[03.11.08] To tithe or not to tithe—that is the question author Russell Kelly wants churches to address. His answer is a categorical “no.”
“We believe that everything the church teaches about tithing is wrong,” Kelly says.
Through his Web site shouldthechurchteachtithing.com, he argues against the teaching of tithing, contending it was an Old Testament practice and that verses supporting it are often taken out of context by preachers CBS reports.
Kelly also believes it has been used as a tool of abuse.
“Almost every person I contact on the Internet, they tell me the same story, where they go to their pastor—no matter what kind of church it is, Baptist, charismatic, Methodist, you name it—and start asking questions about tithing, they are told to shut up, to be quiet, to leave the church,” he told CBS.
According to a recent CBS News report, tithing “is a hot button issue that has reached critical mass on the Internet.”
