Tithe Stewardship & Church Tithing

Ever since i had picked up the book, “Pagan Christianity” and read the first few pages i eagerly waited to write about it. Pagan Christianity is one of only a few books that i have read in my life that has profoundly changed me in the way i think about Church. I am not that type of person that is easily persuaded or misled easily. I go about things with an open mind but am very, very skeptical and idealistic when it comes to revolutionized thinking about the operation of the body of Christ. I also consider myself a creative individual but at the same time methodical. I say all that about myself because i think there’s a lot to say about the book that will strike its readers at the core of their creativeness, methodology, skepticism, and ideology. Pagan Christianity is not a book for the weak or closed minded. Pagan Christianity is not for the careless or complacent person either. This book will offend everyone in some way, but with the truth presented so well by Frank Viola & George Barna you are left with no choice but to put away your offenses and eagerly read on.

For those who do not know what Pagan Christianity is about, here is an excerpt on the back cover that should give you a preface “Most of what present-day Christians do in church each Sunday is rooted, not in the new testament, but in pagan culture and rituals developed long after the death of the apostles.”

There are 12 topics discussed in this book

1. Have We Really Benn Doing It by the Book?
2. The Church Building
3. The Order of Worship
4. The Sermon
5. Sunday Morning Costumes
6. Ministers of Music
7. Tithing and Clergy Salaries
8. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
9. Christian Education
10. Reapproaching the New Testament
11. A Second Glance at the Savior

Consider these chapters the main categories because inside each of these chapters are even more specific sub topics.

What Frank Viola and George Barna must have done is somehow wipe their memory of anything they can remember about the event we call “Church”. As they do that, they present historical facts and scripture to present the idea that we are pagan Christians. All our traditions, rituals, habits, things that seem so normal have now been researched to show their roots in historical pagan culture.

As i was reading this book my mind was turning the whole time, “what’s wrong with that practice?. . . How can we do without that?” But then i started thinking, “Well, why can’t we do without it?. . . there’s no reason that we must have it. . .Then why do i feel so tied to it?” Looking back I found myself defending and rationalizing our common traditions in the Church, but before long i began to ask myself why am i defending a practice that is not set in stone in the bible? Offended people are really just shocked people that have no real argument to stand with their feelings. Making a decision based on our offenses is probably the most blind sided thing that we can do, and i didn’t want to do that, so i read on with an open mind.

Pagan Christianity is the type of book that some would call, “throwing the baby out with the bath water”. Frank Viola & George Barna wipe the slate clean of what we understood to be the formula we call the Church event. You are left standing there just shocked, confused, and perplexed as everything you witnessed, and saw as Church is thrown out completely; and all that is left is an empty tub of just bare bone fellowship, and communion of a body of believers.

This book had an experience on me that i cannot express in enough words on this blog. I will bring more in the next few days because this was just my introduction to Pagan Christianity. I will probably write my thoughts about the chapters in the next post, but plan on writing a different post just on tithing and the clergy salary. I would urge everyone to read this book. This is the book that people will love or they will hate. But i guarantee you cannot put this book down after reading and not somehow be shaken up by its pages. P.S. By the way if you purchase the book make sure you buy the revised and updated version.

Have any of you read Pagan Christianity? Has it impacted you at all? Or do you think it is not worth reading at all?

I had someone recommend this book to me, “Blue Like Jazz” by Donald Miller. That was my first time reading one of his books. I guess i can say it was interesting. My friend, who recommended the book to me said that it changed a part of his life. It didn’t do that for me, but i think it did it for my friend because my friend’s life is exactly how Donald Miller lives his. Ironically, those who relate to an author the most(People who are already exactly like the author), are the ones effected by his writings and are changed. Don’t know how that makes any sense, but i understand what they mean.

Many people like the style of Donald Miller’s writings because Miller seems to admit out loud what most people are thinking in their head. Personally, i don’t think that quality is rare. I think many people are very open. I get this vibe that Donald Miller’s thoughts in his book Blue Like Jazz, are provoked exaggerations of what’s the reality is inside his head. I think his mind wanders, and what he writes really happens in his mind, but i don’t think his thoughts can be taken seriously. They are just wanders. For instance, i can sit here and think about how i would contemplate suicide but not actually be thinking about killing myself.

I also get the vibe in Blue Like Jazz that Donald Miller likes indifference. Typically, that is not rare either considering 90% of people 25 and under are seeking an identity and seek something new, something unique, and maybe something rebellious. For instance, i came across his myspace page here. On that page his profile picture shows him with a cigarette in his mouth. Now, don’t get me wrong, my own mother smokes, and has been for the past 40 years, but let’s face the practicality of smoking versus the stewardship of one’s body. I’m not going to go in a rant that smoking’s bad for you, but i am going to tell you that your creator has plans for your full life, and depriving your life of its full capability is showing you are a careless steward. Anyways, i bring that all up because one of my pet peeves is being indifferent for the sake of indifference. Sure you can find 100 excuses to smoke in order to fit in with the sinners and witness to them, but i have never seen anyone say i want to gain 400 pounds either in order to fit in with the glutenous, or even for that matter, i want to dress like a nerd so i can fit in with them to witness to them.

