I read what I considered to be a disturbing article on USA Today that
some Christians keep tithing even as they face foreclosure. And so, I would like to offer some counsel to the flock. Those who have
ARM's to hear, let them hear.
- First, there is no explicit New Testament command to tithe. Impossible, right? Look it up. If you can find one I have overlooked, I am open to correction. Tithing is a good idea and a commendable practice, but not a command. Jesus didn't say don't do it. He did say it's not necessarily the most important aspect of our giving (Matthew 23:23).
- Second, reneging on your debts is wrong. "The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously." - Psalm 37:21. Unless you really want to try to twist this verse, failing to repay your loans in order that you may give generously does not make any sense.
- Third, failing to care and provide for your family is wrong. "If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." -1 Timothy 5:7. Also see Mark 7:11.
- Fourth, buying something you couldn't afford to start with is wrong. (Mark 4:19, 1 John 2:15-17). Perhaps there were unforeseen circumstances such as a loss of a job or loss of health which might be excused, but tithing does not make it okay to live beyond your means. Also see earlier posts on prosperity theology.
5 comments:
Thanks Steve for that great observation. I agree! We should never get into that situation to the degree we can control our choices of what we buy. (I know someone will say - but what if the homeowner loses their job? Well, they should be smart enough to have saved money for such occasion to be able to pay their monthly bills for awhile....) The whole foreclosure thing shows how we Americans are caught up in materialism in a HUGE way and unfortuneately christians are just as guilty as non-believers. When we wake up and live differently in our material choices as well as spiritual?
New Testament command? No. Old Testament command? I believe it is in first-fruits giving and I don't see that Jesus removed that.
Agree with your commentary on not paying debts. If someone isn't able to meet mortgate payment and being able to tithe as well, then they haven't budgeted properly that 90% that God lets you use. So item 4 comes into play there. If there is a problem doing both, then perhaps the housing is too big for the income and needs to be sold and go into a smaller house.
It goes deeper than the thing attached to your butt (i.e. your wallet).
It's about covenant- when you sign a contract, you are making a covenant with a company, which is a group of human beings, not a faceless robot, which is what most people seem to see companies as.
God isn't a fan of broken covenants that are not evil, whether they are made with Him or people. All of Steve's verses are, of course, well placed.
I wasn't aware that the "health and wealth gospel" encouraged people to bury themselves in debt and hypocrisy. Care to elaborate?
Wow my first post ever on Steve's blog!
I want to add two things to the conversation. First, I don't think anyone took out a mortgage loan thinking they wouldn't be able to pay off the mortgage and as a result ruin their credit and finances. Nobody said, I'll take out this loan and then go bankrupt. They thought, I’ll take out this loan and live in the house or sell the house and use the sale proceeds to pay back the loan. Also note that for the vast majority of homeowners, loan advisers or “experts” from banks were present at the mortgage application and the banks “qualified” each loan. Unfortunately many people trusted those advisers because traditionally banks had a mutual interest in a homeowner taking out a loan they could afford. It used to be hard to be “qualified” for a mortgage because the banks had a reason to care if the homeowner could pay back the loan. Thanks to the modern financial “products” the banks didn't have to care if the person taking out the loan could pay it back because the bank was going to sell the loan to another bank/institution and wash their hands clean of the situation.
Secondly, risk and loans are necessary for entrepreneurship. When a business starts or a family takes out a mortgage, they don't know the future. They talk things over with the bank and the bank agrees that they’re worthy of the risk and provides them money. If the company fails or the house is foreclosed upon, then I don’t think the person was morally wrong. They teamed up with a willing partner, the bank, and tried their best at an investment. The moral outrage is that the banks could pretend to be a partner in the loan and then jump ship. That led to the banks “qualifying” loans that the banks knew could never be repaid. The verse that comes to mind is: “love thy neighbor.” The banks were setting their “neighbors” up for a fall and they knew it.
So given risk, entrepreneurship, and how money comes and goes, I feel it’s necessary to tithe no matter the situation. Anyone asking clarification on whether poor people should tithe should consult Mark 12:43 “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the [temple] treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, OUT OF HER POVERTY, put in EVERYTHING- all she had to live on.”
So please continue to give tithes even if you have debt (such as a mortgage). The old testament and Jesus’ parables highlight that one should give the first fruits to God. It is biblical to tithe. Adjust your lifestyle if necessary, but please don’t stop tithing in tough times or when you have debt. God will bless you and multiply your tithe, perhaps not monetarily, but rather spiritually or some other mysterious way that God chooses to work.
Creighton, that was excellent.
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