July 10 - 16, 2006
July 10 - 16, 2006
SOLI/Update
Why didn't Adam and Eve tithe?
What was the original sin that Adam
and Eve committed in the Garden of Eden so long ago, and why should we be
thinking about it in a stewardship column?
I've been thinking about this for two reasons, the second of which is that
Disney's movie Pirates of the Caribbean raked in a
record-breaking $132 million on its first weekend. A truly amazing amount of
money. The first reason is that we've been looking at sin in our adult Sunday
school classes.
Let's look at the Pirates first. If you take an average ticket price
of $8, for a family of four to attend the movie it would cost $32. Add on $13
for popcorn and drinks, and the total cost for a couple hours of entertainment
would be $45. In my congregation, that same $45 would place fairly high in a
ranking of weekly offerings, equal to about $2,250 a year. Given that our
nation boasts a median family income of 53,692, according to the 2004 census,
this would be equal to 4.1 percent of the median family's income Now pastors
and stewardship leaders, what would your church budgets be like if
everybody gave 4.1 percent of their gross income? Probably it would represent
an increase.
Because most families give below 4.1 percent, even though most
Christians acknowledge tithing -- giving 10 percent -- as the expected goal.
The question is, why do so many people give so little? Yes, some families live
very hand-to-mouth and could not possibly tithe, but lots of families could
but don't. Why?
Now we look at sin, then original sin. What is sin? Is it disobedience? Yes.
Hard-heartedness? Certainly. Selfishness? For sure. Pride? Yup. As Augustine
said, sin curves us into ourselves so much that we can act only in our self
interest. A lot of these answers go a long way explaining why some people give
so little to the church, but they only tell part of the story.
Adam and Eve's fundamental sin was lack of trust in God and trust instead in
themselves. They trusted their own judgment over God's. They believed they
knew better than God what was good for them. And that's the root of sin.
The opposite of faith in God is not unfaith in God, but rather faith in
ourselves. We put faith in ourselves because we don't really trust that God's
universe has sufficient resources for us to live if we gave more money to the
church. We tend to trust our own judgment that tickets to Pirates of the
Caribbean represents a better use of our money than giving to church. We
read in Malachi 3:10 that God promises to be faithful and bless those who
tithe, but the sad, sinful truth is that most of us just don't believe it.
Rob Blezard, editor and webmaster
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New this week:
Welcome to Stewardship
Churches
looking for ideas for a soup-to-nuts stewardship program can take inspiration
from this 51-page resource that outlines approaches, provides sample letters
and tips for follow-up.
Click here for "Welcome to
Stewardship," from the
Stewardship Ministry of Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese in America. While you're there, check out some of their other
interesting resources. PDF file requires Adobe Reader.
Faithful discipleship is risky business
"A church that is
willing to risk for the sake of the Gospel is young at heart and will grow and
spread God's Word. Churches that incur debt to grow are usually thriving.
Churches that hang on to their money as if there is not going to be an
offering next week begin to be in trouble."
Click here for this weekly column from
Pastor Dana Reardon.
Click here to peruse columns from her
archives.
Stewardship: The 'S' word
What do Mainline
Christians think about stewardship? This essay explores it from a Presbyterian
perspective, which offers common sense and biblical theology. "A poor church
is not one without money, but one without a vision. When people have a clear
Biblical and theological understanding of the mission of the church, healthy
stewardship practices emerge."
Click here for "Stewardship: The "S"
word," from
Presbyterians Today.
You Get What You Pay
For
When it comes to wise stewardship of financial resources, going the cheap
route can sometimes be counterproductive, says ELCA stewardship columnist Tuck
Aaker. "There are many congregations that are ruled by the balance sheet,
without regard to how it affects the mission that God has for that
congregation.
Click here for this column from
ELCA
Stewardship Resources.
Christian
History Corner: Serving God with Mammon
John Wesley's wisdom
for hard economic times: earn all you can, save all you can, and give all you
can. Insights from Wesley, the 18th century founder of the Methodist Church,
reported in this illuminating article.
Click here for "Serving God with Mammon,"
from
ChristainityToday.com. This week's
Treasure Chest offering.