormon church led with 5% as an average. The next closest was the Evangelicals, but they weren’t much more than 2%. Catholics, Protestants, and Episcopalians were all under 2% with Catholics trailing all. Funny thing, this article talks about all the other denominations but never once mentions the Mormons and their impressive faithfulness in tithing (relatively speaking). The article incorrectly states that “Evangelicals lead amongst American Christian churches in giving”, even though the LDS Church contributes a percentage of over twice as much.

R.A.	Posted: December 12, 2008 12:57 PM

Good administration of earned money that is offered to the cause of the gospel is a right concern for Christians. Many Christians really excel in administering money by putting God's money to help the needy and the spreading of the Gospel but I feel that money is also a call for love of neighbor and I don't see an explicit connection in the article. There is also a question that lumbers in my mind, how many Christians were co-authors in creating this economic upheaval? Are we now calling Christians for a bail out? Christian charity must prevail but also self examination should not be avoided if you want sins to be forgiven and due reparation to take place. In the parable of the Good Samaritan the religious stablishment is called into question about what they do with the needy. How many Christians did not raise their voice about the different "signs" of the economic "greed" that slowly was erroding this Country of ours?

Gracie

Posted: December 12, 2008 7:45 AM

I think that we Christians need to improve in our giving. Many, as this article pointed out, give only impulsively not thoughtfully. I have tithed on my gross income since I got my first job; not because I saw my parents do this but because of the Bible's teaching. I tithe 10% to my church. Then I determine what organizations I feel are doing good work and I give another % of my income to them. I have no sympathy for those who don't give because they can't trust organizations to spend their money wisely. I research those to whom I give to make sure they are doing the most with what they receive. It takes a little time but at least I can be sure my money is doing the work I intend. Another aspect of stewardship that receives little attention is the responsiblity we have to use all of the money God gives us wisely. Will I live in a little smaller house? Will I drive a used car instead of a new car? God has blessed me and it is my responsibilty to use what He gives me wisely.

EW Jenkins

Posted: December 10, 2008 11:00 AM


People give to vision before they give to needs. When they see no vision they wonder why they should give money to keep the lights on and give money to make payroll in a building that is in use a couple hours a week. I am a business person and if I had to pay a full time staff but my doors were open only a couple hours a week for business, I would be out of business!

Judith

Posted: December 09, 2008 7:01 AM

I do not believe tha all giving should be secret. The story of the widow's mite is one where there was a public giving. Only alms should be secret. Pay deductions are a possible solution but the banking system is not always kosher. The point of the execs taking too much is the single biggest deterrent to giving. Congratulations to Pat Robertson who does not take a salary. The teaching of tithing is also controversial and may hinder giving. I believe in the cheerful giving, but use the tithe as guide- not less then. People need also to see that there giving is bring the right fruits and not making some more affluent. teaching on giving should vere awau from the wealth getting- it is not biblical.

Anonymous

Posted: December 08, 2008 11:01 AM


Article is very thought provoking and prompts some action items - however, an open-air amphitheatre wouldn't work so well in Northern Indiana where it was minus 1 degrees with wind chill this past Sunday morning!

MerryKate

Posted: December 08, 2008 2:43 AM

While I will enthusiastically support the idea that American christians need to give more, and give faithfully, I think the researchers did a disservice by lumping all evangelicals together. In previous studies published in the book "Who Really Cares?", Arthur C. Brooks showed (to his chagrin) that the more conservative and religious people are, the more they give to charity in both dollars and time. By putting the liberal and conservative churches together, they skewed the results. I grew up in a poor family, all of whom were faithful tithers - and all of whom could testify to God's faithfulness in providing for us. We're religious conservatives. Because we believe the Bible is true, we take God's commandments about money seriously. The problem is not that Christians don't give enough - it's that they don't take God's word seriously enough, and that has a far-reaching impact. What we really need is church renewal.

Scoti Springfield Domeij

Posted: December 08, 2008 12:38 AM

Deut. 4:27-29 changed my tithing view:“Also you shall not neglect the Levite who is in your town, for he has no portion or inheritance among you. At the end of every third year you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in that year, and shall deposit it in your town. The Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance among you, and the alien, the orphan and the widow who are in your town, shall come and eat and be satisfied, in order that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do. I was a solo parent who worked for male-dominated "Christian" ministries. I was divorced due to my husband's adultery and arrogantly labeled “less than.” I didn't earn enough to pay rent and child care. Once I lacked $30 to pay my utilities. I felt humiliated when I asked my church for $30. I was told, "Get another job or two." My utilities were cut off. I tithe DIRECTLY to widows and orphans, not to “ministries” (aka businesses) that pay high salaries to hard hearts.

