I know I am going to catch hell for this, I have been sitting on giving my opinion on this for a while now. Still the more I hear people talking about it, the more sore I get. Many talk without knowing some simple facts on the topic of tithing. It’s a sore spot for many Christians and Jews. Let me back track here:

Some of you may have heard in the news a while back about a woman named Josephine King who was banned from her church because she was not tithing regularly. The 92-year-old woman was informed through a written notice that because she was not contributing to the church properly financially or physically, she was not allowed to attend church at African Baptist Church in Bainbridge, Georgia anymore… This notice, which was signed by the head pastor, has come after she has attended the church faithfully for over fifty years! Her nephew explained that she hadn’t made attendance and tithe as often lately due to health concerns, but that in the past she went regularly and contributed financially. Did you know, she is not the first person to receive a notice like this from African Baptist Church? Others have said they have also been asked not to return to the church after not tithing or contributing enough to satisfy the church leaders… Yeah!

Tithing is a process that was mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible. It was a way for farmers to provide goods for other believers that were focused on other trades or religious study. Though the New Testament does not set forth requirements on tithing, it is usually shown as more meaningful from of a grateful giver than done purely out of a sense of obligation… The origins of the practice suggest that the elderly member of the African Baptist Church should not only been given consideration for her sudden inability to tithe, but rather that church resources probably should have been allocated to her in her time of need rather than going to the church bank account… Sadly, most churches these days especially mega churches, are run as profit generators, focusing on maximizing gains, and indeed there have been many financial gains. In 2012 investigators discovered that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (often referred to as the Mormon Church or Church of LDS) brings in about $7 billion annually through tithes and other donations. Many past and current members of the Mormon Church are concerned at the lack of charity work the organization funds with their mountains of cash. They have no hospitals and very few schools, though Brigham Young University is a widely respected center for education. A surprising amount of funds go into money-making ventures such as real estate, ranching, and retail companies… This is not just to single them out… Other major mega-churches Like World Changers, Lakewood Church, Family Worship Center etc… Have similar reputations… While other churches, like the Seventh Day Adventists & Roman Catholic Church have a much better record with allocating their tithes to charitable causes that help the public, including non-members. But that is not to say that all churches do not have other good and bad issues to them. In here I am only talking on the topic of tithing…

Many people have expressed disgust at the African Baptist Church’s stance in banning the sick and elderly member. It has been accused of being a money hoarding organization as they cut ties with parishioners who have given willingly for years, and are later unable to function as the source of income that they once were. I will stand up and say the leadership of this church and many others these days are missing the mark on what a church is about. A church is not like a gang that offers your soul immortal protection in exchange for cold hard cash. While it is a common practice for people to offer ten percent of their incomes to a church, it is not meant to be a requirement that determines whether or not somebody should be allowed to attend… A church needs to spend less time looking at the rules and spend more time loving others!! When you claim to be a church, you need to look at what the right thing is to do. No matter your faith, an almost universal tenant is that it is wiser and more ethical to understand that, we all go through difficult times, and while rules serve their purpose, they should not get in the way of helping others.. When churches put priority on the rules over showing love and replenishing their communities, people stop attending!! I see this happening all over the country as the number of people that claim to be spiritual yet do not align with a specific religious organization is growing. Hey here is a bit of news not put out often… A large number of those that now identify with no religion were raised within a faith community, and chose not to carry on in the tradition into their adult lives. Why? Read this post from the start again…