Kudos to Thomas Nelson for championing the basic disciplines of faith. Far too many Christians today have swung so far left that the warm fuzzies of God’s grace entwining with man’s heart have obfuscated the everyday responsibilities of Christian life and service.
The Cross and God’s grace give us salvation; but the life of the saved is more than clinging to the promise of that Cross. We do not live in a monastic cocoon. Saved or not, we are required to live responsibly in a sinful world. And it takes more than grace and a warm fuzzy feeling to do that. The Ancient Practices Series brings back to focus the basic need and the foundation of Christ-like living– practices governed by discipline, worship, priorities and principles. Tithing is one of seven in the series.
What I like about the book is that Leblanc does not fill it with proof texts and stories from the Bible to justify and validate the practice of tithing. That would be compiling stuff we already know or what we can Google on our own. More importantly the truth and theory of tithe does not immediately beget tithers. Tithers are born out of a tested, worshipful, loyal relationship with God. Knowing this to be true, Leblanc crafts this book out of the experiences of tithers across the country. Real people, real stories. And the result is a book that not only convinces us about the need to practice tithing, but also challenges us to tithe as an act of worship and praise.
Challenge yourself to read the book with an open and prayerful mind. Be persistent, read it from beginning to end. While there are a few unnecessary digressions, the bulk of the material is worth the editorial oversight. So keep at it!
(I received this book free from Thomas Nelson. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.)
Says Fyl 
NO ONE, absolutely NO ONE pays the Biblical tithe today.
Leviticus 27:30-33, Numbers 18: The First Tithe – a tenth of crops and animals and commanded to take the tithe to the Levites.
Deuteronomy 14:22-27: The Second Tithe aka The Festival Tithe – a tenth of crops, plus add to that the firstborn animals, and take for the yearly feast.
Deuteronomy 14:28-29: The Third Tithe aka The Three-Year Tithe aka The Poor Tithe – a tenth of crops, kept at home, and invite the Levites, widows, orphans, stranger to eat.
Now, tell me. Which of the above three tithes commanded by God does anyone follow today?
The ONLY people in the Old Testament that were commanded to tithe were those who INHERITED THE PROMISED LAND WITH EVERYTHING ON IT. They got the land, house, animals, crops, etc. ALL FREE AND CLEAR. No mortgage payment or rent to pay. And THEY were commanded to tithe on the crops and animals and take it to the Levites who INHERITED the tithe INSTEAD OF the promised land with everything on it. No one else tithed. Wage earners did not tithe. Jesus didn’t tithe. Paul didn’t tithe. Peter didn’t tithe.
HOW CAN YOU COMPARE THAT WITH CHRISTIANS WHO HAVE TO PAY THEIR MORTGAGE PAYMENT OR RENT, INCOME TAXES, PROPERTY TAXES, SALES TAXES, ETC?
There is no way to justify making some “principle” out of the Biblical facts and then apply it to Christians today. It is just flat out wrong and makes no sense at all.
The New Testament teaches generous, sacrificial giving, from the heart, according to our means. For some, $1 might be a sacrifice, while for others, even giving 50% of their income might not induce a sacrifice. In the Old Testament, ONLY the farmers tithed, and it was equal percentage (a tenth). The New Testament teaches the principle of equal sacrifice instead of equal percentage. Equal sacrifice is much harder to achieve, if not impossible, than giving ten percent.
Your first statement that no ones tithes is false. I am a tither and I know many who are. As far as the rest of what you have to say, I shall blog my response sometime!
Please tell me which of the three tithes do you follow?
Leviticus 27:30-33, Numbers 18: The First Tithe – a tenth of crops and animals and commanded to take the tithe to the Levites.
Deuteronomy 14:22-27: The Second Tithe aka The Festival Tithe – a tenth of crops, plus add to that the firstborn animals, and take for the yearly feast.
Deuteronomy 14:28-29: The Third Tithe aka The Three-Year Tithe aka The Poor Tithe – a tenth of crops, kept at home, and invite the Levites, widows, orphans, stranger to eat.
If none of the above, please give scripture to show me exactly what you are following, OR are you following man’s traditions instead of God’s Word?
If you can’t give scripture, I suggest you do a little studying on this topic.
cool
Thanks, Jeremy. It’s not a subject with which many are comfortable!
Books that are birthed from experience touch the lives of God’s people far more than mere theologizing exercises. Well done Douglas Leblanc – ‘a book that not only convinces us about the need to practice tithing, but also challenges us to tithe as an act of worship and praise’ – sums it so well.
Thanks, Tymon. I just check out your site and subscribed to your RSS feed. Blessings to you and your ministry.
Wow, Fylvia. Thanks for dropping by and subscribing. Your blog’s rich and such a blessing – I’m subscribed.
@Gary,
It’s clear that Flyvia’s initial response doesn’t need a degree to understand – she’ll blog her reply sometime.
You made the same arguments in my blog, and I quite appreciate your passion. In due course I’ll also show you why those arguments are quite weak and how I answered them for myself befor becoming a tither. Patience is one of the virtues of a Christian – I trust you have some.
