"For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." Ephesians 5:8-11

Tithe is mentioned a few rare times in the New Testament, but it is NEVER commanded in the New Testament. Jesus did not give instruction for His church to tithe, and neither did any of the apostles; if it was, I would certainly do it. Most pastors profess that tithe is one of the most important duties for Christians, and I have heard this from them over and over and over, but I have a question that I want readers to consider:

If tithe is so important, then why is the New Testament church never commanded to tithe?

My family tithed in various church buildings when I was young, and even as a teenager, I tithed for years, and thus, I am very familiar with the concept, and what is typically taught on this subject. However, today, I stand firm in Christ and am thoroughly convinced through Scripture that tithe is contrary to Christ's gospel in the New Testament dispensation, it brings people under the religious bondage of greedy preachers, and if you are born again in the Lord Jesus Christ, I plead with you to read this doctrine in its entirety.

He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.
-Proverbs 18:13

In this teaching, we are going to look at what tithe is and is not, but most importantly, we are going to show how Christ fulfilled tithe, as He fulfilled the law and prophets, and if you do not want to know the truth about this, and choose (in foolishness and shame) to remain in bondage before you have heard the matter, then by all means, close out this teaching and go do something more productive with your day. However, for everyone else, there is no place in the New Testament where the church was commanded to tithe, nor is there any place where the elders and apostles set an example of tithe, and it is my hope and prayer that as many as would read this would be freed from the bondage of church building traditions.

Beware lest any man spoil [corrupt] you through philosophy [a way of thinking] and vain deceit [useless lies] , after the tradition of men, after the rudiments [first teachings] of the world, and not after Christ.
-Colossians 2:8

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
-Galatians 5:1

First, let's define the key word of this article:

tithe (v): to levy [collect] a tenth part on; to tax to the amount of a tenth
(See 'tithe', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved July 31, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

Tithe is a well-known concept today in which church building leadership tells people that they must give 10% of their income to God, but in reality, it is their way of saying that the people must give 10% of their income to a religous organization. Through tithes given to that religious organization, the men in church building leadership take a paycheck, and even though that in itself is not wrong, sadly, through the love of money (1Ti 6:10) many are being deceived and defrauded. The fact that preachers are teaching false doctrine on tithe to increase their paycheck is bad enough, but what's worse is that they threaten congregations by telling them that they are "robbing God" if they do not pay tithes.

For example, false preacher Billy Graham (now deceased and in hell) taught that you are stealing from God if you don't pay tithe, but as many greedy preachers do, they take it a step further and say that you should not only tithe, but go beyond:

"The tithe is the Lord's. If you use it for yourself, you are robbing God. The New Testament goes beyond the Old Testament and teaches that we are to give as God has prospered us. We are to take the tithe as a standard, but to go beyond the tithe as an indication of our gratefulness for God's gifts to us." -Billy Graham, "Are You Robbing God?" Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Nov 5, 2018, retreived July 31, 2019, [billygraham.org/decision-magazine/november-2018/are-you-robbing-god]; Read "Wolves in Costume: Billy Graham" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Later, we will go over the Scripture they claim supports these statements, but for now, we are just establishing the mainstream teaching. R.C. Sproul parrots the same false doctrine:

"Recently, I read an article that gave an astonishing statistic that I find difficult to believe is accurate. It declared that of all of the people in America who identify themselves as evangelical Christians, only four percent of them return a tithe to God. If that statistic is accurate, it means that ninety-six percent of professing evangelical Christians regularly, systematically, habitually, and impenitently rob God of what belongs to Him." -R.C. Sproul, "Will Man Rob God?" Ligonier Ministries, retrieved July 31, 2019, [ligonier.org/learn/articles/will-man-rob-god]

I have heard this same doctrine repeated (almost verbatim, that is, word-for-word) by many churchgoers and pastors in many church buildings. Please don't misunderstand; these men are not learning this from Scripture, but rather, they learned this tradition in their seminary college, and they are simply repeating what they are told in willful blindness because they have dollar signs ($$) replacing the pupils in their eyes. Pastors in America most often will not rebuke this false doctrine because if they did, they would not make as much money, and that is the root of the problem, namely, that most pastors love their paychecks more than the sheep.

(Read "False Converts vs Eternal Security" & "Why Millions of Believers on Jesus Are Going to Hell" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
-1 Timothy 6:10

The threat of "robbing God" puts people in a state of fear. Once in a state of fear, pastors tell them to open their wallets, and give everything they can, even to "give until it hurts" as they often say in our modern day, but to put it simply, this is the definition of term 'rob'.

rob (n): to take from the person of another feloniously [i.e. criminally, with intent on violating the law for personal gain], forcibly and by putting him in fear; as, to rob a passenger on the road; to take from; to deprive; to withhold what is due
(See 'rob', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved July 31, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

These preachers not only rob you by putting you into a state of fear so you will give them more money, but they also rob you of the Word of God by withholding the truth in unrighteousness:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
-Romans 1:18

Christians are not robbing God. Most pastors are robbing congregations.

Feed the flock of God which is among you [i.e. teach them the truth of God's Word, giving them instruction in righteousness], taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint [i.e. not by force, nor by forcing others], but willingly; not for filthy lucre [i.e. not for money], but of a ready [willing and prepared] mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
-1 Peter 5:2-3

Most pastors have erred from the true faith in Christ because they were not of Christ in the first place, and got their seminary degree in order to be lords over others, gain the respect of their person, and be showered with money and gifts. It's not that a man cannot teach tithe and later correct himself, and perhaps we can help those brethren who walk in ignorance if they are repentant (i.e. having godly sorrow) of their wrongdoing, but when a man is presented with the truth and makes excuses, it demonstrates to us that the seed of the Word fell among the thorns in his heart:

He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
-Matthew 13:22

We need to beware such men because they are looking to make merchandise out of the poor and needy, meaning they will treat them like merchandise, as cash cows to bring a profit, instead of treating them like brethren, and that is because those greedy preachers are not brethren.

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
-2 Peter 2:1-3

With that being said, let's begin to look at tithe in Scripture. The first record of tithe was originally given by Abraham to Melchisedec, a king of Salem and priest of God in that day:

And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
-Genesis 14:18-20

This is not to say that Melchisedec gave to Abraham, but rather, Abraham gave to Melchisedec, as is reaffirmed in Hebrews 7:

For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;
-Hebrews 7:1-2

This action was repeated by Abraham's grandson Jacob, based on his promise to God at Bethel:

And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.
-Genesis 28:19-22

This is where the tradition of the Jews came from, and God had commanded it to be done by the Jews, bringing tithes into the temple:

And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD'S: it is holy unto the LORD.
-Leviticus 27:30

However, the focus of most pastoral teachings today are "storehouse tithing" sermons, and I grew up listening to many of them. Because I was deceived, I used to believe that tithe was a Christian requirement; after all, the pastors were quoting Scripture, so they sounded very believable, but let's look more closely at what they teach, beginning with the passage they love to quote from Malachi:

Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
-Malachi 3:8-10

Through experience, I can testify that the manner in which this is typically preached, it leaves listeners with the impression that this was the secret eleventh commandment that was accidentally left out of the original Ten Commandments. First, I would like to note that this was a passage specifically directed to the Jews under the Old Testament, and we can see this if we go back and read carefully from verse 1 in Malachi 1:

The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.
-Malachi 1:1

For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
-Malachi 3:6

Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
-Malachi 3:9

The prophecy of Malachi was a burden that was specifically put on the nation of Israel, the sons of Jacob. This was a ceremonial law that was passed down for the express purpose of making sure that the Levites, the keepers of the temple, were cared for since they were not permitted any other way of making a living because they were not given any inheritance, meaning that all they had were the gifts brought to them in tithes and offerings. (Deut 18:1-2) Once a Christian has a basic understanding of Scripture, they can understand that when the law of God was fulfilled in Christ, tithe was also fulfilled in Christ, and since the sacrifices of the temple were done away with after Christ's death and resurrection, there was no more need for the Levites to keep the temple, and therefore, there was no more need for tithe.

The 10% (tenth) of income that most pastors today teach as a requirement for churchgoers has never been a requirement of New Testament Christians because the law was fulfilled by Jesus Christ.

And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
-John 1:16-17

grace (n): favor; good will; kindness; the free unmerited love and favor of God
(See 'grace', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Aug 15, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

By God's grace, we have received grace, and the fulness of it by Jesus Christ, who came to give us grace and truth. Since Jesus came to give us grace and truth, if the doctrine of tithe is part of that grace and truth (as many churchgoers and pastors believe), then I have one important question: Why did Jesus never give tithe while He was on earth?

The answer is much more simple than most churchgoers realize:

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
-Matthew 5:17

Tithe was a contract, and Jesus fulfilled that contract. This is exactly what Paul taught the Hebrews in chapter seven, and we will be walking through this together to understand it more thoroughly. To preface the following doctrine, Paul had taught in chapter six that Jesus was made a priest forever after the order of Melchisedec,

For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.
-Hebrews 7:1-3

After Abraham had returned from killing a few wicked kings to save some other cities, Melchisedec, a king and priest of Salem, who was not God or any divine being, but was a man who was a servant of God, was given tithe by Abraham. This was not a tithe that was repeated weekly, monthly, or annually; this was a one-time gift, which was given out of the spoils of war. (The entire story can be read in Genesis 14.)

Though there are some who believe this man to be Jesus Christ, the Scripture says that he was "like unto" the Son of God, not the Son of God Himself. Jesus has a Father, and that is God the Father, on top of the fact that He had a descent, which is listed out in Matthew 1; thus, this is speaking to Melchisedec's office of priesthood (i.e. "abideth a priest continually"), which has "neither beginning of days, nor end of life" because it is the priesthood of grace.

Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:
-Hebrews 7:4-5

The Levites had a commandment from God under the law to take tithes, not that they were worthy of them, but He commanded the Jews to pay tithe for the care of the temple, and that the tribe of Levi may have food, clothing, and shelter.

