This list of reference quotes (following this preface) is not meant as a sort of "proof text" methodology to bolster support against Christian monetary tithing or to suggest that Christians should stop giving to the work of the Lord or itinerant Gospel workers. Instead, this list is presented with the intention to illustrate that, arguably, a majority of major biblical research and reference works, including many major ministries and respected theologians, Bible colleges, pastors, prophets, evangelists, and even the early Church fathers themselves (i.e. their writings for more than 200 years after Calvary) do not intimate support or promotion of the concept of a mandated monetary tithe system applicable to Christians in a method akin to today's application.

In fact, there is no record of anything we might refer to as a practice of monetary tithing to support church leaders in Christian churches until nearly 800 years after Calvary. "Although rejected, they (tithes) were mentioned in councils at Tours in 567 and at Mâcon in 585. They were formally recognized under Pope Adrian I in 787" (Wikipedia s.v "tithe"). In the 1500's the great reformer Martin Luther led his opposition against the false teachings of Rome. In a sermon preached in August of 1525 he said, "But the other commandments of Moses, which are not [implanted in all men] by nature, the Gentiles do not hold. Nor do these pertain to the Gentiles, such as the tithe..." Shortly after Luther arrived on the scene, another group of Christians also refused to accept the ways of Rome (including their oppressive tithing requirements and other false teachings). These Christians were labeled "anabaptists" (which means to baptize again) because they rejected infant baptism ordered by the Roman Catholic Church as a mark of salvation and citizenship. While happy about the positive effects of Luther's revolution, the anabaptists were concerned that many in the Protestant movement (including Luther himself) were already making too many compromises with Rome in their theology and practice and so they separated themselves even from many of the Protestants, seeking to follow the Lord instead of the doctrines of men. They were persecuted and many were tortured and killed for their faith in Jesus. Sadly, their concern turned out to be prophetic, for the Protestant church did take on many of the rituals of Roman Catholicism and simply Christianized them. Even Luther himself, towards the end of his life, admitted that many of the evils of Rome (i.e. her traditions and doctrines) had transferred into Protestant concept and practice. Tithing was among these practices brought over from Catholic tradition. Though Luther witnessed these things and even aknowledged them with sorrow, he felt it was too big a task for him to fight against and so the boundaries of his reformation became apparent. Most Christians who are fans of Luther, don't realize that the great compromise between truth and false teaching continued and worsened after his death. But there were other "reformers" God rose up to stand for the truth. As late as the 1600's (just under 400 years ago) the Christian Quakers resisted the dominant religious system of the day and refused to submit to the unbiblical mandate of monetary tithing, which they boldly and correctly asserted as being "a popish innovation". Their complaints resulted in a massive court dispute with the State, resulting in a treatise analyzing the legal, ethical, and religious arguments for and against forcible tithing. The case was won by the Quakers and the conclusion was made that the practice is corrupt and in violation of Scriptural principles and had originated, not from Scripture, but by the device of Rome!

Simply put, monetary tithing is NOT a Christian doctrine and has been consistently resisted by the true Church of Jesus Christ throughout the ages! This is a striking fact that most church-attending, tithe-paying Christians have absolutely no clue about. The Bible's mention of tithing is strictly agricultural and this is deliberate (by God's own design). It was also completely fulfilled in Christ and is therefore abrogated. Monetary tithing exists nowhere in the record of the Law of Moses or the New Tesament. The following list of quotations reveal that a vast and growing number of Christian ministries (from many differing denominations, e.g. Pentecostal, Charismatic, Lutheran, Baptist, Church of Christ, Non-denominational, etc.) know this truth and many of these individuals/groups, in their seminary textbook offerings, church statements and other printed materials, actually encourage and teach New Covenant principles of giving according to grace instead of making inconsistent parallels from Old Testament tithing passages and forcing (or at least strongly encouraging) "new" (unbiblical) mandates on Christians in an effort to procure funds.

