THE TITHE COLLECTOR

This excerpt is from chapter three of my book on cults. It's based on modified and re-purposed texts found in my book, "The Leavening." You'll find this to be a thorough study on the true meaning of the tithe, according to scripture.

CHAPTER 3

“For the loue of money is the root of all euil…” (1 Timothy 6:10)

THE TITHE COLLECTOR: CASH IS KING

Having discussed the modern churches’ departure from biblical principles of the early church, and having identified their appetite for property, money and prestige, we need turn to the financial model they gradually adopted to ensure economic success.

In the early fourth century, Constantine established the legal Roman Church to help unify his empire; thus, the institutional church was founded on principles that first served the state.

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Heavy taxation financed Constantineʼs government and, eventually, his universal church and its priests who were granted certain tax exemptions and supplied funds to erect church buildings. By the sixth century, tithing was formalized and entered into cannon law. Before Constantine, there were no government-affiliated churches, or financial subsidies for them. Churches were non-institutional, non-building oriented and sustained through fee-will offerings by congregants. There was no tithing or compulsory giving. (Acts 4:32-37, 1 Corinthians 6:2 & 9:1- 14, 1 Timothy 5:17-18 & 6:17-19).

The Encyclopedia Britannica says, "The Christian Church depended at first on voluntary gifts from its members.” And, Hastings Dictionary of the Apostolic Church states, "It is admitted universally that the payment of tithes or the tenths of possessions, for sacred purposes did not find a place within the Christian Church during the age covered by the apostles and their immediate successors.”

Despite no record of tithing in the early church, various revenue-generating schemes, like compulsory giving and church taxes, gradually became normative within the evolving church. The residue of Rome’s state-enforced church tax is tax is still evident in some European countries, where institutional churches and governments cooperate to collect taxes, or mandatory tithes of a sort; for example, church taxes are still paid by citizens of Austria, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland. In a similar spirit, North American 501c3 corporate churches work closely with the government to provide congregations with tax-deductible receipts that encourage tithes and offerings, thereby stimulating cash flow to support church hierarchies, fund building projects, acquire assets and pay salaries and other expenses.

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Historically, the Roman Catholic Church is known for its overt, covert and oppressive tactics. Anything that makes people subject to its priestly order is considered justifiable, whether: crusades, inquisitions, treachery, church taxes, compulsory giving, indulgences, penance, confessionals, rituals or works-based salvation. In the past, the Vatican controlled governments in many countries, imposing taxes and crowning and deposing rulers. However, from the Reformation onward, Rome began losing its power to directly control certain nations. It responded by developing a Counter Reformation strategy, which involved the establishment of an organization commonly known as the Jesuits. Its plan to infiltrate governments, courts of law, industry, economies, religions, families and educational systems was no secret to the Reformers and their successors, who resisted Romeʼs concordats and other diplomatic initiatives.

Despite this, the Jesuitsʼ unrelenting perseverance paid off, as non-Catholic churches and governments gradually embraced Romish ideas and values pertaining to the relationship of church and state. This was accomplished through economic and political manipulation, by which the Jesuits succeeded in influencing churches and governments to adopt revenue and tax policies loosely rooted in aspects of ancient theocratic principles. Introducing this into the New Testament church has perverted the pure doctrine of free will giving and replaced it with mandatory giving and the attitude of give-to-get, common among Christians who every year eagerly wait for their tax deductible receipts.

All corporate entities, including the institutional churches, require reliable streams of operating capital to support management and pay other expenses. To establish biblical authority to levy and collect taxes and tithes from church members, the institutional church combined pre-Levitical tithing

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traditions with aspects of Levitical tithing laws and ancientIsraelʼs commercial practices.

Consequently, the institutional church founded its money tithing doctrine on two claims or tenets. One often hears these two statements from pastors who preach the doctrine of tithe or be cursed. (Malachi 3:8)

1. Abraham tithed before the Law; therefore, tithing precedes the law and was not abolished with the Law.

2. Israel was an agricultural society; thus, it was logical for Israelites to pay tithes with produce and animals, while todayʼs societies are currency-based, and should pay in money.

(It should be noted that ancient Israel was a theocratic society and supported its government, social programs, religion and the Levitical priesthood through tithes. Many contemporary pagan cultures also practiced tithing. Also, Jewish tithes converted into money had to be converted back into produce, livestock and other goods upon arrival in Jerusalem, Deuteronomy 14:24-25).

