Money and the Church

One of the biggest misconceptions about Christianity today is that the church, or rather "organized religion", is a corporate scam devised by cunning individuals hell-bent on swindling weak-minded people out of their hard-earned income. Now, while this is certainly true of some individuals masquerading as Christians and pastors, I want to make it very clear that this is not the way that the majority of churches operate. And I hope that many of you will agree with me when I say that the actions of a handful of individuals is not enough to stereotype millions of people all over the world. Furthermore, true Christianity is not an "organized religion"; it is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. As I stated in my previous article "The Problem with Religion," religion can't save anyone and only succeeds in creating a culture of self-righteousness and hypocrisy among devotees.  

That being said, I want to point out that the Bible is very clear that people who preach just for money have no place in the Kingdom of God, and are in fact considered to be "false teachers" and/or "wolves in sheep's clothing" (Matthew 7:15-20)

"But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves. Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered. In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed."

~ 2 Peter 2:1-3 New Living Translation (NLT) [Emphasis Mine]

"Teach these things, Timothy, and encourage everyone to obey them. Some people may contradict our teaching, but these are the wholesome teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. These teachings promote a godly life. Anyone who teaches something different is arrogant and lacks understanding. Such a person has an unhealthy desire to quibble over the meaning of words. This stirs up arguments ending in jealousy, division, slander, and evil suspicions. These people always cause trouble. Their minds are corrupt, and they have turned their backs on the truth. To them, a show of godliness is just a way to become wealthy."

~ 1 Timothy 6:2b-5 New Living Translation (NLT) [Emphasis Mine]

A prime example of the "destructive heresies" mentioned in 2 Peter is that of the "Health and Wealth Gospel"—the idea that if you do more for God, God will bless you more as a result. Or, as is often the case, if you give more money to a particular church, cause, or preacher, God will bless you and give you a long life, good health, and more money than what you initially gave. The error in all of this is that it implies that those people who are not being blessed as much as others are simply not doing enough to merit God's favor, and must therefore work harder if they wish to experience all the good things God wants to give them. This of course is all based on our own perception of reality, which—as we all know—can be far from accurate. In extreme cases this warped perception can lead to a spiritual hierarchy, and/or an elitist attitude among Christians, resulting in a sort of "spiritual competition," with individuals scrambling over each other to see which person can gain more of God's favor. 

In short, this kind of works-based gospel is contrary to God's Word, and is therefore a false teaching. God will do as He pleases. He has no favorites, and His favor cannot be bought. (Daniel 4:35, Psalm 115:3, 135:6, Romans 2:11, Titus 3:5, Ephesians 2:8-9) 

However, God does say in Malachi 3:10 to test Him with your giving in regards to tithes. But something that is often overlooked is the cultural context of this passage. If you read the rest of Malachi you will see that the reason God was commanding the people to offer their full tithe was because the Nation of Israel had turned their backs on Him, and had stopped offering the sacrifices required by the Law of Moses. Not only were the people sinning by failing to obey God's commandments, they were also neglecting the Levitical Priests—members of the one tribe in all of Israel who depended on the tithes of the people just to put food on the table. (Deuteronomy 18:1-2) 

This means that in Malachi 3:10 God was looking out for the daily needs of the people who, under the Old Testament Law, served as mediators between Israel and Himself. (The Old Testament system of offering animal sacrifices for the sins of the people was later nullified with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who fulfilled the requirements of the Law and became our High Priest; thus making both the priesthood and our need for human mediators obsolete. (Hebrews 8-10) 

On that note, I want to address the issue of tithing. Some people—mostly those who are not Christians themselves—see tithing as the way in which organized religion takes advantage of its followers. However, if you have read the passages above, then you already know that the Bible teaches something entirely different, and actually condemns those who would use God's Word in order to manipulate people for personal gain. 

That being said, the Bible does say that pastors should be paid for their work:

"Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, 'You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.' And in another place, 'Those who work deserve their pay!'”

~1 Timothy 5:17-18 New Living Translation (NLT)

Now some of you may be thinking: "Aha! There it is! The smoking gun; indisputable proof that pastors are stealing money from their congregations!"

However, I would present to you one vital piece of evidence that many people tend to overlook: most pastors do not make very much money. Furthermore, some pastors—especially youth and assistant pastors—rely on other jobs in order to support their families. This dependency on what many would deem "secular work" goes all the way back to the beginning of Christianity and the church itself. The Apostles worked to support themselves, despite receiving tithes and offerings from the early church. Even the Apostle Paul—the man who wrote most of the New Testament and planted churches all over the Roman Empire—earned a living as a tentmaker. (Acts 18:3, 2 Thessalonians 3:8) So to argue that pastors are swindling people is a rather weak stance to take on the subject in light of the obvious facts. 

That being said, I feel that many people fail to realize the amount of stress pastors are under. They deal with addiction counseling, sickness, death, and all manor of questions and criticism every single day; not to mention the amount of study and preparation they put into their weekly sermons—some pastors even do multiple sermons in one week! So I asked you: Do you honestly think that these people should not be paid for the work that they do? Therapists get paid. Scholars and history professors get paid. So why shouldn't pastors? 

Contrary to what many people believe, churches do have other expenses besides paying their pastors' salaries. For example: When I give my tithe to my church, that money goes to paying my pastor, the assistant pastors, the secretaries in the office, and the utility bills for the building. In addition to this, some of my money also goes into a missions fund for the missionary families my church supports overseas, as well as an account for funding the youth group's short-term missions trips to Mexico and the surround communities, where they build houses, feed the homeless, and help at local schools. Furthermore, some of my money is also put into a disaster relief fund that my church set up to help families within the church when they encounter unexpected financial hardships—i.e. the loss of a job, or home; or an unplanned medical expense.  

Now remember, the word "tithe" literally means "one tenth." So when I say that my tithe pays for all of these expenses, charities, and funds, I'm talking about one dime out of every dollar that I make. That means that I get to keep $90 out of every $100 that I take home. Does that sound like I'm being swindled out of my hard-earned cash? Am I inadvertently paying for my pastor's tri-yearly trip to the Bahamas with my voluntary giving? Or maybe I bought him a $10,000,000 dollar beach-house in Hawaii, and a private jet to fly him there every week?

I'm joking of course. But hopefully you'll realize just how ridiculous these accusations sound when you really stop to think about it.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that there aren't people out there who manipulate God's Word in order to make themselves wealthy. But most Christians are not scoundrels. Pastors aren't running out to their cars with a bag of money in both hands after every church service. But con artists do exist, and you don't have to look very far to find a "wolf in sheep's clothing."

That being said, we as Christians need to be careful. If a person is teaching a message contrary to God's Word; or if they demand payment; or if they tell you that you need to buy pamphlets, books, or other "essential study materials" from them in order to "truly understand God's Word," have nothing to do with them. They are a false teacher, and they are using God's Word to manipulate people. Giving a tithe or donating money to help rebuild a home destroyed by a fire is one thing; buying and selling a person's merchandise is another.

In short, Christianity isn’t about the money; it’s about Jesus Christ. And the church isn’t an organization. Nor is it a building. The church is every individual who has heard the truth about Jesus Christ and believed. Rich or poor, slave or free, male or female; we are all the church. (1 Corinthians 12:12-27) So when you accuse the "church" of swindling people out of their money, you're really accusing us as individuals. But honestly, most of us could care less about the paper in your wallet. We have something that is worth far, far more; something that can never be taken away or destroyed: Our hope in Jesus Christ, who is our eternal treasure in Heaven. (Matthew 6:19-21)