But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises.
-Hebrews 7:6

As a side note, this shows that Melchisedec did have a father and a mother, because he had descent, just not of Abraham's descent, but the point is that Melchisedec was a type (or representation) of Christ. The tithe which Abraham gave is different from the tithe which the Jews gave; Abraham gave liberally, whereas the Jews were required to give by commandment. To put it simply, Melchisedec NEVER gave Abraham a commandment to tithe, and the question I have for Christians is this: Whose priesthood are we under; Aaron or Melchisedec?

And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.
-Hebrews 7:7

As stated in verse 4, Abraham was a great man who not only had much wealth, but also had the promises of God, even the promised seed of the Messiah. And yet, Abraham was blessed by Melchisedec, which means Abraham was inferior to him, and anyone who says otherwise contradicts themselves because the inferior cannot bless the superior.

And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth. And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham. For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.
-Hebrews 7:8-10

Levi had not yet been born when Abraham tithed to Melchisedec, and although the Levites received tithes, the lesser giving unto the greater, they also paid tithes in Abraham, meaning that they gave unto the priesthood of Melchisedec, which means that the priesthood of Christ is greater than the priesthood of the Levites under the law. Again, are you under Levi or Melchisedec? Are you born again in Aaron or Christ?

Paul continues to point out that the priesthood under the Levites was not perfect:

If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.
-Hebrews 7:11-12

If perfection (i.e. the end and fulfillment of the law) were in tithe, then why would Jesus need to come and fulfill the law under a different priesthood? The fact is that tithe was a Levitical law, but Abraham gave tithes as charity, not as a specific number (i.e. a tenth) that all must follow, but rather, Abraham gave a tenth out of his own charitable choice, and thus, with the priesthood being changed from the Levites to Melchisedec, from Aaron to Christ, now there is a change in the law, that there be no tithe, but rather, the end of the law is the liberty of charity.

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
-Colossians 3:12-14

The priesthood of Melchisedec, that is, the priesthood of Christ, is perfection, and thus, the doctrine of charity is the bond of that perfection because charity is the end of the law.

charity (n): in a general sense, love, benevolence, good will; that disposition of heart which inclines men to think favorably of their fellow man, and to do them good; in a theological sense, it includes supreme love to God, and universal good will to men
(See 'charity', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Dec 21, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

The Lord Jesus Christ told us what is the end and fulfillment of all the law and prophets:

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
-Matthew 22:37-40

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
-Matthew 7:12
(The world prefers to call this the "golden rule" because they
do not want to mention that this is the doctrine of Jesus Christ.)

Notice that the law and prophets did not hang on tithe, but rather, loving God and our neighbor. Tithe is not mentioned here. Thus, to do good in charity means that we will think of others before ourselves, which is what it means to love our neighbors.
(Read "The Biblical Understanding of Charity" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
-Philippians 2:1-5

That is the essence of charity, that we think on the needs and comforts of others rather than ourselves, and there are no percentages or payment plans in charity. The law of tithe is strict and rigid, whereas the grace of charity springs forth from the liberty of love. (And tithe [under the Levites] is not the same as charity, and I will discuss more on that later.)

Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit [carry on with courage - see 2Sa 10:12] you like men, be strong. Let all your things be done with charity.
-1 Corinthians 16:13-14

Charity is the end of the law, and therefore, we ought to do all things in charity. Once we have been born again in Christ, we have no reason or commandment to turn away from the liberty of charity in Christ to go back under the law of tithe in bondage.

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
-Galatians 5:1

God gave Christians liberty, and sadly, so many churchgoers do not understand this, preferring to be under bondage. The Bible does not tell us that God loves the tither, but rather, He loves the cheerful giver, one who has a free heart of charity.

Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
-2 Corinthians 9:7

necessity (n): that which must be and cannot be otherwise; irresistible power; compulsive force, physical or moral [i.e. "You must give tithe or else!"]
(See 'necessity', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Aug 16, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

If Christians are required to give tithe, then that is giving of NECESSITY, and it certainly does not allow a man to give as he purposes in his heart because he has to give a minimum ten percent. In short, tithe and charity do not mix, but rather, charity is the fulfillment of tithe.

If God had not established tithe in Israel, most likely, the Levites would have eventually starved to death, but the main reason God instituted tithe for the Jews was so that they would learn to fear Him:

Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.
-Deuteronomy 14:22-23

It is good to fear the Lord God because that is the beginning of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge.

For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
-Isaiah 66:2

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
-Psalm 111:10

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
-Proverbs 1:7

The problem is that most modern-day pastors are taking advantage of churchgoers by manipulating them in that fear. However, though it is easy to be angry solely at pastors who do this, it is also the fault of the churchgoers themselves, since they have put their trust into men, fearing men instead of God, and they have not gone to the Scriptures to verify the truth.

The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.
-Proverbs 29:25

These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
-Acts 17:11

Therefore, if we simply fear the Lord God, we have no more need for tithe, but sadly, since most churchgoers do not fear God, they are easily scammed into false doctrine that Christians must tithe, being willingly blind to the fulfillment of the law in Christ. If they continually hand over percentages of their income as pastors demand of them, it destroys the grace and liberty that is in Christ, and therefore, by their traditions, they make the Word of God of none effect.

Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
-Mark 7:13

Most pastors preach about liberty in Christ, but they destroy that liberty because they are servants of corruption.

For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
-2 Peter 2:18-19

Most churchgoers also do not realize that the preachers who are scamming them with "storehouse tithing" sermons are not teaching the whole law of tithe, only a portion of it. Those men always preach about bringing money into the church building, but the Bible tells us something different:

And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field; and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly. And concerning the children of Israel and Judah, that dwelt in the cities of Judah, they also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and the tithe of holy things which were consecrated unto the LORD their God, and laid them by heaps.
-2 Chronicles 31:5-6

Then brought all Judah the tithe of the corn and the new wine and the oil unto the treasuries.
-Nehemiah 13:12

Why is it that farmers in the congregations of church buildings are not bringing in a tenth of their corn, honey, oils, and cattle? Of course, we know that they would say that is impractical for the purpose at hand, and I would agree with that, UNLESS the Levitical law of tithe is a Christian requirement. If Christians are required to follow the law of tithe, as many preachers claim, then why do they not follow the law we just read?

The following quote is from a Jewish Rabbi at My Jewish Learning, a website that teaches converts the basics of Levitical law:
"The tithes have to be given from corn, wine, and oil by biblical law and from fruit and vegetables by Rabbinic law. The farmer first separates from the yield a portion (a sixtieth, fiftieth, or fortieth at the farmer's discretion), known as terumah ('heave offering' or 'gift'). This is given to a Kohen (priest) and is treated as sacred food in that it must not be eaten when the priest is in a state of ritual contamination or when the terumah itself has suffered contamination."
-Louis Jacobs [Rabbi], "Tithing," My Jewish Learning, retrieved Aug 15, 2019, [myjewishlearning.com/article/tithing])

Farmers were to set aside these things for tithe, and the only instance in which a farmer would not to bring in his own cattle or crops was if the trip was too far for him to travel with them. Under that circumstance, he was to convert his cattle or crops into money, go to the place where the tithe was to be given, then reverse the exchange (i.e. buy cattle or crops with that money) and bring those in (Deut 14:22-27), and so it leaves us to wonder why pastors and churchgoers don't bother to follow the commandments to bring those tithes into the storehouse?

Most pastors today claim that most people are "robbing God" because they are not tithing what was required in the Old Testament, but why do they only take in money? That is in direct opposition to the commandments we just read. Furthermore, these greedy preachers are not teaching their congregations that their tithe is only the FIRST tithe, which is the first fruits of their labor, and they skip over the SECOND tithe and what is known as the "poor man's tithe" that were also supposed to be given.

Continuing from the above article:
"A tenth of the remainder of the yield, known as maaser rishon, 'the first tithe,' is then separated and given to a Levite. The Levite, in turn, separates a tenth of his tithe and this, known as terumat maaser, is given to a Kohen to be treated with the same degree of sanctity as the original terumah. The portion given to the Levite has no sanctity and may be eaten by an ordinary Israelite. The farmer separates a tenth of the reminder of his yield, known as maser sheni, 'the second tithe.' This has to be taken to Jerusalem and consumed there in a spirit of sanctity. If it is too difficult to take the second tithe to Jerusalem, it can be redeemed by substituting for it a sum of money which is then taken to Jerusalem and food and drink purchased with it to be consumed there. However, every third and sixth year of the cycle culminating in the Sabbatical year, the second tithe is given to the poor and is known as maaser ani, 'poor man's tithe.'"
-Louis Jacobs [Rabbi], "Tithing," My Jewish Learning, retrieved Aug 15, 2019, [myjewishlearning.com/article/tithing])

These are just some of the rules (i.e. there are more), but as a man who grew up attending church buildings (for 20 years), I never heard this taught one time, and I can tell you why. If a preacher was to teach the fullness of what tithe was, and why Jews did these things, they would also have to provide a justification not only why Christians must continue to give tithe, but now they would also have to explain why we are to give tithe in a different way than God commanded the Jews, and in addition, why we are only supposed to do a portion of the tithe; there is no Biblical explanation for such a thing, and therefore, they simply avoid talking about it so they will not have to do mental gymnastics to try and explain it away because, after all, it would be a contradiction to say that Christians need not observe those other laws of tithe because they were fulfilled in Christ while expecting everyone to observe a law of tithe and claiming that it was not fulfilled in Christ.

However, I thank God that, by the grace of the Son of God, we have a very simple answer to these things. Christ fulfilled the law of tithe, and being the mediator between God and men, He gave us a better covenant with better promises than the Jews received in Malachi, which Paul mentions in Hebrews 8.

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
-1 Timothy 2:5

But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
-Hebrews 8:6

What are those better promises? Jesus told us:

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
-Matthew 6:25-33

It's amazing that we just need to seek the righteousness of Christ and work hard to do the best we can, and He will provide all things for us. Of course, this does not apply to the world, but to the children of God, these are sure promises, and I give praise to God that, through faith in Christ, we are freed from the bondage of the law.

