I'd like to especially read how it doesn't promise health, wealth, etc.
It's been my experience that God is faithful due to His attributes, not ours.
The History of Tithing
The modern definition of tithing is giving 10 percent of one’s income to a religious organization. During New Testament times “tithing" referred to the Jewish practice of giving 10 percent of one's crops or animals to support the Temple. The words ttithing" and “tithe" come from an old English word meaning tenth.
Genesis 14:20 contains the first Biblical reference to the practice of tithing. After Abraham is victorious in a battle against some neighboring kings, he gives a tithe of his spoils of battle to Melchizedek the high priest of Salem. It is important to note that Abraham tithes voluntarily and, as far as we know, he tithes only once.
It was not until 500 years later (circa 1400 BC), after the exodus of the people of Israel from Egypt, that God instituted a law requiring the people of Israel to tithe (Numbers 18:21-26). The purpose of the tithing law was to provide support for the priests and Levites who served in the Tent of Meeting. Another law requiring each Jewish male to pay an annual temple tax had a similar purpose to the tithing law (Ex 38:26). The Tent of Meeting was where the priests administered sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins committed by the people of Israel.
In about 950 BC, King Solomon built a temple in Jerusalem to replace the Tent of Meeting (1 Kings 6 – 10). Upon completion of the Temple, the priests and Levites relocated their sacrificial ministry from the Tent to the Temple. The people continued to support the priests through tithing and the temple tax.
From this time forward, the Jewish people practiced tithing with varying degrees of compliance until the last Temple was destroyed by the Romans around 70 AD. With the destruction of the Temple, the ancient Jews ceased tithing as there was no longer a Temple or priestly ministry in need of support.
The Christian Church emerged some time before the destruction of the Temple . Almost all of the first Christians were of Jewish descent, many of whom struggled with understanding how their new faith in Jesus impacted their practice of Judaism. The Letter to the Hebrews was written to such Jewish Christians. It taught that the Temple was no longer necessary, as forgiveness of sins now came through faith in the death and resurrection of Christ, not through the sacrificial ministry of priests in the Temple (Heb 10). It follows that if the Temple and the priests were not necessary, tithing to support them would also not be necessary. Considering this, it is not surprising that there is no record of Jewish Christians tithing to the Temple after the foundation of the Church. Additionally, the New Testament does not contain any command that Christians tithe.
References to tithing in the New Testament are limited to Matthew 23:23, Luke 11:42, Luke 18:12 and Hebrews 7:8-9. The verses in Matthew and Luke are spoken to Jews still subject to the tithing laws, not to Christians. In these verses, Jesus questions the priorities of Jews who place a heavier emphasis on tithing than on charity, mercy and the like. The author of Hebrews refers to tithing to make the point that Christ is greater than the Jewish high priest (Heb 7:8-9, see also Matt 17:26). The author does not instruct Jewish Christians to tithe. To do so would contradict the main theme of the letter which is to prove to Jewish Christians that the resurrection of Christ renders the Temple obsolete.
Soon after Pentecost, with the help of the Apostle Paul, the Christian faith spreads beyond Israel and many Gentiles become Christians. (Jews refer to non-Jews as Gentiles). The first Gentile converts to Christianity were often “God-Fearers." God-Fearers were Gentiles who appreciated Judaism and attended Jewish synagogue services, but did not convert to Judaism usually due to the circumcision requirement. As God-Fearers did not undergo circumcision and convert to Judaism, they were not expected to follow the Jewish Law, meaning they were not obligated to tithe, pay the temple tax, obey the sabbath and the like.
In each city the Apostle Paul visited, he evangelized the local synagogue first, resulting in God-Fearers and Jews converting to Christianity. These new Christians formed local churches in homes (Acts 8:3, Rom 16:5, 1Cor 16:19, Col 4:15, Phm 1:2). Paul and his colleagues repeated this process in several cities, founding churches in Galatia, Ephesus, Thessalonica, Philippi, Colossae and elsewhere.
