A Twisted Crown of Thorns ®

Is  tithing [click here for comprehensive article on tithing] for the New Testament believer? Don’t bother to tell me that giving is good. We know that. Will you tell me then that tithing gets you in the habit of giving so that God can anoint you? Here is a transcript of a popular mega church pastor, television prosperity teacher and personality explaining the importance of the tithe in maintaining…[oh just read on before I spoil it for you]

Creflo Dollar: Now, you know, we’re under the Blood of Jesus, so we can’t shoot and stone people like we used to. All we have to do is repent and God will forgive us and take us where we need to be. But I can tell you, man, if it wasn’t for the Blood, there’d be a whole lot of us being stoned and being in Hell right now over the tithe. But for [“if not for”?] the Blood of Jesus, we’d be doomed.

I mean, I thought about when we first built “The Dome,” I wanted to put some of those little moving bars and give everybody a little card. They’d stick it in a little computer slot. If they were tithing, beautiful music would go off and, you know, [Creflo sings] “Welcome, welcome, welcome to the World Dome.” [Congregation laughs.]

But…if they were non-tithers, the bar would lock up, the red and blue lights would start going, the siren would go off, and a voice would go out throughout the entire dome, “Crook, crook, crook, crook!” [Congregation laughs.] Security would go and apprehend them, and once we got them all together, we’d line them up in the front and pass out Uzis by the ushers and point our Uzis right at all those non-tithing members ’cause we want God to come to church, and at the count of three “Jesus”-es we’d shoot them all dead. And then we’d take them out the side door there, have a big hole, bury them, and then go ahead and have church and have the anointing. [Mostly silence in the congregation, but one or two still actually laugh.]

Aren’t you glad we’re under the Blood of Jesus? [“Yeah, yeah,” from the congregation.] Because if we were not under the Blood of Jesus, I would certainly try it.

Folks, this is a serious thing.

Serious? These teachings are dreadful, Creflo! When you twist scripture by talking of grace one moment and (with a sleight of hand) glamorise the necessity of the tithe in the same breath, isn’t that mind boggling? Not long from now I can see some mega church pastors  go one more step further and instituting the “Back tithe”. Yeah, see how you can wriggle out of a back dated invoice sent to you from your local church titled “Back tithe” covering the years and months when you didn’t attend church.

Oh where would the church be if it wasn’t for grace? How grateful I am to God for the grace of God (in Christ Jesus who fullfilled the law on my behalf). I will then give cheerfully, generously, sacrificially if need be and according to my ability for the work of the Lord and to spread the Gospel. But I wont be coaxed and cajoled by Uzi bearing ushers or scare mongers who would want to introduce Levitical Laws (that they themselves cannot keep) and bind them as a yoke onto my neck.