"Behind the campaigns, it’s harder to know how the nonprofits manage their money, and whether the message matches the work." - Checking It Twice
"Evangelical churches and ministries saw an increase in giving in 2017, the highest increase since 2014, according to a new report by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability." - CPost
The First Thanksgiving, 1621 (Jean Leon Gerome Ferris: 1863–1930)
Originally posted November, 2006.
To All Ye Pilgrims: Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, beans, squashes, and garden vegetables, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as He has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience; now, I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the day time, on Thursday, November ye 29th of the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty-three, and third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to ye pastor, and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings.
It’s been 383 years since Governor William Bradford called the Pilgrims to the first Thanksgiving celebration in the New World. 156 years later, after a long, hard war for independence, our first President, George Washington, called the United States of America to a day of thanksgiving:
"The Church of England says 16,000 religious sites now have access to portable card readers. In the U.S., hundreds of churches have installed kiosks where the faithful can swipe a card to donate. Others are popularizing smartphone apps where money can be sent over at any time." - RNS
"Half of Protestant churchgoers say their tithes can go to a Christian ministry rather than a church, compared to what is often taught by pastors and Bible study aids. A third say tithes can go to help an individual in need and nearly one in five say tithes can even go a secular charity" BPNews
Read the series.
Today’s Christian gains big-picture understanding of what the Bible teaches about financial giving by learning the Old Testament background and foundational truths related to the subject. This was presented in the previous article. But the New Testament contains the full teaching that guides what we do in the church and in our individual Christian lives. Join me as we survey Jesus’ teaching, the practices of the newly-formed first century church, and the instructions given by the apostles.
Some say Jesus spoke on the topic of money more than anything else. I haven’t personally verified this assertion, but I do know that He had a lot to say about giving. The following is representative of His teaching on this subject.
The practice of tithing, giving ten percent of one’s income to the Lord, has been a well-established standard among Christians for many years. However, this practice has been challenged in more recent days, with some opposing it vehemently. What’s the problem? For those who reject it, the issue is usually that tithing is “Old Testament” and Christians are governed by the New Testament.
On the surface, this statement is true enough, but like so many issues, requires a bit more investigation.
Tithing was unquestionably required under the Law of Moses. In fact, Mosaic Law specified at least two tithes, and in some years, three. It was not simply a tithe, but several tithes. Although it is true that the Law of Moses is synonymous with the Old Covenant, it is not true that the Law of Moses is the same as the Old Testament. It is contained within the pages of Old Testament Scripture, but it is neither synonymous with the Old Testament, nor did it cover the entire history of the Old Testament.