I seem to see this book everywhere I turn and it has really sparked my curiosity. Did the writer provide infallible scriptural proof that tithing is for today’s church or did he simple base it on people’s experiences with a healthy dose of Malachi 3: 10 thrown in?
I must admit that I have not read the book but I can’t help but feel concerned from the little I have heard about it. How can we claim that a doctrine is correct because it works? That will mean we are using our personal experiences instead of the word of God to adjudge proper doctrine and I do not think that’s proper. That a thing works does not make it right. Moses experienced that first-hand: God asked him to speak to the rock and he smote the rock instead. Did water not come gushing out? Of course but was God pleased? Not at all.
This tithing doctrine so appeals to our selfish human desires as the promise of more wealth seems too good to miss. So much so that a lot of Christians are willing to risk financial ruin on this gamble because it promises huge financial returns. And this makes me question if those who tithe really do it out of love for God rather than money.
The three Hebrew boys in the book of Daniel refused to bow down to the graven image not because they hoped God would show up with a bang and prove them right all along but because they knew it was the right thing to do. They were simply obeying God’s word and damning any consequences.
So let me ask these rhetorical questions: how many would tithe if they was no promise of huge financial returns? And how many “tithers” have actually tithed their way into the Forbes list of richest people?
@Tony,
One of the problems with tendentious comments is judging something before one has actually handled or experienced it – Prov. 18:13. It may be helpful to first read the book with an open mind as Fylvia intimated, before drawing any conclusions.
I share your concerns about using one’s personal experiences instead of the word of God to adjudge proper doctrine. But there again, I think that book very well answers the denial by anti-tithers that tithing does not work. I know this first hand, and have been repeatedly told the same thing by many who oppose it.
The greater concern, however, is the way you tried to analogize tithing – it is a far cry from Moses striking the rock, or the three Hebrew boys’ experience, etc. More than anything, you’re drawing a very flawed assumption of the experiences of people who tithe.
I became a tither after having vehemently opposed tithing. What drew me to tithing was not any ‘selfish human desire’, nor ‘the promise of huge financial returns’, or whatever else you may presume. I first sought to examine for myself the presumptuous arguments of anti-tithers (many of which arguments I had used in my anti-tithing days), found answers to those objections, and changed my mind. I trust that many who tithe can relate to that.
Tithing is not based on anyone’s arguments or presumptions. No one forced me to start tithing, and it has been a refreshing and fulfilling experience for me.
@Tymon – Hmmm…did you really read my comment? Of course striking the rock and the experience of the three Hebrew boys are definitely a far cry from tithing but did you look at the context in which I used them? I used both examples to illustrate 2 points:1) Because a thing works does not make it right and 2) Sticking to what God’s word says and damning the consequences i.e not doing something because the immediate end result promises great returns.
The reasons you tithe is definitely none of my business and I definitely did not pull out my “flawed” assumption from thin air, it is something I know very well from my run ins with those who tithe. Anyways that’s beside the point.
Since you now claim to have studied this topic and are now convinced that tithing is valid for today’s church, could you please point me to these portions of the bible that prove this?
@Tony, I’ll quickly skip your first two paragraphs because you’re still making vacuous assumptions. I read your comments, understood them – and your explanations were unnecessary, since I already implied them in my reply.
If the reason anyone tithes is none of your business, why presume the things you did? I wanted to show you how shallow such assumptions were by making a case in point of my own experience. The idea that people tithe simply because of any of your three assumptions certainly do not apply across board to every tither.
I could point you to answers I have found for myself if you have particular questions to bear out. I think I’ve tried to develop my style of reasoning at my blog so you understand I’m not one of those seeking legalistic arguments. As many of those questions you may have, I’ll be delighted to share my answers with you. :)
I would be much obliged if you could point me to the answers you’ve found. I guess it could help cure my presumptious mind.
Although you didn’t leave me any particular questions, I’ll try and take some common concerns like the ones you shared and post my observations on my blog – then give you a shout later. :)
Ok, let me leave a particular question: Which portions of scripture enjoins today’s church to continue the practise of tithing?
A few things I would like you to bear in mind, Tony.
(1) I’m not inclined to legalistic arguments. I have a few posts up my blog on that, and I’d like to remind you yet again, just in case.
(2) I’ll post my answers on <> and give you a shout – hope you didn’t miss that? I already said “As many of those questions you may have, I’ll be delighted to share my answers with you” – an invitation to a warm-hearted discourse, if you may.
The reason for this is that simple courtesy and respect for Flyvia would imply we don’t want to turn this blog into a platform for protracted arguments.
You are beginning to sound patronising. Of course I got you the first time and only responded to your Although you didn’t leave me any particular questions. So that you have an angle to tunnel your answers towards. See you on your blog
That’s funny – the least thing I would do is patronize anyone. If you got me the first time round, why go on like you just didn’t see what I said earlier?
Welcome anytime, though. :)