It should also be noted that these promises are provable, whereas the promises to the Jews in Malachi have not been proven by churchgoers. I can testify that, as I have sought the righteousness of Christ, He has had great mercy upon me and my family, and has given us more than we ever thought we could have, and because of that, I give Him praise and work to keep myself content with what I have, but I have never proven the promises in Malachi because they were not made to me, nor to any other Christian.

Let's look at it one more time:

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.
-Malachi 3:10-12

For any readers who have practiced tithe in the church buildings, ask yourselves: Have I proven these promises true? Has God poured out to me such blessings that I do not have room in my life, home, and bank account to receive it? I would also ask: Have all the nations called you blessed because of your great wealth? Some of you may be afraid to say 'no', only because you think by confessing the truth, you would make God into a liar, but rather, that is a false belief that was drilled into your mind by greedy pastors, and it's good to confess the truth because the reason you have never proven these things is because "storehouse tithing" promises were not made to us.

Why is it that so many churchgoers and pastors reject the better promises Jesus Christ has given us, and instead turn to the lesser promises in the bondage of the law? The short answer is that they follow the traditions of men instead of the truth, and the reason for that is because most of them are not of Christ.
(Read "False Converts vs Eternal Security" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
-2 Thessalonians 2:10

Please don't misunderstand, I am NOT saying that participating in tithe automatically means you are not of Christ because, certainly, there are some deceived Christians out there; even I used to be one of them. What I am saying is that there is a philosophy (i.e. a way of thinking) among churchgoers that follows the religious traditions of men, who do not care for the Word of God, who put their faith in pastors instead of Christ, and refuse to hear any doctrine that opposes their beloved traditions.

Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.
-Jeremiah 17:5

In short, wicked preachers in their lust for money continue to preach the anti-Christian obligations of Old Testament tithe to fill up the coffers of their church buildings. They seek more and more to build bigger and better church buildings and gather more people who will open their wallets, and remain willingly blind that God is hanging them over the fire by a thin thread.

And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
-Luke 12:15-20

Be warned pastors and evangelists. Fear God and depart from covetousness.

Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.
-Proverbs 23:4

It would not surprise me if some religious cults over the past 2,000 years have taught tithe to people in order to increase their own wealth. It only makes sense because the Bible warns us about them:

For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert [corrupt, overturn] whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's [money's] sake.
-Titus 1:10-11

However, the "storehouse tithing" sermons that many of us have heard preached from pulpits all over the world did not pick up popularity until the late 19th century. According to research done by Christian History Magazine, tithing was not generally practiced in the church buildings of America until 1895, when a Wesleyan organization attempted to get out of unbiblical financial debt they got themselves into:
"Wesley Chapel in Cincinnati has financial trouble. In desperation, it tries 'suppers, festivals, lectures, stereopticon shows [slide projector for photographs], subscriptions, and the whole round of man-made schemes and devices,' according to layman William G. Roberts. Finally, Roberts and others introduce the concept of 'storehouse tithing,' which turns the church around. Tithing is revived as a popular practice in U.S. churches."
-Christian History Magazine, "Christian History Timeline: Money in Christian History," Issue #19, 1988, retrieved Aug 15, 2019, [christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/money-in-christian-history-ii-timeline]

Keep in mind that by use of the term "man-made schemes," Roberts had looked down upon the worldly things they were doing to get out of debt, but in the end, they simply replaced worldly devices for false doctrine. I looked further into the testimony of William G. Roberts, and I found the full account, which was documented by James A. Hensey in 1922:
"The writer, through the intercession of the Rev. Gervaise Roughton, for a quarter of a century the pastor of the Wesley Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church, Cincinnati, Ohio, has persuaded Mr. Wm. [William] G. Roberts to write the following account of the origin of this movement. Mr. Roberts fails to state that his lips first suggested the plan, and that his hand wrote the first covenant, but such is the case. His account follows:
In May, A.D., 1895, Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Fraser Clark invited Rev. and Mrs. J. W. Magruder, Mr. and Mrs. W. D. Yerger, and Mr. and Mrs. W. G. Roberts, to spend the day at their home on Kennedy Heights, a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio, for the purpose of considering what could be done for the betterment of the condition of their local church home [i.e. by 'betterment of the condition', they mean, how do we obtain more money for the church building and staff at], the Wesley Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church. Those persons named being the minister and his wife, and the others holding the official relations of Class Leaders, Stewards, and Trustees, eight persons in all. The season was very mild and the lawn covered with grass, and out in the open the spring day was beautiful. After spending the morning and enjoying a very pleasant noon-day meal in the house, and conversation on the porches until about two o'clock in the afternoon, all agreed to go out on the lawn and consider the matter of the present condition of their church. Wesley Chapel was now a down-town church, which meant that the more prosperous of its members had moved off to the hills, and that the residue were largely the humbler of the working class and tenants, often moving so frequently that they could not be properly instructed in the Word of God. The former substantial membership had been replaced, in part, by those who were very unstable, so that numerically, financially, and spiritually the church had been shorn of the sources of strength."
-William G. Roberts, quoted by James A. Hensey, Storehouse Tithing: Stewardship Up-To-Date, Revell Press, 1922, retrieved Aug 15, 2019 [archive.org/stream/storehousetithin00hens/storehousetithin00hens_djvu.txt]

I want to pause the testimony for a moment to point out that, if there was such a decline in membership, and not much money coming in, what exactly what was needed for funding? The problem is that they had buildings, property, and paychecks to maintain, so instead of downsizing their establishment, humbling themselves, and meeting in homes (i.e. perhaps go to the workers instead of forcing them all to come to a single building), they chose to find a way to get more money so they could maintain their cushioned lifestyle.

"This company took up all the causes of the dearth [not a famine of food, but a famine of wealth] that had come upon their local church, and the seeming impossibility of keeping up the financial requirements for local maintenance. The benevolences [donations] at this time were quite trivial [small or insignificant], while constant appeals and extra efforts including suppers, festivals, lectures, stereopticon shows [i.e. the original visual slide-show presentations], subscriptions, and the whole round of man-made plans, schemes, and devises, had been able to secure only a meagre [small amount of] maintenance, and even this was clearly diminishing [i.e. the donations were getting smaller], so that it was said that if a few more of its members should die or move out the church property would have to be sold."
-William G. Roberts, quoted by James A. Hensey, Storehouse Tithing: Stewardship Up-To-Date, Revell Press, 1922, retrieved Aug 15, 2019 [archive.org/stream/storehousetithin00hens/storehousetithin00hens_djvu.txt]

The problem with this statement is that the church (i.e. the body of Christ) does not need maintenance, but rather, church BUILDINGS need maintenance. They were attempting to keep hold of what they could not afford, and instead of doing what was right, trusting in the Holy Spirit of God to guide them through their losses, they turned to worldly entertainment, like festivals and picture shows, in order to raise the money they needed to afford and maintain the building, which is unnecessary expense, especially for a shrinking church.

As a side note, they were in downtown Cincinnati, which is not a small city. In fact, Cincinnati was one of the top ten most populated cities in the late 19th century, with their population growing to over 325,000 people by 1900. This was a rapidly growing city with plenty of commerce and industry, so why would the church be dying? (Food for thought; I believe there was a lot more problems with the core doctrine of this church building than what we can see from this short testimony.)
(See Infoplease, "Population of the 20 Largest U.S. Cities, 1900-2012," retrieved Aug 16, 2019, [infoplease.com/us/us-cities/population-20-largest-us-cities-1900-2012])

The testimony continues (the capitalized words are in the original):
"It was the opinion of those present that every expedient [practical action] had been exhausted, and no one could suggest a plan to better the conditions that had not already been tried. Always, after a plan had been suggested, there seemed to appear the legend [book of their financial accounts], weighed in the balance and found wanting [i.e. they were short on cash]. Then, as the company was about to break up, having failed to find a solution, one member said: 'I have been a steward for about 25 years in the Methodist church, a class leader, and a local preacher, and we have always had these conditions to deal with, and I suppose it was always so and always will be so.' Another said, 'We have not tried all the plans ever heard of.' At once several asked, 'What is there we have not tried? Please tell us.' The answer was, 'God's Plan, TITHING!' Several answered, 'Why, we all are tithers.' The little company was interrogated, and all said that they had given a tenth for many years, and several said that they had not stopped with the first tenth. 'But,' persisted the one who suggested God's Plan of tithing, 'do I understand that you have kept a book account with the Tithe of God, and that you have brought all the tithes into the storehouse?' Then, on personal examination, it was found that all had kept account of the tenth, BUT NOT ONE HAD BROUGHT ALL THE TITHES INTO THE STOREHOUSE, but had distributed it to all sorts of things that come under the name of church and charity, with the result that God's treasury was always empty. 'Then,' insisted the same one, 'We have not tried God's Plan, and God tells us through Malachi that we are a set of robbers, every one of us, and that He will take the curse off of us if we will stop stealing His Tithes, and bring them all into the storehouse. All man made plans have failed us. If there is one person in this company who will clasp hands with me in covenant relation with God to bring all the tithes into the storehouse, let him do so, and if God be God, he will keep His word, or else there is no God.'"
-William G. Roberts, quoted by James A. Hensey, Storehouse Tithing: Stewardship Up-To-Date, Revell Press, 1922, retrieved Aug 15, 2019 [archive.org/stream/storehousetithin00hens/storehousetithin00hens_djvu.txt]

After I read this for the first time, I sat back in my chair and thought, "Where do I even begin to address how deceptive this is?" This is one of the most pathetic, unfaithful, and deceptive testimonies I have ever read, but it is the origin of the "storehouse tithing" sermons we are familiar with today. Together, the eight people in that room signed a covenant for their church building bylaws, and soon after, almost 500 people signed it.

The most absurd and anti-Biblical statement they made was that they were "robbing God" because they had given charitably to the poor with their money, rather than bringing it into "God's storehouse," by which they mean the church building. They prioritized a fancy church building over food and clothing for the poor. Not only were they turning to worldly methods for their help, instead of looking to the Holy Spirit, but they also departed from Christ's New Testament doctrine, namely that the body of believers is the church, that the individual body of each believer is the temple of God, and instead, they adopted a temple-based false philosophy, that the New Testament temple of God is a building constructed by the hands of men.