Scripture records Abraham tithing one time from the spoils of war, not his personal income, and there are no biblically recorded commandments to tithe prior to the Levitical law. Secondly, a foundational problem remains unresolved; tithing money is found nowhere in the Bible. Because of that, introducing it into the church violates the authority of scripture to govern all matters of faith and practice. Thirdly, ancient cultures used money, and scripture mentions money dozens of times before the Levitical Law, for example, Exodus 22:25. Thus, trying to establish monetary tithing practices for the church based on Abrahamʼs tithe from the spoils of war, strict Levitical food-

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tithing laws and agrarian versus currency-based societies is not scripturally supported.

Thirdly, ancient cultures used money, and scripture mentions money dozens of times before the Levitical Law, for example, Exodus 22:25. Thus, trying to establish monetary tithing practices for the church based on Abrahamʼs tithe from the spoils of war, strict Levitical food-tithing laws and agrarian versus currency-based societies is not scripturally valid.

Furthermore, by collecting mandatory tithes, pastors assume an essential right and administrative function exclusive to Levites. To make matters worse, they directly ignore Hebrews 7:16-23, that says the Levitical priesthood and its laws were disannulled. Thus, no pastor has any legitimate biblical authority to demand tithes of any sort, especially money; and, even if the office of tithe collector (the Levites) were extant today, it would remain the sole jurisdiction of the Levitical priesthood, not having been passed on to the priesthood of all believers, let alone to any church pastor. Again, we are staring at the cult of the pastor-pope, a church leader who wrongly assumes authority and imposes his will on others, preying on their ignorance of God’s word.

Church tithe collectors serve the Counter Reformation by mirroring Roman Catholic priests who declare anathemas, or curses, upon anyone who disobeys their assumed authority. Many pastors echo this, falsely insisting that those who donʼt tithe 10 percent of their gross income will be cursed with a curse.

In Catholicism a priest stands between man and God, as in Judaism. When church pastors assume certain rights of Levitical priests, they also presume, in some way, to stand between man

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and God. They act like mediating priests. Conversely, Christ is now the only mediator between man and God; the Levitical priesthood is abolished, and pastors who cherry pick Levitical tithing laws and warnings and apply them to the church stand in defiance of Christʼs exclusive mediatorial office. Pastors have no Levitical or mediatorial authority.

Also, a soteriological model that attempts to incorporate tithing laws, or works of any kind, violates scripture and Christʼs sufficient sacrifice. Tithe or be cursed is a doctrine that flirts with this and echoes the Roman Catholic doctrine of grace plus works, a brand of salvation with conditions tacked on the backend – rules that must be followed, in this case, to escape Malachiʼs curse.

It is false for pastors to insist that tithing is commanded under the New Covenant, and that failing to obey puts believers under Godʼs curse. God does not save people so that he can curse them. If that was the case, pastors would have a responsibility to inform potential converts that before accepting the free gift of salvation, they should also agree to obey the so-called tithing commandment, as not to fall under Malachiʼs curse.

Though not directly asserting that salvation is by grace plus tithing or works, most tithe-collecting pastors eventually intimidate uninformed believers into complying with tithing to avoid Malachiʼs tithe curse. I venture that if they were properly informed of this prior to accepting Christʼs free gift of salvation, they might have had second thoughts about how free that gift really is.

Because tithing belongs to the Levitical Law, it has been disannulled by Christʼs finished work on the cross, and

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Christians are free from it, no longer subject to any earthly priesthood, including Levite-like pastors and their tithe curse doctrine.

Paulʼs argument in Hebrews chapter seven is complex, yet his conclusions are simple; the Levitical laws and priesthood are disannulled in their entirety, and the new priesthood of Jesus Christ is established forever. Paul stresses the end of the Law, which he says made nothing perfect. He discusses tradition, the law of tithing, the Levitical priesthood and the new priesthood of Christ. It is important to note that Paul uses the example of tithing law to demonstrate the disannulment of the Law and its foreshadowing, Abrahamʼs tithe to Melchisedec. Paul explains the relationships between: tithing tradition, tithing law, perishable priesthoods and the disannulment of all these things because of the new priesthood of Christ punctuated with the royal priesthood of believers. If Paul did not mean to include tithing in the disannulment of the Law, he would certainly not have used it as the singular example in this chapter. He could easily have chosen any of more than 600 Old Testament laws to make his point.