As the author (or "compiler" if you will) of this reference list, I completely recognize that some of the sources quoted on the following page may employ slight variations of emphasis concerning different aspects of the topic of Christian giving. As stated previously, this list contains quotes from a variety of sources and denominational backgrounds so some variance is to be expected. Since the intent of this list is not to present a formal teaching on the subject, or to find merely sources that agree only with my technical view of the topic or that exhibit a similarity with my own denominational background, the reader should instead take note of the number of different sources that agree on a central point; that tithing is not applicable to the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ by mandate or example from Scripture and that Christians should draw motivation for their giving practices by other means; i.e. according to biblically sanctioned methods, which include the individual's response to Christ's grace, love for the body of Christ, obedience to the Holy Spirit (that indwells every believer in Christ), and with respect to financial ability and free-will volition.

Should Christians give? Absolutely!!! That is completely biblical and Christ taught it, modeled it and it was the testimony of others about Him (Matthew 5:42; Acts 20:35; Mark 10:45; Matthew 22:21; Mark 12:43-44; John 13:29; John 3:16; John 15:12, 17; etc.)! Christians should consider the needs of others, especially those of the household of faith (the body of Christ), and Christians should desire to be liberal givers (not to mention in more ways than just by the giving of money to churches - i.e. religious organizations). Before we can understand how giving is to be actuated in the body of Christ, we have to first realize that the Church is a body of living, breathing people - not a building, not a religious organization, and not a weekly program... The Church is a spiritual house of living stones. When this truth is comprehended, we will understand that giving can transpire in a number of various ways as gifts are shared with love and according to the ability and willingness of the giver in response to the motivation of the Spirit and the needs of other people (especially our brothers and sisters in Christ) whom God places on our hearts to minister to in this fashion.

Christ is certainly our best example of what liberal giving is all about (freewill and love-motivated giving)! So, yes, I completely believe that Christians should give out of their own substance to support the work of the Lord, but the motivation must come from the heart and a response to God's love and the personal direction of the Holy Spirit as Scripture teaches... Not from the guilt-ridden speeches and unbiblical requirements imposed by men with all of their traditions. Such charlatans of religion lie and teach people that if they simply give their money they will profit greatly in return (so getting becomes the motive to give). This is NOT what the Word of God teaches. Paul said, in 1 Corinthians 13, that even the greatest sacrificial giving profits us NOTHING if our heart is not motivated by love!

"What if I gave away all that I owned and let myself be burned alive? I would gain nothing, unless I loved others."
1 Corinthians 13:3 (CEV)

It is grace that sets the heart free to give cheerfully... the law can NEVER accomplish this! When was the last time you paid your taxes or electric bill or for that matter a speeding ticket solely because you wanted to bless the receiver out of the goodness of your heart, because it made you happy to give it, and because you were absolutely free to give it without compulsion? It's something to think about isn't it? When we understand that the law was given so that lawlessness would abound (as the Word teaches), and grace was given to abound much more and set us free to respond from sincere love not compulsion, then I believe something amazing can begin to transpire in our hearts as it concerns giving.

Admittedly I do not personally presume that the motive among probably a good number of Christian ministries and pastors of churches who believe in "biblically-mandated" monetary tithing is necessarily always selfish or out of fear that finances will fail without tithing (at least with respect to surface motives), and probably a fair number of ministers who teach tithing to their audience have no ulterior intent other than to uphold what they sincerely believe is the requirement of Scripture. It is also the opinion (and presumption) of this author that probably a significant number of Christians who tithe of their finances to churches and various ministries likely do so from pure motives and not from an attitude of works-righteousness, pride or from fear, guilt or belief that they will be cursed if they neglect to do so. This is understood and expected to be the defense of many who may read these opening comments (and I sincerely hope that such good, honest and charitable motives of the heart will be found, whatever a person's opinion regarding this subject may be). God alone will be the judge of the hearts of men and His reward or criticism will not be the result of mere external observation but of the motives and intents of the heart and whether faith, love and sincerity are found.

