Tithing Inheritance to Struggling Church vs Regular Church
The concept of tithing is rooted in biblical tradition, with instructions given in the Old Testament for the Israelites to dedicate a tenth of their produce and livestock to the Lord [5]. This practice was not only a means of supporting the Levites, who were responsible for teaching and ministering to the people, but also a way of acknowledging God's sovereignty over their resources.
In the context of the Christian church, the question arises as to whether tithing remains a relevant practice, and if so, how it should be applied. Some traditions argue that the tithe is still a relevant principle for supporting church ministers and charitable causes. For instance, Adam Clarke notes that the idea of providing for ministers through the offerings of the people is biblical, but he critiques the practice of securing vast revenues for clergy through law, suggesting instead that ministers should be supported by the free-will offerings of their congregations [2].
The Catholic tradition, as represented by Aquinas, discusses the obligation of tithing in the context of the clergy's role in the church. According to Aquinas, clergy are not bound to pay tithes on their ecclesiastical revenues because they are already recipients of tithes as ministers of the altar [1]. This highlights a distinction between the clergy and the laity regarding tithing obligations.
Reformed traditions also address the issue of tithing. Charles Hodge discusses the nature of the church and its relation to God's covenant, emphasizing the importance of the church as a visible society dedicated to God [3, 4]. While Hodge does not directly address tithing, his discussion of the church's nature underscores the importance of supporting the community of believers.
The practice of tithing is not uniformly applied across Christian traditions. Some churches and denominations encourage tithing as a means of supporting their ministries and charitable activities, while others may not. The principle behind tithing, however, remains a subject of theological reflection and debate.
In contemporary Christian practice, the question of whether to tithe to a struggling church versus a regular, established church may depend on various factors, including the specific needs of each congregation and the giver's personal circumstances. The biblical principle of supporting those who minister and serve the community remains relevant, even if the specific application of tithing varies [6].
Sources
- theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Second Part of the Second Part (Secunda Secundae), Of Tithes, Art. 4: Article: Whether the clergy also are bound to pay tithes? I answer that, The cause of giving cannot be the cause of receiving, as neither can the cause of action be the cause of passion; yet it happens that one and the same person is giver and receiver, even as agent and patient, on account of different causes and from different points of view. Now tithes are due to the clergy as being ministers of the altar and sowers of spiritual things among the people. Wherefore those members of the clergy as s”
- Ezekiel (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Ezekiel 44:28: I am their inheritance - Those who affect to form their ecclesiastical matters on the model of the Jewish Church have with one consent left this out of the question. They will not live on the free-will offerings of the people; but must have vast revenues, and these secured to them by law. That every minister of God should be supported by the altar I grant; but I think, instead of that method of paying the parochial clergy which I see is so much objected to, and breeds so much dissension between the pastors and their flocks, it would be better, on these accounts, t”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 64: in life, and solemnly owning the covenant before the Church, wherein they give up themselves and their children to the Lord, and subject themselves to the government of Christ in the Church, their children are to be baptized. “6. Such church-members, who either by death, or some other extraordinary providence, have been inevitably hindered from publicly acting as aforesaid, yet have given the Church cause, in judgment of charity, to look at them as so qualified, and such as, had 568 they been called thereunto, would have so acted, their c”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 64: an external profession of the doctrines of the Gospel, and subjection to the laws and ordinances of Christ, appear as a society separated from the world, and dedicated to God and his service. In this view, in the present imperfect state, the Church comprehends branches that are withered, as well as those that bear fruit. Now the covenant of grace subsists between the blessed God and the Church, as such a visible Society, 567 567 To this sentence Mr. Blair appends the following note: “In no other way can we conceive the covenant to subsist”
- Deuteronomy (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Deuteronomy 14:22: We have here a part of the statute concerning tithes. The productions of the ground were twice tithed, so that, putting both together, a fifth part was devoted to God out of their increase, and only four parts of five were for their own common use; and they could not but own they paid an easy rent, especially since God's part was disposed of to their own benefit and advantage. The first tithe was for the maintenance of their Levites, who taught them the good knowledge of God, and ministered to them in holy things; this is supposed as anciently due, and is en”
- Luke (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Luke 11:42: 11:42-52 What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! Woes are the opposite of blessings (see study note on 6:24-26). Jesus pronounced six woes, three against the Pharisees (11:42, 43, 44) and three against the teachers of religious law (11:46, 47, 52). 11:42 tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens: Tithing was required by the law (Lev 27:30-33; Num 18:21-32; Deut 14:22-29; 2 Chr 31:5-12). The Pharisees were meticulous in making sure that everything was properly tithed, but they ignored the more important issues—justice and the love of God.”