Verses 1-4 (Hebrews 7) describe a tradition of tithing, using the encounter of Abraham and Melchisedec. Paul provides a typology of the priesthood of Christ. Though Paul affirms the greatness of Melchisedec compared to Abraham, in no way does he infer equality between Christ and Melchisedec. Unlike Christ, Melchisedec was a mere man who required material things to sustain him.

Verses 5-11 explain the right of the Levitical priesthood to collect tithes.

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“5 And verily they that are of the sonnes of Leui, who receiue the office of the Priesthood, haue a commandment to take Tithes of the people according to the Law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loines of Abraham:”

Paul says the Levites collect tithes because they were commanded. Meanwhile, Abraham was never commanded to tithe to Melchisedec or to anyone else. He gave Melchisedec 10 percent from the spoils of war of his own free will. God commanded that Levites collect tithes from their brethren, the other tribes of Israel – the genetic descendants of Abraham. This model was established in Abraham before the Law, commanded after him in the Law and abolished by Christ, the imperishable high priest.

Verses 12-17 explain how the Levitical priesthood and the Law have been changed from carnal to incorruptible and endless. Paul says changing the priesthood necessitated changing the Law.

“12 For the Priesthood being chaunged, there is made of necessitie a change also of the Law.”

He explains that Christ is the perfect priest, and the Levitical priesthood is disannulled with the Law, as we now have a high priest that does not need to offer sacrifices for his sins. Because of this, Paul says the priesthood and the Law are changed. The former priesthoods were carnal; the new priesthood is spiritual.

Paul echoes this theme in 2 Corinthians 5:17,

“17 Therfore if any man be in Christ, hee is a new creature: old things are past away; behold, al things are become new.”

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Hebrews 7:18-19 declare the disannulment of the law and the Levitical priesthood.

“18 For there is verily a disanulling of the commandement going before, for the weakenesse and vnprofitablenesse therof. 19 For the Law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did: by the which wee draw nigh unto God.”

Verses 22-25 declare the superiority of the priesthood of Jesus Christ.

“22 By so much was Iesus made a suertie of a better Testament. 23 And they truly were many Priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: 24 But this man, because hee continueth ever, hath an vnchangeable Priesthood. 25 Wherefore he is able also to saue them to the vttermost, that come vnto God by him, seeing hee ever liueth to make intercession for them.”

Verses 26-27 distinguish Christʼs holiness, separating him from corruptible priests.

“26 For such an high Priest became vs, who is holy, harmelesse, vndefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heauens; 27 Who needeth not daily, as those high Priests, to offer vp sacrifice, first for his owne sins, and then for the peoples: for this he did once, when he offered vp himself.”

Verse 28 sums up the infirmity of the Levitical priesthood and the law, compared to that of the consecrated Son.

“28 For the Law maketh men high Priests which haue infirmitie; but the word of the othe, which was since the Law, maketh the Sonne, who is consecrated for euermore.”

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Paul says that tithing, the Levitical priesthood and offering sacrifices are part of an unprofitable law that made nothing perfect; conversely, Jesus is a better testament, living forever as the unchangeable high priest. The Levitical priesthood was defiled; the priesthood of Jesus ended the Levitical system, and there is no commandment in scripture for the new priesthood to collect tithes. Neither is there any need for the tithe, as the temple, the Law and the Levitical priesthood that were sustained by the tithe are all disannulled.

So who then can legitimately collect tithes? Jesus, who fulfilled the law perfectly, canʼt – not being a Levite. Certainly no church pastor or priest can – neither being from the tribe of Levi – unable to save and subject to corruption and death. Finally, Jesus established the priesthood of all believers. So, who among these co-equal priests should pay tithes and which priests should collect them?

Furthermore, in Hebrews 7, Paul uses the example of Abrahamʼs tithe and the abolition of the Levitical priesthood to illustrate the disannulment of the Law. Paul would not have profiled tithing if he did not want it understood that tithing is of the Law, and all tithing ended with the disannulment of the Law

Most tithe teachers suggest that Paulʼs example of Melchizedek and Abraham shows that Abraham faithfully and consistently tithed. However, there is no biblical evidence, nor a single scripture that records Abraham ever paying tithes to anyone before or after his encounter with Melchizedek. Tithe teachers often insist that just because the Bible records Abraham tithing but once does not mean he did not tithe consistently; I would assert that it is unwise to make an argument from silence, so I will restrict my analysis to what the Bible says, not what it does not say. We know for certain Abraham tithed once.