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
-1 Corinthians 6:19

Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
-1 Corinthians 12:27

What planet were these people living on in which they believed that giving charitably to the poor and needy is "robbing God?" It's as if they have never read the Bible because I have no idea how a man could be so wicked and greedy that he would claim that charity to the poor is a sin! In short, they decided to give up their standard practices of charitable giving to go back under the bondage of the law so they could maintain a fancy building they erected back when they had wealthier churchgoers among their ranks.

In the end, their decision was all about keeping up appearances, prestige, and maintainin their personal paychecks because, after all, what was stopping the eight of them from pooling their own money together to fix to fix a leaky roof? Why push that responsibility on everyone else? That's because it had nothing to do with "robbing God," and everything to do with personal wealth. Even if the church building had burnt down (which it had not), they could have simply sold the property and met in homes, but that would not have been near as profitable.

These people started a trend that grew far and wide to nearly every church building and organization across America that heard about it because they began to rake in the profit. They not only deceived the people by manipulating them to go back under the law, not even teaching the whole of that law (i.e. the multiple forms of tithe and how it was supposed to be done), ignoring the Lord Jesus Christ in the process (i.e. because they loved money more than Him), and leading the people away from charity, but worse still, they started teaching people that they should give a tenth of their GROSS income instead of their net.


For example, there was a collection taken by Paul from the church in Corinth that he was going to deliver to the poor and needy Christians in Galatia. In his letter, he requested that they take a collection before he arrived, and that no collection would be taken while he was there.

Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem.
-1 Corinthians 16:2-3

Notice that Paul never mentioned tithe, nor did he threaten them by saying that they were "robbing God" if they did not give anything. He said to them that they should give as they have "prospered," which means to give according to their own successes, as God has blessed them in business and other labors, and that their giving was "liberality," which means they gave freely according to their own charitable decision. This was a gift given freely, not of necessity, as we read earlier in 2 Corinthians 9:7.

It is the temple-based philosophy (i.e. way of thinking) by which pastors demand (by threat of divine curses) that you must hand over 10% of everything you have brought in for the week, whereas when Paul collected money for the poor and needy, he did it based on the freedom of charity, and only as they had prospered, which means he was not taking anything away from the mouths of their children. It is CHURCH-ianity (i.e. temple-based philosophy) that requires you give more than you have prospered, but in Christianity, which is under true faith in Christ, everyone gives freely according to how God has blessed each saint's individual work.

bless (v): to make happy; to make successful; to prosper in temporal concerns; as, we are blest with peace and plenty
(See 'bless', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Aug 20, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

However, there are a few reasons pastors and elders today do not rely on charity, and instead threaten the people with curses if they do not put enough money in the offering plates and boxes:

Charity is inconsistent. A person may prosper some months, and have no prosperity in other months, which means that a pastor will not be guaranteed a steady paycheck. Charity relies on faith in God. A pastor can more easily guarantee himself the consistent money he desires if he scams the people with a "storehouse tithing" sermon, rather than relying on the Holy Spirit of God to provide for needs. Charity is not reliable from churchgoers. There are many false converts in church buildings today, and if churchgoers were taught that they were no longer under threat of a curse from God for not paying tithe, and had liberty in their giving, the pastors know that most of the money would stop flowing into their bank accounts. Charity applies to all parties. A charitable pastor would give more as he has prospered, but most pastors under the "storehouse tithing" increase their own luxury, building "greater barns" to satisfy their lust, as we read earlier in Luke 12:15-20.

Charity does not provide for luxury, and that's the main problem pastors face today because it is not a common practice for people to donate to the wealthy. Thus, how can a pastor increase his living status on charity alone? Therefore, they know that if they teach another doctrine, contrary to the doctrine of Christ, they can make more money, but the Bible tells us that we should avoid anyone who claims to be of Christ and extorts people by their false doctrine:

Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly [i.e. they desire to feed themselves, so they teach false doctrine to get what they want]; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
-Romans 16:17-18

Most pastors today are deceiving the hearts of simple men and women, who do not know better, and they're doing so to feed their grumbling bellies, or as some might say today, they're doing it for a "meal ticket." It is my prayer that, God willing, some of them might come to know the truth of Christ's doctrine and be freed from the burden of the law, and furthermore, that Christians would separate themselves from anyone who claims to be of Christ and is an extortioner, as we are instructed to do in the New Testament.

extortion (n): the act or practice of wresting any thing from a person by force, duress, menaces, authority, or by any undue exercise of power
duress (n): imprisonment or threats [i.e. a curse from "robbing God"] intended to compel a person to do a legal act
(See 'extortion' & 'duress', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Aug 20, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
-1 Corinthians 5:11-13

Such men who would push false doctrine onto others in order to get money out of them should be removed from the church. If they claim to be of Christ, and they do such evil things, then we should not befriend them, nor should we sit down to have a meal with them.

I received a letter from a woman in which she was asking me about finding a good church so she could give God tithe. I told her that I had good news for her and sent her this teaching, but sadly, I never heard from her again, likely because she ignored this message and continued in her blindness, following blind pastors; there is nothing for us to do for them but leave them alone.

But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
-Matthew 15:13-14

But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
-John 10:12-13

A man that owns, raises, and takes care of sheep (i.e. the shepherd) cares for his flock, but a man who is a hireling (a temporary employee) has no concern for the sheep because they do not belong to him. In large farms of sheep, it is common to hire on sheerers, since the work is very hard, and the hirelings do not care if they harm the sheep in the process because they are only in it for the money they will make from the job.

The sad truth that most churchgoers do not want to consider is that many pastors today have gotten themselves into a bunch of unbiblical debt from the seminary college they attended to become an "official" pastor. Not only are they taught to teach the false doctrine of tithe at these so-called "Christian" colleges, but the pastor knows he must emphasize tithing in order to pay off his debt, pay off his house, his car, etc. There are many pastors out there today who believe in their hearts that it is every churchgoer's duty to help them pay off their debts and provide for their every desire.

That being said, there is a degree of understanding I can give to a teacher of God's Word, namely that they are often overlooked when it comes to charitable needs. I have experienced this myself, but when my wife and I were in need, I did not send out letters begging for money, and I certainly did not stoop to teaching false doctrines to get some extra cash; my wife and I both worked so we could provide, having faith in God to help us, and eventually, He was gracious enough to allow me to work full time in this ministry based on charitable donations so I could pay my bills and provide food for my house.

In short, our ministry operates completely on charity, and though only a small handful of our listeners help us out financially, the Holy Spirit of God convicts them to give without me having to manipulate anyone (just as I have been convicted by the Holy Spirit to give all my materials away for free), and my wife and I get by with what we need based on that charity, without any tithe involved. If a useless nobody like me can receive the grace of God and charity from the church to provide for the needs of my family while I labor in the Word of God, then why can't most pastors in church buildings accomplish the same thing?

If a church building is running out of money and is failing, then why not just close the doors and sell the property? Why is it always ASSUMED that it is the will of God to keep that building's doors open? If a church building lacks funding to the point that it will close down, the solution is NOT to lie to congregations to extort money out of them; the solution is to simply let it happen.

How do you know that the doors of the church building closing is not the wake-up call of God to convict Christians to be more charitable to the poor and needy? How do you know that the doors closing is not the chastening of God?

My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:
-Proverbs 3:11

As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
-Revelation 3:19

And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
-Hebrews 12:5

Why is it always considered a bad thing that a church building would close? Why would they not first suppose that the Lord God is leading the church in a different direction? One way or another, I can say this for certain:

Christ's church will never produce good fruit based on a lie.

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
-Matthew 7:15-20

If you believe a church building which practices false doctrine (i.e. lie) of storehouse tithing is producing "good fruit," then you do not believe Jesus Christ. When pastors have to push a lie in order to bring in funding, that's not good fruit, and that which comes of it will not be good either; it might seem good on the surface, but if we judge righteous judgment, we know it is evil.

Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
-John 7:24

But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
-1 Corinthians 2:15
(Read "Unbiblical Cop-Outs: 'Don't Judge Me!'" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Of course, there some churchgoers who acknowledge there is a problem, but they make an excuse to justify their church building and pastor, and so they say, "My tithe is my charitable giving!" No, it's not because as soon as you are REQUIRED to pay something, it is no longer charity.

For example, most of us pay taxes, like sales taxes or property taxes, and I want to ask readers: Do you consider paying your taxes as a "love offering" to the government? Do you willingly pay that extra tax at the gasoline station because you really love your country? Of course you don't think that way. Tithe cannot be charity anymore than taxes can be charity because there is no giving in love if we are required to pay.


For church buildings that are 501(c)(3) incorporated, the problem gets worse because tithe is not just philosophically like taxes, they ARE taxes. According to the IRS (i.e. the creator of, and authority over, the 501c3 church building and it's members), donations to a 501c3 ministry are considered to be indirect taxes, which is why they get "tax exemption" for being under a 501c3 contract, and all other taxpayers must make up the difference for those who are exempt from taxes.
(Read "501c3: The Devil's Church" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

It's not that pastors have completely done away with the concept of charity because, after all, they do still teach it, but the problem is that they teach it in ADDITION to tithe. They know that they can only get so far by extorting people for 10%, and so after their fear has been quelled by paying tithe, churchgoers are then told that if they want really good blessings from God, they should give a lot more money to the pastor.

Today, most pastors try to make a distinction betwee 'tithe' and 'offerings', which is why they preach that everyone should "bring in your tithes and offerings." We have already covered the problem with tithe, but now we also have to address the problem with an "offering" because that term in Scripture has very specific definitions.

offering (n): that which is presented in divine service; an animal or a portion of bread or corn, or of gold and silver, or other valuable articles, presented to God as an atonement for sin, or as a return of thanks for his favors, or for other religious purpose; a sacrifice; an oblation
(See 'offering', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Aug 21, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

That is a very solid, general definition of an 'offering' in Scripture, but now let's look at what the leavened organization Overlake Christian Church says:
"Tithes & Offerings: These two words are often spoken in the same breath... but what's the difference between them? 'Tithe' literally means 'tenth' or 10 percent. A tithe is the first 10% of your income. An offering is anything you give in addition to 10%."
-Overlake Christian Church, "Giving: Tithes & Offerings," retrieved Aug 21, 2019, [occ.org/giving-tithes-offerings]

Although there are thousands of church-ianity websites out there that agree with this, I wanted to quote this website the (anonymous) author gave a straight-forward definition. A lot of websites do not clearly define their terms. In most instances, offerings are those things which were brought into the temple as a sacrifice to God, partularly as an atonement for sin.