It would, however (in this author's opinion), be dishonest to suggest that most pastors are not concerned about such issues of finances, for I believe many are indeed (I know this also from first-hand conversations with pastor friends and observation of ministries that have taught on the subject - I've witnessed the good and bad that goes on behind the scenes as well where money and the church is involved). One pastor in particular that I was acquainted with, tried to convince me that his support of the doctrine was wholly motivated by the desire to obey God's Word, but soon after told a close mutual friend that his concern over my questioning the subject was for his own livelihood potentially being distrupted! The very fact that the subject of "tithing" and the giving of "offerings" occurs so frequently (not to mention with so much enthusiasm) in sermons by such a large number of ministers may illustrate evidence to this claim as well. Arguably, if money was not a problem or issue of concern among so many fellowships, this matter would, logically, not need to be met with such attention. I am aware of the statistics, which suggest that, on a national average, only about 4% to 8% of church members tithe. I have myself heard pastors and televangelists (on numerous occasions) mention such numbers (and many similar statements) in sermons about tithing and giving, and I know that figures like these raise concern and sometimes anxiety in the minds of many Christians leaders as well as many Christian lay persons who are avid tithers. The problem is that statistics like this do not calculate true giving... Rather they more often cause partiality to exists among leaders, they cause guilt to be imposed on members instead of true divine Holy Spirit conviction, and they cause ministers and laypeople to miss the point of New Covenant giving principles; actually devaluing them, essentially because of fear and anxiety or because of a felt necessity to duty or legal obligation to Old Covenant ordinances.

As much as I believe that there are many good and sincere leaders who happen to also believe in tithing, I also believe that a man's heart (whether he may be a "pastor" or not) is not always so innocent when it comes to issues of being concerned about his personal financial security and what influence (or dare I say "control") he may have over others who are "under" him. Though there is a point where "the body" may be in focus when concerns about giving are voiced by church leaders, there is a potential deeper and more personal issue of concern that also may contributing to such arguments regarding tithing and giving. In other words, many pastors would naturally be concerned about adopting a "no tithe required" position because the very idea of such a thing, from their perspective, poses a threat to their "livelihood" and really the whole current system by which ministries in the institutional church are sustained. However, on the surface, such concern is often expressed in less personal terms. For example, I have often heard (from discussions I've had with both pastors and congregants) the concern expressed like this: "If we tell people they don't have to tithe, then no one will give and then we will have even more problems." Sounds like a legitimate concern right? However, it seems that what may be surfacing here is not essentially biblical concern, but more of a lack of faith and willingness to actually trust the simplicity of God's Word and the power of His grace, that it is sufficient. It also seems to represent a lack of faith in God's people to respond with love and obedience to the Spirit of the Lord who dwells in the heart of every believer in Jesus Christ; as we are all priests unto God, able to hear His voice and respond to His call and the motivation of grace and love. Even more disturbing, it appears to manifest characteristics of controlling mindsets and manipulative tendencies (no matter how subtle).

It is one thing to merely teach people about giving according to grace, and quite another to example it and even provide the opportunity for it to grow and mature in practice. The latter is not so easy and, unfortunately, no so frequent - In fact, it's almost completely non-existent in the modern church system. If on the one hand Christians are being taught to give cheerfully and willingly but on the other hand they are also (at the same time) being told that giving is required (i.e. tithing) and the motivation is wrought by guilt, threat of curses (for disobedience to Old Covenant carnal ordinances) or by promises of blessings, then is there really presented a real opportunity to give out of faith, love, joy and response to the prompting of God's Spirit (as presented in the NT) rather than forced mandate? Perhaps we can look at giving this way: Jesus did not give His life because He had to; He gave His life because of love, because of grace, and because of obedience to the Father. The New Testament presents this same model for us. In fact, Christ is this very model. In 2 Corinthians 8:7, the Apostle Paul calls giving a grace and illustrates this grace by directing the focus upon the grace of Christ (verse 9).

For some modern-day church leaders, this very issue of tithing (and what Scripture presents regarding the Christian's liberty) may challenge even deeper and darker issues that may be in the heart; namely issues of a mindset that enjoys position or control over other members in the body of Christ. Such control excercised by individuals who place themselves over other brothers and sisters in Christ is not sanctioned by Scripture and is an abuse of the titles of "pastor," "elder," or "minister," for all of these are designated as, really essentially, giftings of FUNCTION and loving service to the body of Christ and NEVER as controlling, authoritative, or manipulative positions. These may be difficult words for some to accept, but I think they need to be heard with a humble heart and taken seriously in consideration. If you happen to be a professional pastor or some other type of Christian minister reading this, please know that my heart here is not to offend or to point the finger, only to suggest and encourage consideration. If the Spirit of the Lord breathes on these words and speaks to your heart, please take them seriously. God's grace and His love be with you. O that we all would come to a greater revelation of God's amazing grace.