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Similar to Abraham’s example, tithe teachers often say Jacob tithed consistently. Yet, the account in Genesis 28:20-22 only records his promise to tithe. There is no biblical record of Jacob ever tithing, or making good on his promise to tithe. Itʼs also important to recognize that Jacobʼs promise was conditional; he would only tithe if God met his conditions.

In Genesis 14:18-24, we find Abraham giving Melchizedek tithes of all the spoils of war and returning the remainder to the King of Sodom, minus expenses, or what Abrahamʼs men had eaten. This is the only biblical account of Abraham tithing anything to anybody.

Since the scripture records Abraham tithing once only from the net of spoils of war, no tithing teacher can legitimately claim that Abraham faithfully tithed from the gross of his own wealth, or income. And, based on Abrahamʼs example, no church can insist that Christians are required to tithe in like manner, unless perhaps itʼs from the spoils of war.

After Genesis 14, the next mention of tithing is found in Leviticus 27:30-32, as follows.

“30 And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORDS: it is holy vnto the LORDS. 31 And if a man will at all redeeme aught of his tithes, he shall adde thereto the fifth part thereof. 32 And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flocke, euen whatsoeuer passeth vnder the rod, the teneth shalbe holy vnto the LORD.”

Tithe teachers often argue that Deuteronomy 14:24-26 allows for the tithe to be money. “24 And if the way bee too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carie it, or if the place be too farre

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from thee, which the LORD thy God shall chuse to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: 25 Then shalt thou turne it into money, and binde vp the money in thine hand, and shalt goe vnto the place which the LORD thy God shal chuse. 26 And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoeuer thy soule lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheepe, or for wine, or for strong drinke, or for whatsoeuer thy soule desireth: and thou shal eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt reioyce, thou and thine houshold.”

However, the scriptures are very clear; when the tithe is converted into money for the convenience of travel, it no longer is considered a tithe, and must be converted back into produce of the land (food, strong drink, animals etc.) upon arriving at Jerusalem.

In Leviticus 27:30, the tithe is specifically of the land; however, if one chose to convert their tithe into money, they were required to add an additional fifth part (v.31), thereby making the substitute money 15 percent.

Regarding tithing of the herd (Leviticus 27:32), 10 percent of the herd was not required; rather, every tenth animal that passesd under the rod. This means that herds of less than 10 animals would not be subject to the 10 percent tithe; only herds numbered in multiples of 10 would actually tithe 10 percent. For example, a herd of 19 animals would only require a tithe of one animal (5.264%), not 1.9 animals. Thus, biblical tithing is not always 10 percent of all, nor is it necessarily the first tenth, contrary to what church tithe collectors teach.

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And finally, Leviticus 27:34 plainly states that the tithing commandments are for the children of Israel, only. “34 These are the commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses for the children of Israel in mount Sinai.”

So, no tithing teacher can legitimately say that this first mention of tithing in the Levitical Law, applies to the church today. Furthermore, it is merely self-interest that causes churches to say that the tithe principle is 10 percent of gross income, when in fact tithing of herds was often less than 10 percent. Similarly, tithes that were converted into money from the sale of the tithe were 15 percent (something no church today insists upon). And, upon arrival in Jerusalem, the money was to be changed back into the actual tithe, which was produce of the land and livestock.

Though most tithe teachers agree that the Levitical Law applied to Israel, they deny that tithing was disannulled. They say that tithing precedes the Levitical Law and constitutes an ongoing principle that is outside the law; therefore it applies to the church today. They claim Abrahamʼs tithe to Melchizedek is a type. If that is true, then only tithes from the spoils of war would constitute a legitimate tithe for the church, since that is the only source of Abrahamʼs tithe to Melchizedek. Instead, tithe collectors, ignoring the fact that Abrahamʼs tithe was not from his personal wealth, combine the so-called principle of tithing doctrine with convenient aspects of Levitical tithing laws to establish a false tithing commandment for the church today.

Scripture explains the true principle of tithing in Joshua 13:32-33. It was the inheritance of the Levites, not greedy institutional pastors today. Scripture reads,

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“32 These are the countreyes which Moses did distribute for inheritance in the plaines of Moab, on the other side Jordan, by Iericho, eastward. 33 But vnto the tribe of Leui Moses gave not any inheritance: the LORD God of Israel was their inheritance, as he said vnto them.”

And, Numbers 18:20-21 confirms the purpose of the tithe.

“20 And the LORD spake vnto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou haue any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel. 21 And, behold, I have giuen the children of Leui all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their seruice which they serve, euen the service of the Tabernacle of the Congregation.”

