Growing up I was somewhat a Daddy's girl. I always have enjoyed being outside and doing the dirty work. I used to help my Dad outside or in his garage all the time. Last night, my Dad and I were in the garage and he said he wanted to know my opinion on something. At first I thought he was going to ask me another math question I didn't have the answer for. (he does that randomly, I call it humble pie)
My Dad then told me that he had a few guys from work confront him the other day. They told him that their church fired their youth pastor, because somehow the church found out that he wasn't paying tithes. The men wanted my Dad's thought on it, and my Dad wanted mine.
I told my Dad that I disagreed with. I have always been taught the way are commanded to tithe 10%. (I agree with that) However, I am not to sure that the Bible says a tithe has to be money. I believe that there are many ways to tithe, just like there are many ways to worship. Tithing for me might giving giving my free time up, which is rare for me to get. Tithing for some one else may be volunteering some where. A tithe is suppose to go to God and the support of His work.
(That was my answer to my Dad.)
Dad said that he saw it as the right thing in a business perspective. My Dad made it clear to me that he would not have handled it in that manner, but can understand. He explained to me that when the Youth Pastor came to that church and agreed to be on their staff that he more than likely knew what was to be expected of him. This man's job was to be a youth pastor, but just like in any job there are standards. Apparently paying tithes was one of his church's standards.
I went online and did a bit of research and found these definitions of the word tithe.
Wikipedia's definition:
A
tithe (
pronounced /ˈtaɪð/; from Old English teogoþa "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a (usually) voluntary contribution or as a levy or tax-like payment (technically not a tax as it is not paid to a level of government), usually to support a religious organization. Today, tithes (or tithing) are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required to be paid in kind, such as agricultural products (that grown of the land, or fruit of the tree). Several European countries operate a formal process linked to the tax system allowing some churches to assess tithes.
Pastor Eddie Cude:
The tithe principle is this; "He gives unto us, we give back to Him one-tenth of all that He has blessed us with."
http://www.letusreason.org/wf34.htm:
There were three tithes in the Old Covenant. More often tithes were the crops, the produce of the soil was to be tithed, grains, the fruit of the trees, every year new wine and oil, the firstborn of their herds and flocks
(Leviticus 27:30-33). If the place the nation of Israel were to tithe and was too far away to carry their goods (such as Jerusalem), it could be exchanged for money. They were to use their money to buy anything the owner chose: cattle, sheep, wine (
Deuteronomy 14:22-26). Every third year the tithe was to be reserved as a festival tithe where they brought out all the tithe, and their produce where the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, the widow, the poor who were in their town, could come and eat and be content (
Deuteronomy 14:28-29; 26:12-15). You can expect not to see those who teach tithing as an obligation to practice the third year tithe.
I myself still haven't come to a solid conclusion. I do believe that God could use more Christians that are willing and have good loving attitudes than money....
1 Corinthians 10:31
"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."