Unfortunately, what has transpired in much of the Church today (predominently in America) is that many times Old Covenant ceremonial ordinances like tithing, which were given only to the Jews living in Israel (Leviticus 27:34; Numbers 18:26; Malachi 4:4; etc.) in preparation and anticipation of the Messiah to come (Malachi 3:1; Hebrews 9:10-11; 10:1; Galatians 3:24-25), are taken from their dispensational context and then either spiritualized (i.e. making parallels to the concept of the Church being regarded as "spiritual Israel"; or in other words, the Church today is seen as a sort of "continuation" of Old Testament Israel - see William MacDonald's comments on Ephesians 2:15) or re-explained in terms of New Covenant practice (i.e. the Bible tithe was clearly food only and applied only to Israel, but now these concepts are translated in terms of application to money and "the Church," even specifically the church building as a parallel to the Old Temple), though it is a simple fact that the New Testament does not define such parallels in this application but in one completely opposite (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Acts 7:48; 17:24; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Hebrews 9:11, 24; Revelation 11:19; etc.) and neither does it teach the observance of ceremonial obligations of the Mosaic Law and, in fact, teaches their abrogation (Hebrews 7:18; Ephesians 2:15; Colossians 2:14; etc.).

It is true that, according to New Testament Scripture, Christians are considered as "Jews inwardly" (Romans 2:29), but this is NOT according to the flesh but the heart (Acts 15:9); in other words, Christians are "sons of Abraham" according to the promise, which is BY FAITH and not at all according to any carnal or natural ordinance of the Law of Moses. To use the intended spiritual application (regarding the Church as being the seed of Abraham by faith) that Paul talks about in Romans, as a means of endeavoring to support something like a modern principle of tithing money to a church, is a gross misapplication of Scripture and detracts from the intended purpose and meaning of such statements by the Apostle, for certainly he was not making use of such typologies to license men to impose the ordinances of Moses (which are abrogated and fulfilled in Christ according to the Scriptures) upon Christians. The danger here, when such biblically unwarranted methods of interpretation are employed, is that suddenly the whole Law of Moses (not just tithing) becomes eligible to be imposed upon Christians (in one form or another) at the whim of those who support such ideology. The (eventual) result is a return to bondage and the error of the Galatian church, which Paul combated in the first century.

We often forget what even the early Church fathers so clearly recognized about the carnal ordinances of the Law of Moses; that they were imposed because of the hardness of men's hearts. This includes tithing, and some of the early Church fathers even specifically mentioned this point. In my studies I recall reading the letter of Justin Martyr to Trypho, where Justin explains the purpose of the Law and all of its rituals and ordinances. At one point he states, "Christians would observe the Law if they did not know why it was instituted..." Sadly, it seems that many Christians today still do not understand why the Law was instituted; again, that is: because of sin and the hardness of the heart. Justin continued his thought by saying this about ordinances of the Law, "no more need is there of them now, after that, according to the will of God, Jesus Christ the Son of God has been born without sin, of a virgin sprung from the stock of Abraham..." This Christ lives in the heart of the Believer; leading, guiding, motivating the actions. This does not mean that now the old Law is prescribed for the Christian, but rather a completely new law instituted by Christ Himself! For as it states in Jeremiah 31:31-32 - "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which My covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD..." This passage is repeated and emphasized in the book of Hebrews, chapter 8 verse 8 and also in 13, which states, "In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away."

