Sunday, February 21, 2010

Let's Do the Tithe Rap!




This "rap" was performed in a Sunday service at First Baptist, Woodstock, Georgia where Johnny Hunt, current president of the SBC, is pastor. Not much I can think of to say about it. I think the latest commenter summed it up pretty well.

"Church today is a place to go for entertainment."

Update: I only thought it couldn't get worse. Now we have Ed Young, "Jr." rapping.


Monday, February 01, 2010

The Demand to "Tithe" vs. Willful, Cheerful Giving -- Are We Still Under the Law or Not?



"The greatest measure of godly discipline is this... that thou givest 10% of thy gross wages, undesignated, to thy church's multi-million-dollar budget before thou givest one mite to the orphan, the widow, the poor, the hungry."

1st Hesitations 3:16

For at least the past three months, Steve Gaines has been emphasizing "tithing" and his definition of it.

On December 6th he had
this to say.

On December 27th he said
this.

For two Sundays in January he announced "Prove the Tithe Day" which was, incidentally, cancelled by the weather.

Then on January 31st he topped himself with
this one.

The
FBC Jax Watchdog has written a good series of articles on "tithing" today as defined or perhaps misdefined by Steve Gaines and others.

The
latest concerns Steve Gaines' January 31st sermon.

Here are some previous articles:


A Look at the Doctrine of Storehouse Tithing

Ronnie and Johnny: Doggone It, How Can We Spread the Gospel If the Sheep Don't Tithe?

Takin' It Up With Da Book: The Truth on Tithing

Takin' It Up With Da Book: MacArthur on Tithing, Part 1

Bring Ye All the UNDESIGNATED Tithe to My Church....Now

'Twas the Sunday Before Christmas

Returning to the Topic of Storehouse Tithing

Circumcision Doesn't Raise Revenue

"10%....Undesignated....No Exceptions"

"Shake Down" or "Shake Up"?

What Ministry We Could Do if 90% Would Stop Robbing God

Adrian Rogers on the Tithe

Dr. Russell Kelly's book, Should the Church Teach Tithing? takes an indepth look at this topic.

So... are we still under Old Testament law or not? How does what preachers like Steve Gaines are demanding today... 10% of your pre-tax income given in an undesignated fashion to what has in some cases become a temple of greed... compare to the Old Testament tithe? Why do we not follow other OT laws, dietary laws, for example? Why "only" 10%? And how does this legalistic demand by men compare to the New Covenant concept of willful, cheerful giving to help spread the gospel and help care for those in need?