Jesus Identified With Sinners
Some Of Whom
Were Quite Wealthy

With recent employment trends in the US going south, leaving a larger-than-usual number of people reliant on unemployment income to make ends meet, budgets are being radically adjusted.

Unemployment benefits are designed to supply only about half one’s normal income and in many cases it works out to be less. Obviously, under these circumstances some expense items have to go.

Since tithing’s status as a fixed expense is regularly debated in good times, it is no surprise that it is scrutinized even more closely during the bad. And most of the discussion focuses on one question:

“Should those living on unemployment benefits, hand-only-reaching-mouth-at-a-stretch, tithe?”

Not only are responses numerous they are often emotional.

We shouldn’t think that strange. It is inevitable that emotion would seep into any arguments about money. Contrary to what people like to think, we love the stuff. We love to keep it – meaning spend or hoard – or we love to brag about giving it away. The more we have to keep or give, the more attached we become to our pet ideas about managing it.

The arguments we put forth in support of our beliefs are no less emotional than the crazy perspectives we entertain about the filthy stuff.

Christianity Today, in their usual approach to dealing with searching questions about pressing needs, has offered three articles from three different perspectives addressing this very question. All of them are interesting. One, however, takes the emotional “cake.” [Read more…] about Tithing On Limited Income