Tithing changes in tough times, but it has lasted for millenia.
Near the end of last year, prominent evangelical pastor Rick Warren sent out a plea to members of his Saddleback Church in Orange County, Calif. “This is an urgent letter unlike any I’ve written in 30 years,” Warren wrote. “On the last weekend of 2009, our total offerings were less than half of what we normally receive— leaving us $900,000 in the red for the year, unless you help make up the difference today and tomorrow.”
Saddleback wasn’t alone. Nearly 40% of the congregations in various denominations providing figures cited a decline in giving last year (compared to 29% in 2008), according to a March report from State of the Plate, a research project by Maximum Generosity ministry and Christianity Today International. Close to a third reported lower-than-expected collections for December, a month that traditionally helps many churches meet their budgets.
Of course, the news isn’t entirely surprising for congregations in the midst of a slumping economy. The ancient religious practice of tithing is based on a percentage of income, not a gross amount. As income declines, tithes do too. Yet researchers note that the rate of tithing—the giving of at least 10% of one’s income—has stayed relatively consistent. Some 7% of adults reported donating at least a tenth of their income last year, a rate that has remained constant for a decade, according to The Barna Group’s February report, “The Economy’s Impact: Donors Reduce Giving, Brace for the Long Haul.”
Tithing levels, which in the Barna Group’s report include both church and other charitable giving, were highest among evangelicals (24% of whom tithe), non-mainline Protestants (13%), churchgoers (11%) and those over the age of 45 (9%). Tithing doesn’t seem related to income levels, either: According to the report, 11% of those with a household income under $20,000 reported tithing, while 9% of more prosperous households did so.
Fortunately, perhaps, church attitudes have evolved quite a bit since the Council of Trent instructed Catholics to tithe…or face excommunication. And while there may be no explicit command to tithe in the New Testament, religious giving is one of the oldest spiritual disciplines.
First mentioned in Genesis, the tithe (or temple tax) was mandatory for the tribes of Israel and set a strong precedent for giving in the Christian church. Jesus famously talked about the basic purpose of charity, instructing his followers to “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” rather than hoard their wealth on earth. “Where your treasure is,” he said in the Sermon on the Mount, “there your heart will be also.”
The third-century deacon Lawrence of Rome took the message to heart. When the prefect of Rome demanded that he turn the riches of his church over to the emperor, the deacon asked for a few days to gather the wealth. During that time he distributed church property to the poor and, when ordered to pay up, he presented the poor, the crippled, the blind and the suffering and said to the prefect: “These are the treasures of the church.” For his defiance, he was martyred.
The Scriptures tell believers that “God loves a cheerful giver.” Even so, some of history’s greatest preachers struggled to explain the importance of Christian charity to believers. When the followers of the 4th century church father Chrysostom expressed astonishment that others tithed, he shamed his flock by pointing out the dutiful giving of Old Testament Jews. This approach, that forefathers gave more, has been a theme in centuries of sermons.
Modern defenders of the practice include religion journalist Douglas LeBlanc, whose new book “Tithing: Test Me in This,” approaches the topic with a series of biographical vignettes. All of his subjects, ranging from a Seventh-day Adventist to an Orthodox rabbi, have been spiritually enriched by following the ancient spiritual discipline of tithing. Many of them began tithing when they were living in poverty, including one couple who could barely stretch their weekly food budget to afford a container of yogurt.
Many of those in the book describe tithing as a practice that shapes their lives, rather than being obligation that weighs on them. Mr. LeBlanc speaks with Randy Alcorn, a Christian author who describes tithing as “training wheels toward learning how to live fully in the kingdom.” Mr. Alcorn says he wasn’t guilted into tithing but began the discipline after a particularly compelling sermon.
“As a New Testament follower of Christ, in the most affluent society in human history, there’s no way I could ever justify giving less than 10% when God had required that, really, of the poorest Israelite,” Mr. Alcorn explains.
After Pastor Warren’s end-of-year appeal, Saddleback members—an estimated 10% of whom are unemployed—ended up contributing some $2.4 million to keep the church operating. Mr. Warren said the money would go toward the church’s ministries, which include feeding more than 200,000 people. It would seem that no matter how bad the economy gets, many believers still put their money where their heart is.
Ms. Hemingway is a writer in Washington.
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