As Paul traveled from city to city, he would instruct his churches remotely through letters. These letters make up the bulk of the New Testament. Some of them were likely written prior to the destruction of the Temple (e.g. 1 Thessalonians and Galatians). Paul insists that Gentile Christians (including God-Fearers) reject circumcision and subjection to the Jewish Law (Gal 5:2-6). It is not surprising then, that Paul never suggests that Gentile Christians begin tithing to the Temple or paying the Temple tax. Nor does Paul--or any other New Testament author-- institute any system similar to tithing for the support of the Church.
Since there was no New Testament equivalent to tithing, a question arises regarding how churches were supported. During New Testament times, churches were not institutions. They did not have dedicated buildings or full-time leaders supported by attendees. Instead, churches were similar to modern day home groups. They met in homes with leaders who had means of income other than congregational support. New Testament churches, in other words, had no costs of operation.
Just because they did not tithe does not mean that the early Christians neglected supporting their leaders or giving to Charity. Paul teaches that apostles had the right to request financial support, a right Paul himself did not exercise because he did not want to burden the congregation (1 Cor 9:14-15). The churches also routinely supported widows, orphans and other poor people (1 Tim 5:9, Acts 2:45, Acts 6:1). Paul placed a special emphasis on supporting famished Christians in Jerusalem, asking the Corinthian Christians to take a regular collection for a time to support them. Before asking this, he reminds the Corinthians that the collection is voluntary and not a command (2 Cor 9:7). In summary, whether to apostles or charity, the early Church gave freely as they had means, not because of an expectation or religious requirement that they give a fixed percentage of their income. The Church continued with this voluntary approach to giving for over three centuries.
“The early Church had no tithing system. The tithes of the Old Testament were regarded as abrogated by the law of Christ…..As the Church expanded, however, and its material needs grew more numerous and complex, it became necessary to adopt a definite rule to which people could be held either by a sense of moral obligation or by a precept of positive law. The tithing of the Old Law provided an obvious model and it began to be taught—more commonly in the West, however, than in the East—that the faithful should give tithes of their income. When the view began to get sufficient support, it found legislative expression. The Council of Macon in 585 ordered payment of tithes and threatened excommunication to those who refused to comply."
Summary and Conclusions
Catholic Christians believe in the authority of the Pope, the Councils and the Bible. As such, they tithe as defined by the Council of Macon and later pronouncements on tithing. For Protestant Christians relying solely on the Bible to inform their faith and practice, understanding early Church practice as reflected in the New Testament result in some different conclusions regarding giving:
1. Each time the New Testament talks about tithing, it is referring to the Old Testament law requiring Jews to give 10 percent of their increase to support the operation of the Temple and the Jewish priests. The Letter to the Hebrews teaches that Christ's sacrifice rendered the Temple and the priests obsolete. This is why the New Testament never applies the practice of tithing (i.e. giving 10 percent of one’s income to support the Temple) to Christians.
2. The requirement that Christians “tithe" (tithing here meaning giving ten percent of one's income to support Church buildings and pastors similar to how the Jews tithed to support the Temple and priests) was devised by the Church in 585 AD, centuries after the New Testament was written. This further explains why such a requirement is not mentioned in the New Testament.
3. While the New Testament neither instructs nor suggests that Christians set aside a fixed percentage of their income to support Church leaders or church buildings, it does encourage Christians to give freely and generously to worthy causes such as aged parents, the poor, missionaries and Church leaders.
4. The New Testament states that Church leaders may earn their living from the Church, meaning the leaders may appeal to the Church for voluntary support.
5. The New Testament does not give guidance on Christian priorities when deciding whether, or how much, to give to the church, missionaries or the poor. This means the common Protestant teaching that the local church should have pride of place in Christian giving (before charity, missions or other religious causes) has no Biblical support. It is worth mentioning that 1 Tim 5:8, 1Tim 5:2 and Mark 7:11 suggest that caring for one’s family and parents is a top priority.
6. The New Testament encourages giving out of abundance or prosperity. It does not expect sacrificial giving, although it does commend it. (See Luke 21:2-4, 2Cor 8:14, 1Cor 16:2 and 2 Cor 8:8).