The Law God writes upon our hearts is a NEW Law, instituted by Christ. It does not consist of rituals and reconstituted ordinances of Moses made palatable for the New Covenant saint. Jeremiah states that this new "Law" will be NOT ACCORDING TO the first covenant. That means it is not derived from, influenced by, or composed of the old, expired code. Mistakenly, many Christians use this passage to suggest that what is actually written on the Christian's heart is the old law. Careful, honest reading of the passage reveals no such thing! This is not to take away from the fact that God indeed instituted the Law and that it was the essential factor to be had in preparation for the coming of the Messiah. But it is the Messiah, who IS HIMSELF the Word, that was written on our hearts! The Law was like the structures used in ancient times to frame up the building until the cornerstone could be laid. Once the stone (the foundation) was laid, the building could be completed and stand fast on that foundation and all the framework was completely removed and taken out of the way. If it were not, the building would remain useless, unihabitable and obstructed. The Apostles understood this. The disciples of the Apostles also understood this and maintained this course of understanding for hundreds of years after the cross. Listen to Justin's comments on Matthew 23:

"For He appeared distasteful to you when He cried among you, 'It is written, My house is the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves!'(5) He overthrew also the tables of the money-changers in the temple, and exclaimed, 'Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye pay tithe of mint and rue, but do not observe the love of God and justice. Ye whited sepulchres! appearing beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones.'(6) And to the Scribes, 'Woe unto you, Scribes! for ye have the keys, and ye do not enter in yourselves, and them that are entering in ye hinder; ye blind guides!'"

It is clear from Scripture and from the earliest writings of the Church (not to mention literally scores of biblical commentaries, dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other historical writings of the Church, which emphasize the point) that tithing is no more a requirement for the Christian than circumcision is. The reason why so many have believed that tithing is required is because the Scriptures have not been consulted in their complete and proper context. Rather than observing the whole picture, pieces of the puzzle are taken from the box and forced together to invent a new image of things. The problem is, it is not the image that was ordained by the Creator. It is rather something more appealing to man and his perception of what religion should entail. But anyone, who examines this faulty image closely will see its great flaws. As good as it may sound or appear, it is not the truth of Scripture and it is ultimately of no eternal value whatsoever! Bold words? Perhaps, but try them to see if they are not true.

The truth of Scripture MUST be visited in its proper context otherwise what is derived then is not necessarily truth at all (at least not biblical truth), but instead the wisdom and invention of men (and, sadly, this is predominantly what the whole modern-day church system is built upon). We have no authority granted us as believers (even pastors, prophets or teachers) to call what is removed from Scripture or its proper context "biblical truth" and use that to support our traditions and opinions. Note that I am not referring to what may be referred to as the "rhema" (spoken) Word of God, which the Lord indeed desires to speak daily into our lives if we will listen for His voice. By "rhema" I am speaking in terms of relationship; God ministering to us by His Spirit. I am not suggesting that God is limited to "speak" only through Scripture, but He will never contradict, devalue, lead away from or violate Scripture and that "rhema" will not produce bondage unto religion; God's Word therefore remains the gage of what is alleged to be truth. His Word stands alone and is unalterable by men, even of good intention. Just because something (like the modern concept of tithing) sounds noble or makes sense according to the wisdom of men, does not credit it as being biblical or God-ordained truth. There is far too much tampering with the Word of God today by many in the Church and love and respect for the Scriptures presented in their proper context is too often being replaced by a love and respect for human tradition and wisdom. Sadly today, many Christians who seek to embrace simple Bible doctrine are criticized if their embracing of biblical truth contradicts Christian pop-culture. Other Christians (including some in positions of church leadership) who have ridiculed and rejected the idea of embracing the biblical concept of grace giving as opposed to tithing may indeed be a perfect example of this reaction.