Thus, the real purpose or principle of the tithe was to support the tribe of Levi with food, as they were given no inheritance, or land. With Christʼs abolition of the Levitical priesthood and the temple, the law and tithes were no longer necessary, and the very principles and reasons for tithes ceased to exist. Furthermore, it is contradictory for tithe collectors to agree that the New Covenant abolished the Levitical Laws, but, on the other hand, apply certain loosely interpreted conventions of Levitical Laws to the church.

If tithing is truly a fixed principle apart from the Levitical Law and established by Abraham and Melchizedek, let that principle be defined by what the scripture says of it – spoils of war; and, not by a self-serving redefining of Levitical tithing laws, common in many churches.

Tithing teachers agree that tithing according to scripture was only from production of the land of Israel and not money.

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Yet, they insist that todayʼs legitimate tithe is money, not produce of the land. They usually argue that money was not used in ancient times; therefore, it is logical that payment of tithes was made in goods. They say modern economy is based on money, and it is more practical to bring money to the church, not fruit, grain, vegetables and animals. Thereʼs a certain sensibility to this reasoning. However, predicated by the tithe collectorʼs assumed right to modify the Law of Moses, their reasoning rests upon the false premise that ancient civilizations did not use money. This is simply not true.

Money is first mentioned in Genesis 17:12.

“12 And he that is eight dayes olde shall be circumcised among you, euery man child in your generations, he that is borne in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.”

In fact, money occurs dozens of times before the Levitical Law. (26 times in Genesis and 10 times in Exodus) Thus, if God wanted tithes to be money, he would have said so. Rather, the Law specifies that tithes are agricultural produce and animals, not money. Further to this, there is no legitimate biblical authority for tithe collecting pastors to change Godʼs glorious law or to impose a self-serving, monetary tithing system on their churches.

Jesus mentions tithing in a negative context. Matthew 23:23,

“23 Woe vnto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for yee pay tithe of mint and anise and cummine, and have omitted the weightier matters of the Law, judgement, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to haue done, and not to leaue the other vndone.”

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Jesus understood Levitical tithing laws and he demonstrates that by commending the Pharisees for tithing on the produce of their gardens. And, he makes no mention of tithing money in this account, nor in any other place in the New Testament. In reality, the context of verse 23 and the entire chapter have little to do with tithing; rather, Jesus chastises the Scribes and Pharisees for being hypocrites. He says that the good of keeping a particular law (tithing produce) is negated by their neglect of more important things.

Many tithe collectors, with no scriptural support, falsely insist that Jesus tithed. As the literal and spiritual fulfillment of the law, Jesus knew the law better than anyone; thus, he obeyed the Mosaic tithing laws, which did not require tithing from the poor, strangers, or those who earned their living apart from the land. Since Jesus was a poor carpenter, not a farmer or herdsman, he did not tithe; tithing would have been a contravention of the law. Neither are there any scriptures that say Jesus tithed.

Deuteronomy 26:12-13, show that the poor and others like Jesus did not tithe; similar to the Levites, they were recipients of the tithe.

“12 When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase the third yeere, which is the yeere of tything, and hast given it vnto the Leuite, the stranger, the fatherlesse, and the widow, that they may eate within thy gates, and be filled: 13 then thou shalt say before the LORD thy God, I haue brought away the hallowed things out of mine house, and also have giuen them vnto the Leuite, and vnto the stranger, to the fatherlesse, and to the widow, according to all thy commandements which thou hast commanded me: I have not transgressed thy commandments, neither haue I forgotten them:”

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Most churches today do not distribute tithes as the previous scriptures command, nor do they distribute offerings in keeping with New Testament practices. And, none properly follow any of the tithing laws. Instead, they have fabricated a man-made monetary tithing system, which they wrongly impose on Jesus and his church.

Finally, tithe collectors who insist that Jesus tithed, and the church must follow his example, need to examine all the tithes (Levitical, Festival & Poor tithes), which, if Jesus actually paid them, would have been between 20 and 30 percent. I submit that no tithing teacher or church member is prepared to tithe the way they claim Jesus did. Therefore, it is hypocritical for them to pretend they follow Jesusʼ example of tithing, when clearly they donʼt.

Tithe collectors get their tithe or be cursed doctrine from Malachi 3:8-11. Tithe teachers use these verses to put fear into their congregations. The implication is; if you donʼt tithe you will be cursed; however, if you tithe, you will be blessed. But, are these verses actually applicable to New Testament churches?

