The Church and Money
Every Sunday at church we take an offering. The offering is supposed to be an act of worship but in most churches its more like the halftime show. The worship and singing has ended and the teaching is about to begin. Rather than become an amazing time of worship and celebration, tithing is something the church never talks about and Christians tend to feel guilt over.
A recent study showed that only 5% of Christians tithe. Over 80% of Christians give less than 2%. Think about that for a second.
Other religions do a much better job in their teaching. Although their theology is off, their involvement on finances is evident. We see the Mormon church growing and purchasing land like crazy. Islam is also growing like wildfire. The Jewish people have been known throughout history for being financially sound.
What if Christians were taught more directly about money? Churches pass the offering but are not teaching their people how to be givers. Churches do sermon series on Marriage, parenting, relationships, suffering, but never on money. As a result, many Christians find themselves inviting God into their homes, into their marriage, into their families, but leave him out when it comes to their finances. As a result, our nation leads the world in consumer debt. A recent report in May of 2017 stated that US consumer debt (not including mortgages) is $12.3 billion.
Proverbs 22:7 reads, "The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender." In the US it seems that we are certainly slaves to Sallie Mae, auto loans and credit cards. As a result of this tremendous debt, and the stress and pressure that comes along with it, we are unable to concentrate fully on God. Debt pulls us away and with it our ability to give and serve as we are called. It's not a salvation issue, but it is damaging to the kingdom.
If your church was doing something to help break this cycle would you be interested? Harvest is hosting Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University this summer on Wednesday nights from 7-9pm beginning July 12. Even if you are unsure, just come to the first week and check it out. You will be glad you did.
- Alex Giannetti