The difficult thing for many Christians to realize is that tithing is one of, if not perhaps "thee," carnal ordinance(s) of the Law of Moses; without it the whole Levitical system of worship could not be maintained (see Numbers 18 and Hebrews 7). In order for Christ's New Covenant to be established, the Old Covenant had to first reach its completion and fulfillment... That happened (Hebrews 9:15-17; 2 Corinthians 3:6; etc.)! The New Testament never compares pastoral leaders (or even Christians in general) to the Old Covenant, Levitical priesthood. Now, listen carefully to that statement; note that I did not say that Christians are not called priests for certainly they are. What I said was that they are not compared with the Old Covenant priesthood (i.e. the priesthood of Aaron; the Levitical priesthood)! Rather the Christian's priesthood is likened unto the "Melchizedek" priesthood of Christ (Hebrews 7:17-28) - after the power of an endless life! That is a very significant point when you realize that a good number of tithe teachers present that pastors, worship leaders, elders, etc. are, in essence, the modern manifestation of the Levitical priesthood (if only in symbolism). The problem is that nowhere in Scripture is there some teaching to this effect; No parallel made from Old Testament Levites and Priests to modern day Pastors and Church Ministers! The whole teaching to this regard is, quite honestly, a lie! The priesthood spoken of in the New Covenant applies to every single believer in Christ, and Christ alone being our High Priest. Christians have no kinship with the Old Testament priesthood of Levi. Our priesthood is completely new and separate from that ordination and is wrought completely of Christ having NO similarity or connection to that old system (Hebrews 7:11-19; 8:7-10; etc.).

Still many continue to teach that tithing money is a biblical mandate for Christians and that it is necessary if the Church is to be expected to prosper, grow and spread the Gospel, but sincere study of the Scriptures clearly reveal that this simply cannot be and, in fact, is not the case. What also needs to be considered is that, because of the influence of modern-day organized religion, we have confused our concepts of what the Church really is. According to the Bible, it is not a building or a program. It is CHRIST IN HIS PEOPLE! It is the very body of Jesus! This is an enormously significant point that we cannot escape because when people say things in response to the subject of tithing, like, "it is necessary if the Church is to be expected to prosper, grow and spread the Gospel," what "church" are they really referring to? Most church-attending people, I think it's fair to say, have in mind the "institution" of church - not the biblical designation, which is the very body of Christ; the royal assembly of God. When they think of "growth" they think of numbers increasing in their church (or in churches). When they think of prosperity, they are most often thinking either in carnal terms of personal wealth and/or in relation to the organization they belong to... perhaps even the system of organized religion as a whole. These kinds of things are very hard to embrace however when a person understands the true nature of "the Church", which can never be defined literally as a building or religious program, etc. The "Church" is organic! It is people assembled together around their Lord. It is a house, not made of brick and mortar, but of living stones. It is invisible (Luke 17:20-21). It doesn't exist only in one designated place, but in every place and is manifested when as few as two people are gathered together!

Matthew 18:20 - For where two or three are gathered in My name, I am there among them.

As a side point here, it intrigues me how so many that teach tithing adamantly, refuse to include all of the other ordinances of the Law, which are just as prominent as tithing (James 2:10). In fact, even the details of the biblical tithe itself are largely, if not completely, ignored. But here is another major confusion that exists: Israel of Old was not "the Church," and the Church of the New Covenant is not "Israel of Old," certainly not in any literal sense. The Church did not come into existance until Christ established it. While only spiritual parallels exists as they are specifically defined in the pages of the New Testament, there is no literal cross application from the carnal ordiances that national Israel was required to observe (i.e. tithing) under the Law of Moses (precisely as God ordained them in every detail) to some sort of modernized, culturally-relevant re-application and re-definition of such ordinances. Jesus nailed ALL of the ordinances (literally everything pertaining to Jewish religious life) to His cross (Ephesians 2:15; Colossians 2:14); they are not binding in any way upon the Christian to govern behavior or to attain some state of acceptance by God or level of righteousness (Romans 7:6). God is pleased with faith (Hebrews 11:6), He responds to faith (Matthew 9:28-29; etc.), and He saves through faith BY HIS GRACE (Ephesians 2:8-9)! The Law is not of faith (Galatians 3:12). Man is justified by faith without the deeds of the Law (Romans 3:28)! But even if a person doesn't take tithing to this extreme in their Christian experience, the doctrine as it is applied to the Church today cannot rest on any solid biblical foundation.