Malachi 3:8 says, “...ye have robbed me.” The pronoun, ye, requires an antecedent, or an object to which it refers. Tithe teachers say, ye means all Christians; the scripture in context says otherwise. Malalchi 1:1-7 defines the subject (ye) as Israel and its priests. “1 The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.”

Next, verses 6-7 are more specific, stating that the priests are the primary offenders.

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“6 ...Oh priests, that despise my name? and yee say, Wherein haue we despised they name? 7 Yee offer polluted bread vpon mine altar; and yee say, Wherein haue we polluted thee…”

Chapter 2:1 starts with an explicit statement regarding the object of Malachiʼs revelation and Godʼs commandment.

“1 And now, O yee Priests, this commaundement is for you.”

It is plain to see that Malachi is addressing the priests who are abusing their authority to collect and administer tithes. The pronoun ye, in Malachi 3:8, refers to Israelʼs priests. At no time in Malachi is there ever a reference to God cursing anyone other than Israel and, specifically, its priests. Thus, the antecedent of ye is priests, not a future church.

Tithing teachers often say that opening the windows of heaven represents God pouring out financial blessings upon faithful tithers. This is another gross misrepresentation of what Malachi says.

Cross referencing, we find the exact same phrase, the windows of heaven, used in Genesis 8:2, which reads, “2 The fountaines also of the deepe and the windowes of heauen were stopped, and the raine from heaven was restrained;”

Obviously, “the windowes of heauen” in Malachi 3:10, and Genesis 8:2 refers to rain. For the Israelites in Malachiʼs day, rain meant proliferation of crops; in Noahʼs day it meant judgment; however, in both cases the verses refer specifically to rain. Thus, when tithing teachers insist that the phrase, “open you the windowes of heauen,” refers to financial prosperity for faithful tithers, they are mistaken.

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The intention of Malachi is to let Israel and its priestly tithe collectors know that God will send rain only if all the tithing laws are obeyed, (no church obeys all the tithing laws, as we have already discussed). Conversely, if they continue to misuse tithes, God will curse Israel with no rain.

It would appear that pastors who insist on sitting in the priestly seat of the Levitical tithe collector are in danger of inviting upon themselves the very curse they claim God places on Christians who fail to keep all the tithing laws. Is it not, in fact, church tithe collectors (typically pastors) that are guilty of not keeping all the tithing laws? Placing congregants under any aspect of the law (tithing included), is that not tantamount to ensuring that church members are also cursed?

Any criticism of tithing chafes at the heels of the 501c3 corporate church; without the mandatory tithing revenue model, many corporate churches would grind to a crawl. Tithing ensures a churchʼs ability to make financial projections, support clergy and a clerical hierarchy, acquire property and pay bills. It is a sensible romish-theocratic business model. Yet, nowhere in the New Testament is the church ever commanded to tithe. Free will giving is the only commandment. Christ builds his house( born again Christians, the Ekklesia), not the tithe. Tithing enforcement is little more that a cultic notion that binds believers to a false doctrine and a false teacher who lords over them.

(Itʼs interesting to note that Matthew 22:27 has Jesus and Peter giving the tax collector the full amount of money found in the fishʼs mouth. If tithing law applied to money, Jesus should have held back ten percent and given that to the Levites according to the Law.

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I mention this in light of the fact that tithe collectors also say Christians should tithe 10 percent of all income before taxes, not after.)

Cult leaders are notoriously guilty of manipulating their followers for financial gain, and they are not above twisting scriptures out of context, ignoring defining texts and misrepresenting scriptures that disprove their doctrines. Yet, these same persons are made cult leaders only because their followers are willing to blindly follow them. If Christians today actually read their Bibles for themselves and understood church history, they would not so quickly fall into cultic traps set by institutions and denominations bent on economic growth.

Walter Martin’s book, “Kingdom of the Cults,” though meant to finger those outside so-called mainstream Christianity, rightly states the following regarding persons trapped in cults.

“They are not interested in a rational cognitive evaluation of the facts.”

Thus, despite the rational evaluation and clear scriptural foundation I have so far presented, the average Christian involved in an institutional ‘cash cult,’ is not able to evaluate the facts; rather, they will dismiss them in favor of high regard for a man and an institution that lies to them. The power of instilled dogmatism, whether true or false, is almost unshakable, even in the face of irrefutable facts.

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Martin wrote,

“…almost without exception cultic belief systems all manifest a type of institutional dogmatism and a pronounced intolerance for any position but their own.”

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