God Without Religion_ Can It Really Be This Simple_ - Andrew Farley [17]
When he reached our group, it was obvious that he was comfortable with his material and smooth in his delivery. He began by telling us about our church’s building project and the fundraising campaign. Then he transitioned into a story.
“I knew a man in a church with a fundraising campaign much like this one. This man found himself hesitant to give to his church, because his daughter was ill. He was overwhelmed with her medical bills. Month after month, he watched as his daughter’s health declined and the bills mounted. Meanwhile, the church struggled in raising funds.
“Finally, the man was convicted and decided to step out in faith by tithing 10 percent to his church. Despite his growing debt, he pledged to support his church no matter what. Once he began tithing, his daughter’s health began to improve. And eventually she completely recovered!
“God is indeed faithful when we are faithful to him. We need to get out of our comfort zones and give, even when it hurts.”
Then the consultant invited us to make a “pledge” for our church. He assured us that God would bless us in return.
As you read the story about the father and his sick daughter, you may have picked up on the subtle (or not so subtle) underlying message. The daughter’s health only improved after her father began tithing. The implication was that we too could experience freedom from difficult circumstances in our lives if we pledged 10 percent. In short, the message was that we could buy God’s blessings in our lives. Also, reading between the lines, God might withhold his blessing (of healing a loved one, in this case) if we withhold our money from him.
This was a solid church, so we hung tight. We were confident in the discernment of our church leadership. Sure enough, it was only a matter of weeks before cries of “Pressure! Manipulation! Prosperity gospel!” arose in the congregation. Church leadership agreed, and that was the last we saw of the consultant and the fundraising campaign.
Money-Back Guarantee
What we experienced during that fundraising campaign was the “light” version of tithing guilt. Some television ministries go a lot further than that. They say, “Anything you give will be returned threefold!” (I’ve noticed that when they get really desperate, you’ll start hearing sevenfold!) I’ve often wondered why those ministries don’t just give to God’s work elsewhere. By the same logic, their television ministries would then receive sevenfold back!
Other churches have offered a money-back guarantee on your tithe. And they even put a time limit on God’s payback, saying, “If God doesn’t bless you within three months of giving your tithe, we’ll refund it!” Now, who’s willing to be the guy who approaches them three months later saying, “Our family gave $900 in June, and it’s been three months. We haven’t been blessed yet”? At that point, you can guess what’s coming: “Well, brother, your problem is not what you gave. It’s your lack of faith! You need to trust God to bless you, and then he will. He blessed all of us after we gave. He’ll return a blessing to you as well.” Someone else adds, “Think about all the good things that have happened in your life over the last three months. Those are God’s blessings. You just need to open your eyes to them—they’re all around you!”
No one wants to be the guy who “lacked faith.” No one wants to appear spiritually blind to God’s blessings in their life. So the money-back guarantee on tithing can end up being a real winner for churches.
But where do we get the idea that we can give in full expectation that God’s going to pay us back and then some? And doesn’t that take some of the joy out of giving? Paul described those who think along those lines as “men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain” (1 Tim. 6:5). Oh, and those money-back guarantee offers are usually accompanied by an Old Testament quote from Malachi:
“Bring the whole tithe