I don’t know why i’m going on this smoking rant, but i think i’m just gonna stick here for a while. You see the thing is with people like Donald Miller in Blue Like Jazz, is they love that people look at their smoking and see it as controversial. Its a selfish desire. Smoking is about them, and how Christians in general will judge them based on some rolled up leaves. Truthfully, the cigarette wouldn’t tell me at all that he’s a bad Christian, it just tells me that he’s a self absorbed human like the rest of us. I think we all have our own rolled up stogies in life. I don’t think i flaunt mine though? I don’t think flaunting our stogies is what God meant when he said that he would rather have you hot or cold. I admit my flaws, but i don’t want to flaunt them. Being open about your indifferences to the general Christian population may win you awards with certain people, but when has God called us to achieve satisfaction from people?

Yeah, i know were suppose to serve, and be relevant, but Jesus didn’t compromise his holiness in order to live among men. You are free to disagree with me about smoking and nicotine, and habits, but i think there’s something that we can gather from what i said above. Most of us live our life of sin much like a cigarette. We have these sins and typically we like to roll them up and hide them in a nice neat paper sheet. Personally, i like to keep my cigarette’s in the pack, but many times in Blue Like Jazz, Donald Miller candidly wrote about whipping out the nicotine and smoking in front of everyone without any shame. Every Christian has had at one point say, “God, here’s my sins all rolled up”. What i’m trying to say is that we all have had to get them out in the open at one point, but i don’t think flaunting our burning cigarette of sins is a sweet smelling savor to God.

I guess final note on Donald Miller’s book is i appreciate his candidness, and earnest heart, but being indifferent is much like paddling against the flow - you are just passing other people that have come from where you are going, and are thinking you are going somewhere new, just because you are traveling in the opposite direction.

What type of garbage are people trying to sell these days? I came across this series on Amazon.

Came across this on A Little Leaven. Its called, “Personalized Promise Bible of Financial Increase”. Amazon has it here.

I was just going through some things in my notes wondering what i should write about when i found this book that i forgot i read. “The Great Investment” is written by T.D. Jakes. It covers faith, family, and finances. I read through the book pretty quick, but slowed down in the chapters alluding to tithing. I have to admit i am skeptical of T.D. Jakes because of his flaunting financial situation, and expected to hear mostly a false teaching about health, wealth, and prosperity. There was some of that in this book, but not as much as i expected. He does recognize that you cannot give to get and that getting is not exactly a direct result of your giving, or of your spiritual condition. Here is a statement that i did like what was said in his book.

“God is a businessman. He is not going to do business with someone who shows no sign of potential return. He invests in people who demonstrate an ability to handle what He has given them.”

Now, does he mean that God owns a business? No, but he’s saying that God makes the right investments that a good business man would make. God is looking for those who have been good stewards. He will not leave precious talents to those who do not have the responsibility to handle them.

I am really trying to focus this whole blog about the responsibilities of stewardship. I’m not completely focused about tithing, or other charitable donations going in and out of the Church. Yes, i do spend a considerable amount of time and energy writing about it, only because i do believe tithing is the largest sore in the Church today.

If i were to sum up the word steward in one other word, i would say investor. I like the title of T.D. Jakes book, “The Great Investment”. If we look at our time, talent, treasure, as an investment option for when the King returns, America’s debt and financial problems would start disappearing. We wouldn’t be so concerned about the here and now. I’m not talking about investing in church buildings or anything like that, i’m talking about investing in people’s needs. The people have needs in America. But, take heed Church leaders, the biggest need is not another colossal worship center. Here’s a challenge for pastors: ask your congregation to write down the biggest financial need of their family, and i guarantee you won’t get one vote for a church building. It’s not even on their mind, until the pastor mentions it.

If the people, who are the Church, do not have a Church building on the top 10 list of needs, why is it always on the top list of the needs for the Church? You might think that is an impractical way of looking at it, but really is it that impractical?

In the stock market, you know what the most risky, volatile, but rewarding sectors is: Small Business. Most brokers feel safe putting their money in the large sectors like google’s, microsofts’, and apple’s, but when it comes to investing in small business it becomes risky. This is the way that our churches are thinking today. We want to invest in the big building, the big programs, and the big activities, because they are safe. In the end there is no small business investing going on so our individuals get overlooked. Investing in individual people is very risky if you ask me, but let’s face it, they have the most to grow.

Anyways, i didn’t really mean to go on a tagent there, it just happened. T.D. Jakes book had some good things, but of course there were some things i could pick out that i didn’t like. I don’t care if you think God’s called you to be prosperous. I don’t care if you think God’s called you to be a pauper, just remember that the richest king in the universe invested everything he had in the small business sector for you. So how should you invest and return it back to him?

When the Church and its pastors can’t convince people to give, leave it up to pastor Bill. This is the new book by Bill Clinton entitled, “Giving”. It’s subtitle is, “How each of us can change the world”. You know what’s interesting is that the title of this book sounds much like a title many of the self-help mega-church pastors would come up with. Actually, i’m sorry, correction, i just caught myself. I did say “self-help” pastors. This book is about giving to OTHERS. It is not about self. So i think Bill Clinton is one notch above the selfish help pastors.