And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
-Genesis 8:20

And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon.
-Genesis 35:14

This is not something that should be done today because Christ is the final atonement for sin. To give offerings in the manner they did in the temple for the atonement of sin is to deny Christ.

That being said, sometimes an offering is that which is not an atonement for sin, but a gift giving freely in charity:

Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.
-Exodus 25:2

God takes no pleasure for offerings under the law, which is by the commandment. Rather, He takes pleasure in that which is given willingly and freely in charity.

Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
-Hebrews 10:5-10

When we read the entire New Testament, why is it that when offerings are spoken of, we do not see money talked about as an "offering?" I encourage readers to pay close attention as you read through the New Testament on this one. The only offerings being talked about are the Old Testament sacrifices of temple that were done away with by Christ, and it is nearly always in relation to the offering of Jesus Christ Himself on the cross, so that leaves us with an obvious question: Why do so many pastors reject the practice of charity in Christ, and instead return to the Old Testament law, preaching that we should bring in "offerings" of money to a church building?

The reason for this is because they are servants of corruption, while they speak of liberty with swelling words of vanity. They are greedy dogs that have turned back to eat their own vomit.

Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.
-Isaiah 56:11

For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
-2 Peter 2:18-22

Again, this is because they have a temple-based, Old Testament, bondage-in-the-law philosophy, which they commonly learn today from their seminary (i.e. cemetery) colleges. They love this false doctrine because it allows them to make merchadise of the people, while appearing "holy and righteous" on the outside.

And to love him [God] with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
-Mark 12:33

And I say again, the end (i.e. the fulfillment) of the law and prophets is charity. Those of us born again in Christ do not bring tithes and offerings into a "storehouse," but rather, we give freely and willingly of our time, energy, and resources to those who are in need, especially to those who are fellow saints in Christ.

There are many pastors I have personally witnessed who take this one step further by preaching, "If you give us money, God's going to bless you!" Or they will say, "Plant the seed of faith in your giving!" This is called "seed-faith" preaching, and it is completely unbiblical. Seed-faith preaching offers false promises of blessings, putting the hearers into a mindset of expectation that God is going to give them something good that he/she particularly wants at the time. (e.g. "If I give, I get something good in return.") Seed-faith givers are being inticed to give in order to get a return, putting their hopes in the flattering lips of false preachers, rather than looking to the truth of God's Word.

Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men. They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.
-Psalm 12:1-2

One of the most well-known cases of seed-faith preachers is Granville Oral Roberts (1918-2009), who was a Charismatic, Pentecostal, and United Methodist televangelist, the inventor of "seed-faith" preaching, and he laid much of the foundation for televangelism and the infamous "prosperity gospel" movement that we see today. Roberts is most well-known for his claim to have had a vision in 1977 of a 900-foot tall Jesus who told him to build a large hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and gave him a prophetic vision that it would be a huge success and help many people to be healed.

One of the things Roberts did not mention to his listeners is that there was already an over-abundance of hospitals in the Tulsa region at that time:

"Evangelist Oral Roberts, striving to build his controversial City of Faith hospital, says in a recent fund-raising letter he was assured by a 900-foot image of Jesus the hospital would be built. Roberts says in his letter that on May 25 he spoke to Jesus who said, 'I told you that I would speak to your partners and, through them, I would build it!' 'Partners' is the term Roberts applies to donors who have given millions of dollars toward the project under construction on Tulsa's south side. The letter says Jesus appeared at precisely 7 p.m. as Roberts stood praying in front of the City of Faith: 'I felt an overwhelming presence all around me. When I opened my eyes, there He stood... some 900 feet tall, looking at me; His eyes... Oh! His eyes! He stood a full 300 feet taller than a 600-foot-tall City of Faith. There I was face-to-face with Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God.' Copies of the letter were being circulated by opponents of the project who said the vision was either a highly newsworthy event or a product of imagination or fraud. Critics of the medical complex say there are

already too many hospital beds in Tulsa. Roberts was reportedly out of town Wednesday and couldn't be reached for comment. But Dr. George Stovall, executive vice president of Oral Roberts University said, 'What he said he saw, he saw.'"
-St. Petersburg Times, "Oral Roberts: I saw a 900-foot Jesus image," Vol. 97, No. 84, St. Petersburg, Florida, Oct 17, 1980

As we are about to see, this hospital is going to fail, which means it is not of God, and therefore, I believe there was only one of two possibilities: Either Roberts was lying, and or he was given visions by demonic spirits who were possessing him at the time, and either way, it's really bad. When Roberts finally announced his 900-foot Jesus vision in 1980, he received a firestorm of media criticism and ridicule, and even some of his supporters and associates were very skeptical:
"If the Tulsa clergy [an elitist word for 'pastors'] was timid, Roberts's vision unleashed a torrent of criticism from religious spokesmen througout the nation. S. Duane Bruce, executive director of the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church, wrote to Oklahoma's Methodist bishop, charging that the vision was 'a fabrication' of a notorious empire builder. He asked that the bishop remind the Methodists of his state that Robert's ministry was not associated with the Methodist church. Joseph Quillian, Jr., dean of the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University, who admitted that he 'liked Roberts personally,' told a reporter: 'I wouldn't want to be put into a position of saying Oral Roberts is lying in his teeth,... but people are known to have all kinds of hallucinations.' Oral's non-Methodist critics were even harsher. Carl McIntire informed the Associated Press that 'Oral Roberts, I am afraid, has gone beserk on these visions of his.' 'No decent Christian,' McIntire reportedly said, 'believed that Christ was 900 feet tall.' For months after the announcment of the vision, punsters poked fun at Oral. Posters sold in Tulsa for six dollars, depicting the City of Faith with a traffic sign posted in front warning of a '900 ft. Jesus X-ing.' Writers speculated about the problems of building a '2000-foot cross,' about the 'mighty big elevator shoes' which allowed Oral to come 'face to face' with a 900-foot tall Jesus, and about the amount of Visine [Johnson & Johnson brand eye drops] required for Jesus' eyes. The vision had emboldened Oral's old critics; it opened him to the kind of caricature which had been common in the 1950s."
-David E. Harrell, Oral Roberts: An American Life, Indiana University Press, 1985, p. 416, ISBN: 9780253114419

However, the critics did not stop Roberts from raising money to build the CityPlex Towers, which was originally constructed to be the Charismatic-owned and operated "City of Faith Medical and Research Center." Roberts told his listeners to send donations in amounts of 7, 77, or 777 dollars, and that God would pour out blessings to them if they sent money in those specific amounts, which is otherwise known as a religious superstition, not charity. The doors opened to the public in 1981, and at the beginning, Roberts had nine physicians on staff, with a couple of hundred beds available, despite the fact that Oklahoma health officials argued that the hospital should not have been constructed in Tulsa in the first place. His end goal was to make a total of 777 hospital beds available to patients, and offer "charismatic faith healing" in addition to medical research and treatment. Five years later, the hosptial was quickly going bankrupt because they were losing millions of dollars every year.

Then, in 1987, Roberts got really desperate:
"In 1987, television preacher Oral Roberts made a dramatic appeal. If his supporters did not send donations totaling $8 million dollars within three months, he warned that God would 'call me home.' There were those who complained that Roberts was extorting his viewers and using the Deity as an accomplice, but there was no doubting his charisma — or his results. Roberts received over $9 million, and God did not call him home."
-David Van Biema, "Oral Roberts to the Rescue?" TIME, Oct 27, 2007, retrieved Aug 22, 2019, [content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1677098,00.html]

As a side note, the article goes on to mention that Oral's college, Oral Roberts University, was over $52 million dollars in debt by 2007, and that Oral's son Richard, along with Richard's wife Lindsay, took over presidency from his father and immediately started misusing funds for his own gain. Richard and Lindsay had remodeled their home 11 times in 14 years using university money, they paid almost $30,000 for their daughter to take a vacation to the Bahamas using those same school funds, and Lindsay had "spent the night in an O.R.U. guest-house with an underage male nine times."

"City of Faith represented a fascinating attempt to pull charismatic faith healing into a context that would be accepted by the general public. But In [sic] 1987, TIME reported that the medical center, which cost $250 million to build, was draining Roberts of $30 million to $40 million a year... Despite the cash infusion, City of Faith closed in 1989."
-David Van Biema, "Oral Roberts to the Rescue?" TIME, Oct 27, 2007, retrieved Aug 22, 2019, [content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1677098,00.html]

The hosptial, constructed on seed-faith money, has stood ever since as a monument to a false prophet who made merchandise of churchgoers. Recently, Oral Roberts University, signed a $32 million contract to lease office space to the federal government over the next 20 years because they have learned what all mainstream preachers have learned: If you cannot turn a profit on your failed projects, get the taxpayers to pay for it instead.
(See Bill Sherman, "ORU gets $32 million federal contract for CityPlex Towers lease," Tulsa World, June 23, 2016, retrieved Aug 22, 2019, [http://bit.ly/2Mxvz4W])

The concept of seed-faith is simply tithes and offerings taken one step futher. The primary problem with all of this is that no where in Scripture does it say that giving money to a church building is tithes and offerings.

Please don't misunderstand, if someone is laboring in the Word of God, the Bible tells us that it is an acceptable thing that he can make a living from the teaching of God's Word because, if he is doing what's right, it is a full-time job that requires a lot of hard work in patient study.

Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.
-1 Corinthians 9:14

However, that should be done through charity, not extortion. If these pastors, elders, and churchgoers relied on the Holy Spirit of God for guidance in charitable matters, then they would have no problem in getting rid of the storehouse tithes, offerings, and seed-faith donations, but because they follow men instead of Christ, they are not only deceived, but they continue to deceive others as well.