The simple fact is that nothing pertaining to the actual biblical tithe compares at all with our modern application, save perhaps the term "tithe" itself. The difficult part about presenting the concept of "grace giving" as opposed to "tithing" is that so many Christians have (since childhood) been ingrained with the traditional perspective of giving, which is that tithing your money to the local church is a mandate of Scripture. Even though simple study of the Word so clearly reveals the opposite (and a much better way to appropriate giving), this is still a very hard truth to swallow... Unfortunately, but especially, by many pastors. Having made this statement, I would like to suggest that the problem of members allegedly not giving as much into the offering these days, I surmise, isn't a problem concerning a lack of tithing in the church, but rather it is a problem of proper focus on the Word and correct teaching (not only in word but in deed) of New Covenant principles. If these things are set in order and the simple Word of God is honestly embraced and put into practice, such problems would quickly be resolved and the true joy of giving would be realized.

I hope no party will feel targeted or offended by this paper because that is not my intention, but rather I do hope that all who read this will be challenged and even encouraged. The argument this paper presents is NOT to suggest that churches who teach tithing are necessarily in sin because they teach tithing. This paper also, aside from the brief explanation presented in this introduction preface, does NOT present a formal teaching on the subject of the biblical tithe or its contrast and comparison to the New Testament teachings of giving according to grace, but the intent of this paper is to provide resource quotes in addition to study (as a supplement) and merely to open the discussion and point out the reality that the non-tithe position is NOT a new concept at all, neither is it the product of a lack of faith or a seeking to be excused from Christian responsibility and stewardship, but it is wholly a legitimate perspective derived and influenced completely by Scripture and supported historically by prominent members of the early Church and throughout the centuries following, right up to the present day. It is (as this paper will point out) taught by many respected sources and, in the opinion of this author, has the potential to set many of the Christian's perspectives on grace and giving into proper alignment and even excel giving in the Church far beyond what it has seen accomplished through the age old man-ordained system of monetary tithing. I realize that, at this point, perhaps some readers will have trouble with the statement "man-ordained" used in conjunction with tithing, but please continue through this entire document before letting my use of that term distract you. I think that, by the time you have reached my closing statements, you will better understand why such a term is used in connection with traditional tithing methods in the Church. For those of you interested in a detailed study on the subject of tithing, I am working on a large online "book" that should be available for review in the (hopefully) near future. In the meantime I highly suggest and recommend you obtain a copy of one of the books listed at the close of this resource list.

While some have made the argument that ministry organizations will not survive without a tithing system to support them, this list of references will help to clearly dispel this false notion. This list (though containing more than 85 different source references and well over 100 quotes) is actuality presented in brevity, for there are in fact many, many notable resource works available that discuss tithing in a similar light and there are also large churches, Bible colleges and seminaries that exist completely on the basis of freewill, non-compulsory giving methods (some of which are listed here with their corresponding mission and financial statements).

As the author of this paper, I have myself researched over an estimated 100 resource books (including commentaries, dictionaries, encyclopedias, lexicons, and comparing text usage among more than 28 versions of the Bible) in my personal investigation of tithing, giving and early church life, and have spent more than three years studying the subject of tithing alone. I have interviewed pastors, rabbis, evangelists and several authors through telephone conversation, e-mail and even visited churches that function entirely (and might I add successfully) without any tithing system at all. I have discovered that, in all actuality, the few biblical study aids that exist, which do happen to favor support (or at least allude the suggested practice) of tithing in positive application to the New Covenant Church, are unquestionably in the minority and rely mostly on testimonials and opinion (or simply make reference to traditional understanding) rather than dealing directly with Scripture! My own experience through research has led me to the conclusion that it is most certainly an indisputable fact that the bulk of respected theological, exegetical and scholarly biblical resource materials available DO NOT intimate support of obligatory tithing rituals for Christians. The numbers astounded me.

The predominance of teaching by authors of respected theological and exegetical resource works support the New Covenant principle of "grace giving" rather than Old Covenant tithing mandates, which only apply to national Israel and only (according to the biblical directive) food source and never money. Likewise, most all Bible scholars agree that Scripture is adamantly clear about the total abrogation of Old Covenant "carnal ordinances" in light of Christ's work of reformation (e.g. Hebrews 9:8-10; Ephesians 2:13-16; Colossians 2:14; Galatians 3:23-26; Hebrews 7:18; 8:8-13; etc). Amazingly, despite these astounding facts, many Christians continue to believe in and support the concept of tithing money to a church (and that this is expressly a command of God, punishable by curse if neglected and rewarded by financial blessing if observed), though no such command (or subsequent curse or blessing) is given anywhere in Scripture (either by Christ Himself or any one of the apostles).

