History
of the Tithe on Earned Income
Transcript
of YouTube study located at:
Hello, I’m the Rev.
Ortiz and this is the study: History of the Tithe on Earned Income.
As per the Bible,
God’s tithe has nothing to do with earned income. God’s tithe is one hundred
percent edible food, and is exclusively for the Jewish people only. God’s tithe
requires Holy Land ownership and is for the support of the Levite Priests, for
the support of the poor, and is also eaten and enjoyed by the person that is
tithing and by his family.
So then where did the
idea of a tithe on earned income come from? Here’s a tiny bit of the
chronological history.
First, God instituted
His tithe as a part of His exclusive Covenant with the Jewish people. Later, Jesus instituted a New Covenant in His Blood and
Christianity was born. The Primitive Church functioned as a network
of house churches that collected love offerings for support.
But when Christianity
became the official religion of the Roman Empire, it started buying huge
amounts of land and building elaborate church buildings and acquiring all kinds
of earthly possessions. As a result, the church needed money to pay for all
these things; so, they started looking for ways of making money. One popular
money maker was the selling of indulgences.
Years later, the
Church of England was supported by alms, but also collected a food tithe. Although
they were wrong to tithe because they are not Jewish and Britain is not the
Holy Land, they at least had the common sense to know that God’s tithe is food
and not money. You can make an online search for the words “tithe barn” to see
the many tithe barns that were used to collect and store the food tithe.
Then, at the start of
the Colonies here in America, the government supported the church, but that did
not last long due to our separation of church and state clause. So, churches
were left with only charitable donations as a means of support. To increase
their funds, they turned to renting out the pews. The pews in the front of the
church were the most expensive, and the ones in the back were the least
expensive. As a result, the rich sat in the front, but the poorest of folks had
to stand outside and press their ears against the walls in hopes of hearing
God’s Word. Many were against this form of collecting money due to the
Scriptures found in James 2:1-4.
Finally, a Baptist pastor
from Rochester, NY named Pharcellus Church seems to have been the first
Christian pastor on record to have said the words “robbed in tithes!” circa
1836. And thus, the idea that Christians must tithe their income was started.
Others followed suit, like Pastor Parsons Cooke of Lynn, Massachusetts, that
said Christians had “robbed God in tithe!” circa 1840. This went on and on
until 1878, when C.P. Jennings of St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Syracuse, NY wrote
a book that boldly proclaims income tithing to be a mandatory obligation for
all Christians.
At first, many
Christians said “How can it be that Malachi 3:8 was written thousands of years
ago, yet we’re just being informed of this ‘income’ tithe now?” But common lay
members of the church could not contend against the ministers. And so, by the
late 1800s, the stumbling stone we call the income tithe was born. Therefore,
the modern tithe on earned income is less than 150 years old. On the other
hand, God’s tithe is over 3,500 years old.
Now, I challenge anyone;
again, I challenge anyone that doesn’t believe this to go visit their local synagogue
and ask the rabbi if they require a tithe on earned income, and they will tell
you that they do not collect a tithe on earned income! And why not? Because the
tithe on earned income is a Christian sacrilege. It has absolutely nothing to
do with God’s tithe, and although the income tithe was immediately embraced by
all branches of Christianity, the Jews do not accept it because, unlike the
greedy Christian ministers, the Jewish Rabbis are not about to twist God’s Holy
Scriptures for the love of money.
As a result of the
Christian tithe on earned income:
- Many poor have been kicked out of churches.
- Others avoid going to church because they don’t want to deal with the insults “you have robbed God!”
- Many women try to seek the Lord, but their unbelieving husbands grab hold of the income tithe as proof that pastors are full of lust for money.
- Some lay members have literally starved their children to give 10% of their income to the church.
The evils produced go
on to include divorces, foreclosures, and a bad reputation for the Gospel. And
so, many have walked away from salvation in Christ Jesus because of the income
tithe stumbling stone.
Still, money loving
ministers want us to believe that God’s tithe is based on earned income. They
say that 10% is fair for all, rich or poor, because everyone pays the same
percentage regardless of how much they earn. But that idea is economically incorrect.
Ten percent is not fair for all. I have a degree in the science of business
accounting, so I can tell you with all certainty that taking 10% from a person
that makes $1,000.00 a day will not have the same effect on that person as
taking 10% from a person on minimum wage.
If God’s tithe had
been based on a worker’s salary, it would have been called a labor agreement,
and not a sacred covenant! God’s tithe is based on the increase of the Holy
Land. Increase and wages are two very different things. If every worker
received a weekly increase instead of wages, all workers would become rich
within a few years.
If God’s tithe would
have been based on a worker’s wages then Jesus would have been wrong to say
that “the worker deserves his
wages.” And if God
said you deserve your wages; then why must you give a percentage of your wages
away?
Oh, but some money
lovers are quick to quote Psalm 24:1 and say, “No, hold it, stop right there. ‘The
earth is the Lord’s and everything in it,’ so you are only giving back to God
what is rightfully His.”
My dear friends, if everything
on earth belonged to God, then child pornography would also belong to
God. Cocaine dealers would be able to confront the judge, saying “You got
it all wrong judge, that cocaine you found in my possession is not mine. It
belongs to the Almighty!” For the record, a better translation of this verse
would read “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness of it.”
Here’s what God wants you
to do with your money. “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and
especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an
unbeliever.” 1st Timothy 5:8 Therefore, don’t be
afraid of those that say you have robbed God, because today God is telling you
“For I know the plans I have for you; plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
While other ministers
out there are serving their god Mammon by cursing you with a curse, I’m going
to glorify God Almighty and bless you with a blessing, therefore “The Lord
bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious
to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”
Until next time, may
our Lord Jesus Christ bless you.
