How Should Christians Give?

Giving. It's a controversial subject. I think any topic involving our money is controversial.

In the past few years, I have encountered a variety of opinions on tithing. Some people point out that tithing does not appear to be a New Testament requirement (though Jesus does affirm it in Matthew 23:23). Others question whether the church should receive the 10 percent, or if the believer should exercise his own discretion as to where the tithe goes. Still others disagree on whether a tithe should be off of gross income or post-tax.

I think arguing the nuances sidetracks us from the deeper issue: God expects us to give generously (2 Corinthians 9:7) — whether 10 percent or 90 — but we're not doing it.

I wrote that in "Giving My Dinosaurs." Read the whole article here.