Many Christians are distressingly held in bondage of fear and condemnation (and sometimes selfish pride) because they have listened to the commandments of men rather than acknowledging the Word of God. The Word that boldly proclaims to the believer in Christ that they are free indeed because of Christ (John 8:36) and that, because of His Spirit, there is liberty (freedom from the Law to walk in obedience to Christ – 2 Corinthians 3:15-17; Romans 1:3-5; 7:6; Galatians 5:1; etc.)! Giving should be the result of a heart set on fire for the Lord Jesus; completely motivated because of the believer's relationship with God. This is what the New Testament clearly teaches concerning giving; that it is according to the wonderful grace of God that we find our motivation, purpose and example. It is also according to this grace revealed to us that our sincerity in what we give is tested and manifested (2 Corinthians 8:8; 1 Peter 4:10; etc.). Hence it should go without saying that giving must be a matter of freewill.

Christians who find themselves ridiculed, reprimanded by leaders or judged and misunderstood by other Christians because their views on tithing do not agree, should understand that the non tithe view (though opposite the practice and teaching of probably most of the traditional church) is actually supported by more Bible study resource works, more Bible colleges, and more theologians, scholars and historians than they might initially realize (in fact, it would appear, by much more than the opposition). This list is intended to help illustrate this reality, though perhaps it should be stated that the author is not suggesting these quotes be taken on the same level as Scripture. Indeed the comments that follow are ultimately the perspectives of men on Scripture. The reader should take care to examine God's Word fully for himself or herself and not merely make decisions based on the opinions of men.

Christians who also meet opposition to their perspectives on subjects like "non-tithing" should also remember mercy and understand that the majority of people who support the concept of a biblically-mandated tithe are sincere and (in the opinion and witness experience of this author) have been largely influenced by tradition and the opinions of others who have taught and believed the same. Sadly, often Christians tend to interpret Scripture based on what tradition has taught rather than let plain Scripture alone influence and guide their actions and what they believe. But I think many of us do this to some degree. It's a difficult process to change, but with God's grace it is possible. We must lay down all pride, arrogance, anger and bitterness at the foot of the cross and love and pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ with humility knowing that neither are we perfect in all of our understanding. If change is required, then ultimately it is God who must work this transformation and we should trust that He is able.

We should strive to know the truth, believe it, stand by it and put it in to practice, but we must not belittle others or have judgmental attitudes in the process. We must also remain teachable ourselves and not stubborn or rebellious. We should not take offense when others disagree. This is a great challenge I myself have had to work through on occasion when dealing with people who just don't see things the way I see them (grin). It's very easy to misunderstand someone's heart or intentions when their expressed reaction to something stands in opposition to our own opinions. If we do not keep mercy at the forefront of our hearts and minds, we will get offended, we will wound others, we will misunderstand others and a wedge will almost certainly be drawn between relationships. This is what the enemy wants, but we must instead allow love to prevail in our lives. Admittedly, this is so often easier said than done, but it must be done if we are to call ourselves after the name of Christ. Christian maturity is to not take into account a wrong suffered. Christian maturity is to always seek to extend grace because God has extended so much grace toward us. God is looking into our hearts and watching our deeds. The attitude of Christian love must prevail, even where there may be disagreement among brothers and sisters in Christ.

The non tithe perspective (in the opinion of this author) has the potential to accelerate giving far beyond what mere tithing could ever hope to accomplish (precisely because its prime motivator is the love of Christ (illustrated through His life and death on the cross) and the grace God has shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit – rather than the law and legalistic ritual to motivate Christian service) Certainly "monetary tithing" is a doctrine of the Church that needs to be revisited with honest study in the Word of God. Sound principles of biblical interpretation (exegesis) must not be overlooked! The truth is there. We must search it out (not neglecting the full context of Scripture), embrace it and put it to practice. It may indeed require us to completely reform the traditional way we encourage and receive gifts to the support of our ministries. God guide us and grace us with mercy and truth, help us to be humble, teachable and bold enough to embrace change.