One of the most overused, misused, and misunderstood words in the church world is the word tithe.
Webster defines tithe as a noun and a verb:
noun: an amount of money that a person gives to a church which is usually equal to 1/10 of that person’s income
transitive verb: to pay or give a tenth part of especially for the support of the church
What do people really mean when they say “I tithe.”
- Does that mean they give 10% of their income to their church or does it mean they give regularly to their church?
- Do they give more than 10% or less than 10%?
- Do they give on gross income or net?
Over the next several posts I plan to address the problem of today’s interpretation of the word tithe? I will have several guests weigh in on the topic and offer their perspectives. My desire is to begin a conversation as I want to learn from you.
In the meantime I’d love to know what you think about the word tithe? What does tithe mean to you?
