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Volume 3 · CenteredLesson 27About 23 minutes

Tithing

Is ten percent the measure of a generous life?

Centered edition for believersSwitch to Honest Heretics (for skeptics)

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The center · Matthew 23:23
23“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith. But you ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone.

In this lesson

In many churches the rule is simple: the first ten percent of your income belongs to God, and it goes to the church. Pay it before anything else. Keep it back and you are "robbing God." For a lot of families, the tithe is the clearest line between a faithful Christian and a lukewarm one.

Giving is good, and nothing in this lesson tells you to stop. But where does the ten percent rule come from, and how much did Jesus say about it? You may be surprised how little he said, and what it was. You don't need anyone's permission to look.

Measured against the center

An add-on
The ten percent rule comes from the Law and Malachi, not from Jesus; he mentioned tithing once, to say justice, mercy and faith weigh more, and making it the test of faithfulness is an add-on.

The rest of this lesson is in Volumes 2-4 online

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