Christians didn’t start teaching that God expected a 10% tithe of income until the mid-1800s; there are no sermons on tithing before then. Tithing became a fundraising technique after the American government stopped supporting churches with tax money, beginning in the 1830s. In Bible times, Christians gave offerings, not tithes. Paul said, “You must each decide in your heart how much to give,” (2 Corinthians 9:7 NLT). Bible Snapshots, p. 226.
About Stephen M. Miller
STEPHEN M. MILLER is an award winning bestselling Christian author of easy-reading books about the Bible and Christianity and author of the Casual English Bible® paraphrase. His books have sold over two million copies and include The Complete Guide to the Bible and Who’s and Where’s Where in the Bible.
Wow! I shared this linked on my Facebook page and did I get a lot flack over this.
So did the first church historian I know of who reported his findings. And others that followed, writing in magazines such as Christianity Today. The Christian tradition has been around for a couple of centuries. So lots of folks are committed to it. Especially people who need to raise the money for churches. The historians said it’s fine to raise money for the church, but not to impose an obsolete Jewish law on Christians. Better, they say, to take an offering and suggest that a tenth is a fine idea that worked for the Jews. But not to say that the Bible requires it of Christians. The New Testament says no such thing. If you can find otherwise, let me know.