As a regular in the SQPN chat rooms, I noticed how people where thinking about tithing, after Fr. Roderick discussed it in his Daily Breakfast #493. I responded with voice feedback and some explanation of my practice on the blog. I felt , after receiving questions in the chat rooms, that I needed to publish an article about it on my own blog, where I explain the rationale behind my way of tithing.

I know a lot of evangelicals say you need to tithe, because the Bible says so. I can understand they have this approach, taking their way of doing exegesis into consideration. As a European reformed protestant, I don’t share this way of reading the Bible. But even I find some biblical foundations. The major difference between me and main stream evangelicals is that I try to read everything in the Bible with the historical and theological context in mind. The Bible doesn’t ’say’ so, it’s merely my interpretation that makes me believe that I should or shouldn’t do certain things. There’s a problem here. As a sinful human being it is very much possible that there’s a difference between what I think the Bible says, and the original intentions of a writer. So it would be very pretentious to assume that because I understand the Bible a certain way, this equals the original meaning of a text. There’s no way for me to be sure. I cannot ask the writers because they aren’t with us anymore. I don’t tithe because the Bible ’says’ so, but because I feel in my heart I should give to others after reading the Bible. The Bible, so to say, inspires me to do so.

I try to get the gist of the idea behind different biblical stories discussing the topic. Other people told me they tithe because the Bible tells them to do it. When doing Bible Studies, I couldn’t find any references to tithing directed to the people living in Jesus’ time. All references to it are found in the Old Testament, to be more precise in the books describing laws and how to offer. Usually, the people saying that they tithe because the Bible tells them to are the same people who tell me that I don’t have to obey the old laws in the Old Testament, because Jesus fulfilled them. So if you don’t need to go to a temple or church to bring offerings, why do you need to tithe? I think that’s a weird way of reasoning. In the New Testament I do find other stories however, note that St. Paul doesn’t mention a specific amount of money!

2 Corinthians 8:1-15

My friends, we want you to know that the churches in Macedonia have shown others how kind God is. Although they were going through hard times and were very poor, they were glad to give generously. They gave as much as they could afford and even more, simply because they wanted to. They even asked and begged us to let them have the joy of giving their money for God’s people. And they did more than we had hoped. They gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us, just as God wanted them to do.

Titus was the one who got you started doing this good thing, so we begged him to have you finish what you had begun. You do everything better than anyone else. You have stronger faith. You speak better and know more. You are eager to give, and you love us better. Now you must give more generously than anyone else.

I am not ordering you to do this. I am simply testing how real your love is by comparing it with the concern that others have shown. You know that our Lord Jesus Christ was kind enough to give up all his riches and become poor, so that you could become rich. A year ago you were the first ones to give, and you gave because you wanted to.

So listen to my advice. I think you should finish what you started. If you give according to what you have, you will prove that you are as eager to give as you were to think about giving. It doesn’t matter how much you have. What matters is how much you are willing to give from what you have.

I am not trying to make life easier for others by making life harder for you. But it is only fair for you to share with them when you have so much, and they have so little. Later, when they have more than enough, and you are in need, they can share with you. Then everyone will have a fair share, just as the Scriptures say, “Those who gathered too much had nothing left. Those who gathered only a little had all they needed.”

I am on welfare, which is here 90% of a minimum wage. So I get already 10% less compared to employed people to begin with. Then I need to pay a 35% income tax. So the total amount of money that I actually can spend is around €750 each month. Which isn’t exactly very much. When I read the Bible, I get the idea that this money I get deposited into my bank account isn’t actually mine. I don’t own it. It’s by God’s grace I get it and as a good treasure keeper I am allowed to take some of it for my living. Therefore I try not to waste money, since I would waste God’s money if I did that. That’s where the Calvinist frugality comes from. So basically what I do is to be thoughtful in spending money, try to make a budget of 90% of my income. I budget a fixed amount of money for rent, insurances, bills, food and clothing and things I’d like to buy (gadgets). I also save a small amount of money each month in a ‘disaster fund’. If my washing machine breaks down suddenly, I’ve got money to replace it. Since you cannot spend money you don’t have, I don’t have a credit card or payment plans for consumer goods. I save for them. So there are all those different virtual jars with money in them. The 10% is not my tithe however. It’s a safety buffer to avoid getting into debt if I go over my budget. My tithing works another way.

I have a separate bank account for money and clothing, so there I deposit the money I budgeted for that. When the month passes by I live my normal life, trying to spend my money as wisely as possible. There’s €150 money reserved for food. When I discover at the end of a month that I have some leftover money, I donate that to the World Food Program. Some months this works, other months it doesn’t. But most months, I have some leftover money for them.

From my normal bank account I pay all other stuff like rent, bills, insurance and I save €50 money for the disaster fund. As I have paid for everything I will have some money left to buy stuff. If I need for example something for my room, or want to buy books, I have some money left to do that. There will be some money left even then. Each month I pay half of the leftover money to the Church and half of it to a charity of choice. For example to the Dutch Cancer Society, SQPN, or charities who need cash immediately because a disaster happened (for instance the cyclone in Burma). I pay that near the end of the month after my new wages arrived in my bank account. The whole story will be repeated then.

I don’t know exactly how much I donate every year but it hovers between 10-15% and it’s not the same amount every month. Sometimes I give money to friends in need rather to charities, it depends totally on the situation that month. But this is how I do it and why I do it. Hopefully it has become a bit clearer now.

Posted under Practising Catholicism