Paul	Posted: December 07, 2008 8:38 PM

I am unsure if we all moved into our cars, then all used our friends showers & bathrooms that this is a good solution to self-centred high debt living. Perhaps we could take up caves like the ascetics? What will Cornerstone do when it rains? What if it really hot? Umm? Will the services be essentially outdoor concerts where the next neighbours will complain? Therefore I assume their property will be isolated from the suburbs, hence the need for a hugh carpark? Fair enough they may save millions on a huge auditorium I guess we watch and see.

H. D. Schmidt

Posted: December 07, 2008 7:36 PM

While this nation under God and says it trust God, it is all over the world with its horrendous and ihumane war machinery in complete disobedience to the marching orders of the Founding Fathers, and spending trillions upon trillions, with only pittance going to promote freedom all over the world by feeding tha hungry and distraught! The words from Dwight D. Eisenhower says it all: "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, from those who are cold and are not clothed. Yes, Americans spend yearly over 40 billions on its pets. Yes, spends yearly around 5 billions on that Satanic celebration that of Holloween. Yes, on Christmas cards as around another 6 billion dollars, not to mention in the Celebration itself, that most Celebration is far from truly honoring the Savior of the world. In summary our Nation the way Christmas is celebrated has the very evil one dance and smiling.

DOUG	Posted: December 07, 2008 12:11 PM


Right-on Doug! I certainly don't want to give to large organizations with big buildings, which probably also pay their chief executive a lot of money. I do see passing the offering plate as antithetical to true worship, and I prefer to do my giving in secret as much as possible, as Jesus directed. I want to help people in need who I actually know.

KIM FOLEY

Posted: December 07, 2008 8:05 AM

I think it has to do with our attitude, as Americans, or as privileged people. I work I save I budget I give. See to many I’s. But do we give out of our scarcity, know way, we give out of our ERTRA. If the average Christian would just think about the items they buy, and ask IS THIS A WANT OR A NEED. A few years ago I was being more self absorbed then usual, I thought I needed a new car or a bigger better garage, more vacations poor me. This happened on my way to work, suddenly I felt did not hear this but felt God say you have all you need!!. Thanks

Steve Skeete

Posted: December 06, 2008 9:23 PM

Proportional giving, whether ten, five or two percent is a good policy. Many Christians support tithing, until economic realities "force" them to do otherwise. Since a significant percentage of Christians give a mere $200.00 annually, it follows that that if every Christian gave only two percent of their income, overall giving would improve tremendously. To me, it seems far better to ask believers to commit to a preferred level of giving and to increase that overtime as their faith and commitment grow. I have known persons to for years faithfully make the same small contribution to church or charity. Others started off making a small contribution, but increased it incrementally as time went on. Both are to be commended. While I believe all believers in Christ should give, I am not surprised that some can only manage to give a small percentage of their income, since giving is a reflection of our knowledge, relationship to Christ, and a gift, which not all Christians have.

Brian Cordell

Posted: December 06, 2008 9:19 PM

The really sad part is that most of the giving goes to serving ourselves. As a magazine written to those of "Evangelical Conviction", (see header at top of the page) I suspect that we care that Christ is preach in the church, but do little to confess Christ once we leave the doors. If honoring Christ was truly first in our lives, everyone we know would know it and we would be focusing all of our resources, including financial resources in the effort. A large percentage of the readers of this magazine are Americans that have a heritage established by those who pledged their "lives, fortunes, and sacred honor" to establish this country. The Body of Christ should do no less in their efforts to live and communicate the Gospel.

Pastor Karl

Posted: December 06, 2008 1:48 PM

Why does everything have to be doom and gloom. While the author's jumping between groups and comparisons so swiftly makes it difficult to compare apples to apples, it appears that a large amount is being given. If committed Christians make about $2.5 trillion, and the shortfall from a full tithe is only $46 billion, that means that over 80% of the full tithe is coming into the storehouse. That is much more than I would expect. Yes, some are not giving their share and others are giving extra. But let's celebrate a small victory here amidst the hand wringing.

Kaisen

Posted: December 06, 2008 11:03 AM

In reply to ... "why is it problematic to have automatic withdrawals as opposed to writing a weekly check?" ... Two reasons. First, at the very least the Bible authorizes placing an offering at the alter or to the minister, and when that is done it must be in a proper manner (no deceit or pretentiousness). God takes the heart into consideration when and offering is made. Second, why would anyone feel better (more anonymous) by electronic transfer? Someone in the Church who does the books will still know about it, there is no secrecy with automatic withdrawals. Of course there is nothing wrong with giving outside of Sunday morning, but the act of worship through and offering must never be denied. Ask yourselves the question, is giving about us or is it about the Lord?

pete Benson, editor UNITYINCHRIST.COM

Posted: December 06, 2008 5:51 AM

One aspect of giving that wasn't addressed was that it is supposed to be centered around Jesus' central command for the Church, found in Matthew 28:18-20, 'go into all the world, preach the gospel everywhere, and baptize and disciple (teach, spiritually nourish) those who have favorably responded.' This takes money. And the commission Jesus gave all of us believers right now is best being carried out by the international evangelistic organizations. Those organizations lie outside the scope of local church giving. My website has for years proposed a giving program that does not pass through the hands of local or denominational church leaders, but goes directly into international evangelistic organizations. It requires a tiny commitment of only $5.00 a week, yet could do so much. See http://www.UNITYINCHRIST.COM/missionstatement.htm to learn more about the giving plan. It's really novel, and easy to commit to. And it does not even go through me or this website.