But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
-2 Timothy 3:14-15

Pastors know very well that most of their church buildings would not stay open, and therefore, they would lose their paychecks if they did away with false doctrines like storehouse tithing and seed-faith. That's why these are doctrines that are so heavily relied upon in church buildings to this day, and the vicious lust of their hearts become more apparent with each passing decade.

Let's take a look at some of the modern-day preaching on tithe, and we will start with Ed Young. As you will hear in the video, Young teaches that if anyone in that church building is not tithing, they need to leave and not come back:

YOUNG: "And you wonder why your marriage is stoned, you wonder why your kids' future is stoned, you wonder why your career is stone, you wonder why you can't get your head above water, you wonder why you don't have joy, you wonder why you deal with grief, you wonder why you all get messed up with envy, you wonder, you wonder, you wonder—IT'S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY! It's all about the money—you don't get it!"

-Edwin B. Young, "GREEDY PASTORS: Edwin B. Young," Christopher Johnson, Aug 23, 2019, [https://youtu.be/j4l0TS3LwIU]

The problem is the Bible does not say "it's all about the money" on any of those matters. Young even goes on to say that money is the "second greatest theme in the Bible," to which he has no evidence because that's simply not true, nor does he bother to back that up during his so-called "teaching."

YOUNG: "Why are you even coming to church if you're not bringing the tithe?... Splashing around thinking a mission trip will do it, thinking another Bible study will do it, thinking serving the church will do it, thinking prayer will do it—it's all about the money. It's all about the money! Show me the money!"

-Edwin B. Young, "GREEDY PASTORS: Edwin B. Young," Christopher Johnson, Aug 23, 2019, [https://youtu.be/j4l0TS3LwIU]

Young attempts to convey to his listeners his personal belief that "going to church" is for the sole purpose of tithing. First of all, that's temple-based philosophy that has nothing to do with the New Testament church, and secondly, it should be pointed out that the phrase "go to church" is not found anywhere in the Bible because, again, the church is the body of Christ, not a building. (i.e. There is no storehouse in the New Testament.)

As I pointed out earlier, this is the very definition of extortion, in which he threatens these people in order to pressure them to give him money. He even goes so far as to tell them that prayer and charitable works are worthless unless they pay up to Ed Young. Again, as we read earlier from 1Co 5:11-13, Young is supposed to be kicked out the church, but since his organization is not part of the church of Christ, it is more fitting to simply say that he is a covetous deceiver who draws away disciples after him and makes merchandise of them.

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious [destructive] ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
-2 Peter 2:1-3

Young even takes it a step further and pressures his congregation to hand him their bank account and routing numbers so he can automatically withdraw money from them:

YOUNG: "So what do you do? I'll tell you what you do: You bring the first to God. Well, how do you bring the first to God? It's very simple... it's all about the automatic withdraw. Say it with me: 'automatic withdraw'... Every single person, get one of these [Young instructs them to take pick up an automatic withdraw card and fill it out]... if you don't have one of these cards, you're looking pretty foolish right now..."

-Edwin B. Young, "GREEDY PASTORS: Edwin B. Young," Christopher Johnson, Aug 23, 2019, [https://youtu.be/j4l0TS3LwIU]

Young is really sickening to listen to because he tries to make a bunch of jokes about this to ease the tensions in the room. He goes on to instruct them on how to fill out the card with their bank routing numbers so Young can extract cash from them. The sad part about it is that he is convincing these foolish people that giving to Ed Young's organization is the equivalent of "giving to God."

But if you giving money to Ed Young and are having problems with your marriage, children, career, and other personal problems, one of the major reasons for that is because you're handing all your money over to Ed Young. I remember hearing another teaching Young gave, in which he provoked his audience by asking them if they wanted to come up on stage in front of everyone and reveal their personal finances, and I remember saying to myself, "Okay Ed, you first."

However, Young is just a hypocrite who demands from others who he himself will not do, so let's look at a little investigative reporting to get an idea about his financial status:
"Young already had a thriving church outpost in downtown Dallas, but he got the idea to launch Fellowship Park Cities at Highland Park Village after spending time at the busy Starbucks there. It teems daily with affluent types from Highland Park and University Park, and the parking spots around the coffeehouse are heavy on the Bentleys, Porsches and spotless Suburbans. Around the same time, the Youngs moved into a $1.5 million Mediterranean manor in Bluffview Estates, bought from foreclosure."
-Christopher Wynn, "Dear God: Is Dallas society ready for Fellowship Church's sex-loving, million-dollar minister?" Dallas Morning News, Dec 12, 2013, retrieved Aug 22, 2019, [http://res.dallasnews.com/interactives/2013_December/pastored/]

The reason Young started up a so-called "church" in that area is because he saw how wealthy the people were, and he knew he could cash in on them by first luring them in with a bunch of worldly concerts and productions, and then pressuring them to pay for it all by teaching storehouse tithing. According to an Online Christian Colleges article, as of 2011, Ed Young had a $51 million annual budget for his organization.
(See Online Christian Colleges, "Megachurch Megabusiness," retrieved Aug 27, 2019, [onlinechristiancolleges.com/megachurches])

The above Dallas News article goes on to describe the popcorn machines, mega-projection screens, bands doing remixes of Justin Timerlake songs, dancers, and VIP rooms they have setup in Young's church building. They hand new members a "swag bag" filled with goodies, a welcome DVD, and one of Young's heretical books.

"The screen darkens. A video with better special effects than most Syfy channel shows begins. It depicts a set of bones magically being enveloped in tendons, then flesh, then skin, until a whole man — naked and ripped, but shown in chaste tight shots — stands upright. Music swells. Cross-dissolve. Ed Young is now on-screen, live, at the Grapevine church, flanked by two medical-supply skeletons. The hashtag for today's sermon and the handles of Ed's Twitter and Instagram accounts remain posted in the screen's lower corner. Want to accept Christ into your life at the end of the service? Hit #32898 on your smartphone and ushers will assist... An elaborate production number interpreting Radioactive, an end-times anthem and hit song by Las Vegas rock band Imagine Dragons. A young woman on-stage sings the apocalyptic tune while laser lights slice through a thickening mist from a fog machine. Behind her, three jumbo screens flash disturbing images of gas masks. At stagefront, two breakdancers in yellow biohazard suits contort and gyrate, and simulate drum-beating on large toxic-waste barrels."
-Christopher Wynn, "Dear God: Is Dallas society ready for Fellowship Church's sex-loving, million-dollar minister?" Dallas Morning News, Dec 12, 2013, retrieved Aug 22, 2019, [http://res.dallasnews.com/interactives/2013_December/pastored/]

Are we to believe that this is what the New Testament church is supposed to be? Should we believe that, if only Jesus had access to the same laser lights, fog machines, and breakdancers that Ed Young has, He would have been more effective in bringing the lost Jews to repentance?

"A bullet-resistant Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen is parked in the tree-shaded, half-circle driveway of the Youngs' home. The boxy SUV — G-Wagens were military vehicles first, now the preferred ride of popes and potentates [government leaders] — has a dark gray, matte [unshining surface] finish, not from paint but from a custom Kevlar coating. Its massive black-spoke wheels would be the envy of any rap star. Ed Young isn't paranoid about security: He just thought the G-Wagen looked cool. Young is like a grown-up teenager — only, instead of saving up paychecks from bagging groceries to buy a loud, gassy muscle car, he is blessed with the means to drop six figures on an assault-proof fishing truck. For daily driving, he rocks a Range Rover."
-Christopher Wynn, "Dear God: Is Dallas society ready for Fellowship Church's sex-loving, million-dollar minister?" Dallas Morning News, Dec 12, 2013, retrieved Aug 22, 2019, [http://res.dallasnews.com/interactives/2013_December/pastored/]

Please don't misunderstand my point is documenting all this; it is not wrong to have things. It's not wrong to have wealth either. The problem is that Young claims to be a Christian, and yet, he's covetous and labors to be rich.

Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.
-Proverbs 23:4

Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
-1 Timothy 6:17-19

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
-Matthew 6:21

A wealthy young man came to Jesus and asked him how he could gain eternal life, to which Jesus told him to keep the commandments of the law, not that Jesus was teaching him works doctrine, but that Jesus was trying to bring the young man to repentance and understanding of the fulfillment of the law (Gal 3:24), so he could be saved:

He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
-Matthew 19:18-24

A local reporter in Dallas did some more digging into Ed Young:
"One former staff member who says he was close to Young but wishes not to be identified, described it this way: The lack of accountability. The lavish lifestyle that keeps increasing, while the attendance keeps decreasing."
-WFAA8 News Staff, "Prominent Grapevine pastor linked to luxury," WFAA 8 News, Feb 5, 2010, retrieved Aug 23, 2019, [wfaa.com/article/news/local/investigates/prominent-grapevine-pastor-linked-to-luxury/338287756]

Before we continue reading this news report, I can tell you why Young's attendance is decreasing. Young is a fake, and even false convert churchgoers can pick up on that after some time. They give and give and give unto his ministry, and end up with nothing while Young lives in style.

"Over the past few weeks, News 8 has been in contact with a number of individuals who were once close to Young at his massive Fellowship Church in Grapevine, disturbed by his direction and treatment of staff. Young recently replaced his chief financial officer and replaced him with his personal attorney, business partner and fishing buddy, Dennis Brewer Jr. With Brewer's help and a complex series of business creations and transactions, Young is now jetting around the country in a French-made Falcon 50 private jet; estimated value, $8.4million. Records obtained by News 8 indicate Fellowship Church became the operator of the jet in March of 2007. News 8 discovered the jet parked in a hangar at Alliance Airport north of Fort Worth, tucked away where only a select few can see it. Those who hear him preach every Sunday have never been told about the aircraft."
-WFAA8 News Staff, "Prominent Grapevine pastor linked to luxury," WFAA 8 News, Feb 5, 2010, retrieved Aug 23, 2019, [wfaa.com/article/news/local/investigates/prominent-grapevine-pastor-linked-to-luxury/338287756]

There are a lot of shady things I could discuss here, but in the video I embedded above, I added in a clip of an investigative news report in which they had found evidence of Young's travels. For example, he used the jet on six different occassions to go to the Bahamas, as well as many other exotic destinations in Mexico, South America, and Europe, but churchgoers are not informed that their "storehouse tithe" is paying for all of it.