__________________
The interesting thing about this is that it nullifies the notion that the intent of the Framers of the Constitution wanted to completly seperate all forms of relegious activity from the public square.
If for 40 years there was no federal challenge to state law on the subject, then one cannot argue that the intent of the constitution is to keep the 10 commandments out of state houses or manger scenes off the court house lawn.
__________________ If I do something stupid blame the Lortab!
The interesting thing about this is that it nullifies the notion that the intent of the Framers of the Constitution wanted to completly seperate all forms of relegious activity from the public square.
If for 40 years there was no federal challenge to state law on the subject, then one cannot argue that the intent of the constitution is to keep the 10 commandments out of state houses or manger scenes off the court house lawn.
True, I thought it was an interesting article on many levels.
BTW, and for the record, I still believe in supporting the local church with "tithes" and offerings and practice it. But I have never fallen back on Mal 3 for support. And don't believe it to be a salvation issue.
Cor 16:1-2 is a good principal and 10% a good guideline.
The interesting thing about this is that it nullifies the notion that the intent of the Framers of the Constitution wanted to completly seperate all forms of relegious activity from the public square.
If for 40 years there was no federal challenge to state law on the subject, then one cannot argue that the intent of the constitution is to keep the 10 commandments out of state houses or manger scenes off the court house lawn.
I'd rather disagree with that. It took 14 years after the Constitution was ratified before the first case (Marbury v. Madison, 1803) was argued that established the Supreme Court could perform judicial review and actually declare something "unconstitutional." Since then, great legal minds have been arguing about "intent."
Additionally, it should be noted that you have to have a case and a lower court judgment in order to bring an appeal to find something constitutional or not. A lot of stuff gets taken care of at the lower court levels; much of the time, the Supreme Court is trying to sort out differences made at the appellate court level in the cases it takes for review.
Also, I really don't think that you should want to rely on the laws as they existed just after the end of the Revolutionary War. In addition to establishing state churches and requiring payment to same, some colonies also required church attendance and proscribed celebration of certain holidays, such as Christmas. (The Puritans thought Christmas - Christ Mass - was too Catholic for their tastes and expected everyone to be up and working on Dec. 25.)
Finally, sometimes it takes a very long time for things that are wrong to be straightened out. Slavery and the subsequent Jim Crow laws are but one example.
I should note that I am an ardent church-state separationist, an attitude that was honed in the seven years I lived in Utah. People who don't understand why church and state should be separate should be forced to live a few years in Provo, Utah, and then they'll get it.
Surprising article, for entire discussion including just how new collecting tithes is in North America click link below.
Passing the Plate
After America ended state support of churches in the early 19th century, the collection of "tithes and offerings" became a standard feature of Sunday morning worship.
by Mark Rogers
Thursday, March 12, 2009
As instrumentalists play or a soloist sings, as ushers file slowly down the aisles, congregants give money as an act of worship and to support the ministry of the church. If the people don't give, then the pastor goes unpaid, the building never gets built, and the missionaries stay home. When Christians go to church, most expect the collection of an offering as much as they expect preaching, singing, and prayer. Unlike preaching, singing, and prayer, however, the weekly offering did not become a fixture in American worship services until the late 19th century.
Colonial American churches did not depend on voluntary, weekly giving from their members. Instead, as had been the case in Europe, the government established churches, sanctioning certain congregations and supporting them financially. Most New England colonies established Congregational churches, while the Southern colonies along with New York, New Jersey, and Maryland established the Anglican Church. Most of the colonies could not imagine a state without an established church. A prosperous society depended on having citizens of good character, and the people expected churches to create virtuous citizens. Since churches served the public good, it made sense to fund them through public taxes and fees—such as poll and property taxes—rather than voluntary offerings.
Public funding of American churches did not cease immediately after the American Revolution. While the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment prohibited Congress from establishing a national church, the states still supported churches through taxes. In the years following the Revolution, men like Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and John Leland fought against religious establishment in Virginia. Isaac Backus and other Baptist ministers led the charge in New England. Only in 1833, when Massachusetts rescinded its religious tax, was every state church in the Union officially disestablished.