Pete Dymond

Posted: December 05, 2008 11:52 PM

Gary, it's 10% of gross income, before you pay the government, you honour God. Wow! I found this article tragic. How few Christians are taught that giving tithes and offerings is a Kingdom Principle. There are spiritual laws that govern our world even if you don't believe in God! Some call it Karma, or 'what goes around comes around', but the Bible says that God is not mocked; you will reap what you sow. Give and it will be given unto you, pressed down, shaken together and running over. The shame is that poverty is also a spiritual condition. There is no 'excuse' for not honoring God with your money, He wants to return more into the hands of those who are willing to give. Not having enough is all the more reason to honor God. I've seen Him do more with the 90% I keep than the 'loss' of 10% I gave Him. Bottom line, tithes + offerings = increase.

Sean McHugh

Posted: December 05, 2008 10:30 PM


Bill, Amen!

Bill	Posted: December 05, 2008 10:01 PM


We are giving more - to WorldVision. Giving money that will save a human life seems more important than giving to put up an electric reader-board sign or update the kitchen. If churches spent less on facilities and more on addressing human suffering concretely, then more money might come in.

Roger

Posted: December 05, 2008 9:43 PM

Doug Giles in his article "The Detergent Church" suggests that preachers should declare a ten year moritorium on preaching about money. I have trouble counting the number of whinning preachers who tell us that we shouldn't worship money but money is almost all they talk about. A lot of poeple are concerned about where the money goes. Churches increase their budgets and additions to buildings church staff appear. Do these churches really need sophisticated, state of the art entertainment systems? Does a building designed by a famous architect bring more people to Christ? The most rewarding contribution that I have made in recent years won't appear in any study. I have a friend who is in law enforcement. He spends his annual leave going to missions in third world countries. I don't require a reciept, an annual report, a budget, or any accounting for the funds. I trust him to use the money in a practical and prudent way to carry God's word to those who haven't yet been reached.

anonymous

Posted: December 05, 2008 8:54 PM

I too wonder if these studies look at giving only to churches or do they include giving to other ministries as well. I grew up in a home with parents in the ministry, but not at a church and was taught to give in the context that God's work is the most important thing we can support. I more than tithe but only about 1/5 goes to my local church because of long term commitments to my many friends who are missionaries. I guess I trust them to use it efficiently and have a greater need as I have seen too many churches change their minds and dump a bunch into their own special projects or to put themselves on television where they can ask for more. I have served on the staff of my church and trust the hearts of the leadership here, but not always the judgement of some elected board members who have voiced the idea that we should give all to our church and let them decide how to use it.

Doug	Posted: December 05, 2008 8:38 PM

I think the reason people don't give is because they see their money not being put to good use. I am a pastor of a small church. We have no building but rather rent facilities. I don't get paid, but work full time in another occupation. But when someone in our church is needy we get the job done. People like giving to people and not institutions. I think when Jesus sees how much money is just wasted on big buildings that are empty but a few hours a week, I think Jesus weeps. I have been a pastor of a traditional church. It sickened me to see how the budget focused on buildings and programs rather than on what giving is supposed to do and that is helping people. You know if the church would emphasis giving money to the poor maybe compassion would move people to give. But when people are cajoled to give to a building and things I don't blame them for shutting up their pocket books. Unfortunately the church is just as materialistic as society.

Ralph Gaily

Posted: December 05, 2008 7:51 PM

A financial tsunami is approaching ..... re-think your priorities brothers! Big buildings and programs? Big salaries...big staffs? Big egos and spiritual pride? ... Status quo?.....traditions of men? denominational habits and demands? Leadership wake up! Where are the true pastors?....The American Church has gotten too fat and comfortable .....get ready for changes........ home churches worked quite well in the beginning....thousands of them everywhere....intimate....real .....very real...... like we are supposed to be! Wake up and trim your lamps...He's coming soon!! Ralph Gaily

Ngallendou Dieye

Posted: December 05, 2008 6:16 PM

In my country, we like to give to meet needs, urgent needs. We do not like to give to suppoort budgets to sustain organisations and programmes that seem to make little or no difference. We give where there is accountability, when we know whither our moneuy will go and where it went. When we send a team to evangelise, we support it, at least we pay its transport. When someone is sick, we may pray for hours for them to be healed. When they require surgery, we dig deep to contribute. Our congregations give more to help the poor than they do to prop up religious types who do not seem to like to work.

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