"News 8 has also learned that Young's 10,000 square foot, $1.5 millionestate on Lake Grapevine is not listed on the tax rolls in his name, but rather in the name of Palometa Revocable Trust. Records show that Young was paid $240,000 a year as a parsonage allowance; that's in addition what sources say is a $1 million yearly pastor's salary. Young declined to discuss his salary and compensation with News 8, but his spokesman said the pastor's pay is governed without his participation by an Independent Compensation Committee, relying on outside consultation with knowledgeable and experienced church leaders. News 8 has also learned that in 2007, Young sold the intellectual property of Fellowship Church's marketing Web site, CreativePastors. He also sold the church's membership mailing list to a newly-formed, for-profit company called EY Publishing. Today, CreativePastors.com is used by the Youngs to sell his sermons and books for profit. When did the intellectual property, when did the preaching and the Bible notes and the books become intellectual property for the pastor? asked Ole Anthony of the Trinity Foundation in Dallas. That's the property of the church. Anthony says he and his Trinity Foundation investigative team have been monitoring Ed Young for the past three years. He believes Young has fallen into the same trap as many other televangelists he has investigated over the years. 'But now he's just bought in to greed in the name of God,' Anthony said. 'They are sanctifying greed, and that's what's so evil.' In the past few years, Young and his attorney, Dennis Brewer Jr., have created a number of for-profit companies generating money apart from Fellowship Church, including: Creative Pastors, CreativePastors.com, Creality Enterprises, Creality Publishing, EY Publishing, Ed Young Resources and UOI Resources. All the businesses listthe fifth floor of Dennis Brewer's law office in Las Colinas as their office address. But the resources used to generate the profits come, in part, from the not-for-profit Fellowship Church."
-WFAA8 News Staff, "Prominent Grapevine pastor linked to luxury," WFAA 8 News, Feb 5, 2010, retrieved Aug 23, 2019, [wfaa.com/article/news/local/investigates/prominent-grapevine-pastor-linked-to-luxury/338287756]

So in summary, Young and Brewer (Young's fishing buddy and lawyer) created a bunch of for-profit corporate businesses, then they took assests from the non-profit 501c3 corporate church and sold them through the for-profit businesses. That is violation against Young's 501c3 contract because it would be like a government employee stealing office supplies to stock up his own separate office for his for-profit business. Young also did some more deceptive things, like taking the church member list, with all their mailing and contact information, and sold it to his own for-profit company, so he could turn a profit on them without the churchgoers knowing about it.

Young claims he does not take a paycheck from Fellowship Church, which I do not believe, but even if that was true, he's still indirectly profiting from Fellowship Church tithe. The tithe of those churchgoers pays for his office, his parsonage allowance (which is almost a quarter-million dollar a year housing fund), special trips, internet costs, production costs, broadcasting costs, the stage he speaks on, as well as the auditorium and all the property which he uses to spread out the teachings that he sells books and DVDs from; in a nutshell, it's like having a business in which all advertising and overhead is paid for by investors who do not receive equity in the company or a return on their investment.

Other pastors go one step further and say that not only should you not come to their church building if you don't give them tithe, but as Creflo Dollar says, you should be executed (i.e. killed) for not paying up. The following audio clip is from a teaching called "The Tithing Question" which Dollar gave in 1998:

C. DOLLAR: "I thought about when we first built the dome [his massive stadium-like church building] to put some of those little moving bars and give everybody a little card, they stick it in a little computer slot. If they were tithing, beautiful music would go off: 'WELCOME! WELCOME! Welcome to the World Dome!' But, if they were not tithing, the bar would lock up, the red and blue lights would start going, the siren would go off, and a voice would go throughout the entire dome: "CROOK! CROOK! CROOK!" Security would go and apprehend them, and once we got them all together, we would line them up in the front and pass out uzzies [automatic machine guns] by the ushers... and at the count of three 'Jesuses' we'd shoot them all dead, and then we'd take them out the side doors there, have a big hole, bury them, and go ahead and have church and have annointing."

-Creflo Dollar, "Creflo Dollar: Tithe or Die!" Christopher Johnson, Oct 10, 2018, retrieved Aug 28, 2019, [https://youtu.be/ENfWsu_55CY]

Some of Creflo's followers will try to justify him by saying that he was "just joking," and in fact, during a radio interview with Creflo, hosted by Charlton Davis, he did say he was "being facetious" (i.e. joking with flippant or sarcastic humor), but during Creflo's teaching, he said: "If we were not under the blood of Jesus, I would certainly try it." That was no joke; if people do not pay up to Creflo Dollar, in his eyes, they are better off dead, and based on testimony I have read from some of his former followers, he has stated this more than once.
(See Charlton Davis, "Creflo Dollar TITHE or DIE," J34Contenders, Jan 24, 2009, retreived Aug 28, 2019, [https://youtu.be/jPJcddnaR8A])

Creflo also demonstrates that he believes salvation is by works. It does not matter if he says he believes that salvation is by repentance and faith, which I have heard him say before, because he teaches something completely different when it comes to tithe:
"If you take the time to tithe the tithe correctly, it's impossible to go to hell. Because you doing all that? Man, tithing will keep you in heaven. It'll keep you in the presence of God. We know that tithe, according to this we're believing right now, tithe is the covenant. I'm telling you that your tithe is your covenant connector. I'm telling you that all the promises that God ever gave you, you cannot get them without being connected to them with the tithe."
-Creflo Dollar, "Creflo Dollar: Tithe or Die!" Christopher Johnson, Oct 10, 2018, retrieved Aug 28, 2019, [https://youtu.be/ENfWsu_55CY]

The problem with this should not be hard to see for most Christians; obviously, if you need to tithe to stay out of hell, then you have to do works to gain eternal life, and that is contrary to the doctrine we have learned from God's Word:

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
-Ephesians 2:8-9

Though we are not to boast of our own good works, as if that is what makes us righteous, both Ed Young and Creflo Dollar boast of their tithing. It's not just them, but I have heard MANY pastors boast of their tithe, and such things immediately bring to my mind the parable of the Pharisee and publican:

And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
-Luke 18:9-14

The Pharisee (i.e. the religious leader, like a pastor or elder) boasts of his tithe, while the publican (i.e. a tax collector, hated by all society) had grief and godly sorrow (i.e. repentance) of wrongdoing in his heart. The religious leader who lifted himself up in his pride ends up in hell, while the contrite man lowered himself in humility and went home justified (i.e. pardoned and saved).

Furthermore, Creflo states that you cannot get any of the promises of God unless you tithe, which is a another lie, and I'll quote the Lord Jesus Christ again from Matthew 6:

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
-Matthew 6:25-33

Is there anywhere in that passage where God instructed that we had to tithe to receive the benefits of any of those promises? We were commanded to seek the righteousness of Christ, that is, to gain understanding of His commandments and follow them, and then, we would receive all these blessings.

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
-John 8:31-32

Does that say, "If ye tithe, then are ye my disciples indeed?" No. If you continue in God's Word, meaning that you continue in study and correction of your life, you demonstrate that you are a disciple (i.e. a student) of Christ, and He will bless you with the knowledge of the truth which will give you liberty, but nowhere did He teach Dollar's corrupt doctrine, namely, that you must tithe to receive these things, and I could give many more examples throughout the New Testament that contradict Dollar's teaching.

The sad part about this is that, in a more recent teaching from Creflo Dollar on tithe, he mentions that point, that a man must continue in the Word of God to be a disciple of Christ, but he brings people back under the bondage of the law in tithe:
Creflo never repents (i.e. having grief and godly sorrow of his wrongdoing) for teaching error, but he claims that he has backed off of teaching that you are under a curse for robbing God if you don't tithe; however, he still teaches storehouse tithing, which is still error under the New Covenant. In the above video, there is a point where Dollar acts like he's crying in saying how much he loves to give, but multiple organizations, private and government, have testified that Dollar refuses to disclose his own financial records (i.e. because he does not want his followers to know how much he brings in), despite the fact that he is swimming in wealth.

The following New York Times article talks about a follower of Creflo Dollar who could not afford to get groceries for his children because he gave tithe to Creflo. This is the type of example I have been talking about in this teaching, in which these greedy preachers will take money out of the mouths of children to pile up in their "storehouse," while the swine (i.e. pastor) lives lavishly.

"'Remember,' said Mr. Dollar, a familiar figure across the country because of his 'Changing Your World' television show and best-selling books, 'if you sow a seed on a good ground, you can expect a harvest.' Mr. Dollar, whose Rolls-Royces, private jets, million-dollar Atlanta home and $2.5 million Manhattan apartment, furnish proof to his followers of the validity of his teachings, is a leading apostle of what is known as the 'prosperity gospel.'"
-Michael Luo, "Preaching a Gospel of Wealth in a Glittery Market, New York," New York Times, Jan 15, 2006, retrieved Aug 28. 2019, [nytimes.com/2006/01/15/nyregion/preaching -a-gospel-of-wealth-in-a-glittery-market-new-york.html]

Of course, this is not what Jesus was referring to in the parable of the sower. The seed that falls on good ground and produces fruit means that they have heard the Word of God and understood it, whereas the seeds that fell on bad ground heard the Word and did not understand it, many of them being churchgoers who have no love of the truth and remain in deception, and thus, the parable of the sower is about false converts, not about giving Creflo more money.
(Read "False Converts vs Eternal Security" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

The "prosperity gospel" is the "name-it-and-claim-it" garbage that pours out of the mouth of covetous men who are leading people astray so they can prey on the poor and needy. It is very similar to the "seed-faith" giving I discussed earlier, which is why Creflo said, "if you sow a seed on a good ground, you can expect a harvest," a deceptive phrase that feeds on the covetous lusts of others so he can turn a huge profit without much work and almost no risk.

"Wall Watchers, an evangelical organization that monitors the finances of Christian ministries, gave Mr. Dollar's organization an 'F' grade for financial transparency in its yearly report and urged donors not to give to it and similar groups... According to church officials, the New York church collects an average of $345,000 a month, which works out to more than $4 million annually; the Atlanta church's operating budget is $80 million a year. The offering collected in New York stays entirely in New York, Mr. Dollar said. About $800,000 of it goes toward renting the theater in Madison Square Garden; an additional $84,000 pays for the church's rented office space nearby; only about $120,000 is spent on the salaries of three people who are on staff. The bulk of the rest, according to church officials, is designated for the church's building fund. The church hopes to raise $200 million for a complex in the city."
-Michael Luo, "Preaching a Gospel of Wealth in a Glittery Market, New York," New York Times, Jan 15, 2006, retrieved Aug 28. 2019, [nytimes.com/2006/01/15/nyregion/preaching -a-gospel-of-wealth-in-a-glittery-market-new-york.html]

A third of a million dollars per month, saving up the extra so they can build a $200 million complex—what more can I say? The only thing I can do is repeat what Jesus Christ warned, namely, that those pastors who keep a storehouse to build bigger establishments will end up condemned by God on the Day of Judgment:

And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
-Luke 12:15-20

It gets much worse when we consider that Creflow lives in the largest estate in the county in which he lives (53-acres), a $2.5 million high-rise luxury apartment which he sold for over $1 million profit, and then proceeded to start a campaign, requesting every follower of Creflo give him $300 each so he could buy one of the fastest private jets on the market, a $65 million Gulfstream G650.


"Creflo preaches 'prosperity from the gospel' with members of his church urged to donate a portion of their income, known as tithe, to the church. The charismatic pastor who favors pin striped suits can certainly be said to be living proof of his own words. He lives in a spectacular $2.4m mansion set in over 50 acres of land in Fayette County, near Atlanta, and once owned a condo overlooking Central Park in New York city - before selling it for a profit above $1 million. They also have a house on a private estate in Bergen, north New Jersey where the last similar property to be sold reached a price of $2.1 million. Property taxes on the estate are around $34,000 a year. His preferred pick of cars is a Rolls Royce [NOTE: He has two, totaling the cost at around half million dollars] - he says it was a gift - and as his parishioners found out from his $65m appeal the world's fastest and most luxurious private jet is his desired method of air travel. The plea for the $65m was made in a video on the website of his Atlanta based mega church."
-Paul Thompson, "A 53-acre estate, a Rolls Royce, $4m from Evander Holyfield and a plea to worshipers for new Gulfstream," Daily Mail, Mar 31, 2015, retrieved Aug 28, 2019, [https://dailym.ai/2PA3qNd]

However, we need to step back for a moment and look at the big picture. For example, just take Ed Young and Creflo Dollar, both them only have around 25,000 members, which makes up a very tiny fraction of the total churchgoers in America. It is very easy to condemn these mega-church televangelists (i.e. it's easy to spot the wolves when they have very little wool covering them), but what most churchgoers do not realize is that this is happening all the time, in every city and town around not just in the United States, but around the world, in your average everyday church building around the corner.

A so-called "Christian" theological seminary, The Francis Schaeffer Institute, took a survey back in 2006 in which they interviewed pastors to get their feedback. They gathered information from over 1,000 pastors in California, and the results they found were fascinating:
"Eighty-one percent (81%) of the pastors said there was no regular discipleship program or effective effort of mentoring their people or teaching them to deepen their Christian formation at their church (remember these are the Reformed and Evangelical—not the mainline pastors!)."
-Richard J. Krejcir, "Statistics on Pastors," Schaeffer Institute, 2007, retrieved Aug 29, 2019, [intothyword.org/apps/articles/?articleid=36562]

This means that, in most church buildings, no one is being taught how to study Scripture, nor how to disciple and lead others. In my own experience in church buildings, I can testify that this is true, and typically it's because mentoring does not happen very often in church buildings because they just tell young men to go to a "Christian" college where they can get into an extraordinary amount of debt to learn a bunch of corrupt religious traditions and false doctrines of men.

If you want to understand why there is so little discipleship going on in the church buildings, these next statistics should help:
"Eight hundred eight (808 or 77%) of the pastors we surveyed felt they did not have a good marriage! Seven hundred ninety (790 or 75%) of the pastors we surveyed felt they were unqualified and/or poorly trained by their seminaries to lead and manage the church or to counsel others... Seven hundred fifty-six (756 or 72%) of the pastors we surveyed stated that they only studied the Bible when they were preparing for sermons or lessons. This left only 28% who read the Bible for devotions and personal study."
-Richard J. Krejcir, "Statistics on Pastors," Schaeffer Institute, 2007, retrieved Aug 29, 2019, [intothyword.org/apps/articles/?articleid=36562]

First of all, if they cannot manage their own marriages, how are they going to manage the church?

A bishop [an elder, one who oversees the activities of the church] then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
-1 Timothy 3:2-5

The reason these pastors feel unqualified is not because their seminary college did not prepare them well enough; that's a complete facade. The reason they don't feel qualified is because they do not have enough understanding in God's Word, and then applied that understanding to their own lives, that they might gain enough wisdom and experience to know how to counsel others. (i.e. Seminary colleges are useless because we ought to rely on the Holy Spirit of God.)

These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
-1 John 2:26-27

Focus on the Family, Barna, and Fuller Seminary all did similar studies and came back with similar results:
"Eighty percent [80%] of pastors feel unqualified and discouraged in their role as pastor. Fifty percent [50%] of pastors are so discouraged that they would leave the ministry if they could, but have no other way of making a living. Eighty percent [80%] of seminary and Bible school graduates who enter the ministry will leave the ministry within the first five years... Almost forty percent [40%] polled said they have had an extra-marital affair since beginning their ministry. Seventy percent [70%] said the only time they spend studying the Word is when they are preparing their sermons."
-Richard J. Krejcir, "Statistics on Pastors," Schaeffer Institute, 2007, retrieved Aug 29, 2019, [intothyword.org/apps/articles/?articleid=36562]

I want to focus in on that part which says, "Fifty percent [50%] of pastors are so discouraged that they would leave the ministry if they could, but have no other way of making a living." In case some readers may not fully understand, it means that half of all pastors do not care to be there, but would not make as much money if they found another job, so they stick around.

Here's the question I want churchgoers to consider: How many of you are paying a pastor to simply get up on a Sunday morning (evening, or Wednesday night) and entertain you for 30 minutes? The problem is that many pastors are liars, and they would rather take advantage of you than to go out and get an honest job.


There was an update done to this study in 2016, but when I read the study, I found it to be completely ridiculous because the hard questions that were being asked back in 2006 were almost completely deleted from the survey ten years later. They replaced the meaningful, tough questions with fanciful, feel-good questions.

For example, in the 2006 survey, pastors were asked how much they studied the Bible every week, but in the 2016 survey, they instead pose the question: "How much time do pastors spend in prayer daily?" The problem with this is that even witches and Satanists pray, but they do not study the Bible, and so this question really serves no purpose and provides no information that is relevant to understand the core problems with church buildings.
(See Francis A. Schaeffer Institute of Church Leadership Development, "Statistics on Pastors: 2016 Update," retrieved Aug 29, 2019, [files.stablerack.com/webfiles/71795/pastorsstatWP2016.pdf])

In 2006, pastors were asked if they had mentoring programs or if they had an extra-marital affair, whereas in 2016, they instead pose the question: "How consistent has the church treated their pastor?" That is a subjective question, meaning that it is just asking about the pastor's personal feelings, not something that can be verified through emperical evidence.
(See Francis A. Schaeffer Institute of Church Leadership Development, "Statistics on Pastors: 2016 Update," retrieved Aug 29, 2019, [files.stablerack.com/webfiles/71795/pastorsstatWP2016.pdf])

The main problem is that the 2006 survey statistics revealed that things were really bad when it came to fundamentals of a church and its leadership. So instead, they made the questions lighter, more directed at the emotions and personal opinions of pastors, instead of keeping them based on emperical, observable facts, and then the survey turned out far more positive, so pastors would look better in the overall results.

The important question to ask is: WHY did they do this?
It is not a complicated mystery to figure out when you follow the love of money because the Schaeffer Institute is a so-called "Christian" college where they pump out pastors with degrees, and in order to get students to want to take on the career of a pastor (and to get parents to want to pay for it), they need to portray that a pastor's career is a satisfying and lucrative opportunity. People do not like to hear that pastors are not doing well, especially the parents of those who might be considering sending their child to the Francis A. Schaeffer Institute. If the study shows the truth, namely, that things with pastors are really bad and there is a lot of deception going on, then churchgoers may not think it is a good idea to become a pastor, and therefore, the Schaeffer Institute would not receive as many applicants, which also means they would lose money.

But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
-1 Timothy 6:9-10

Of course, I have heard many churchgoers respond, "No, not my church; my pastor would never do that." However, have you proven where the tithe money is going? Do you know what goes on behind the scenes? Did you just trust what you were told, or have you seen the actual financial statements from the church building you attend?

Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.
-Jeremiah 17:5

If you are a churchgoer that tithes, ask yourself: Are you dropping money into a tithing plate because you were told and/or threatened to do so? Or have you PROVEN what the perfect will of God is?

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
-Romans 12:2

Please do not misunderstand, I am not saying that all church buildings and pastors are dishonest, but there are a lot of them out there. Just because we might not see every pastor with a multi-million dollar home and private jet does not mean that the same corruption does not exist; it does indeed exist in most church buildings around the country, but just at a smaller scale, and that is why the storehouse tithing sermons got so popular, namely, because those preachers know their salaries and spending budgets increase every time they preach that false message.

Furthermore, the way "tithes and offerings" are given (in most cases) actually forces churchgoers to do their alms to be seen among men:

Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
-Matthew 6:1

alms (n): any thing given gratuitously to relieve the poor, as money, food, or clothing, otherwise called charity
(See 'alms', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Aug 29, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

Of course, as I pointed out earlier, tithe is not charity because you cannot give freely under a threat of a curse, but of course, churchgoers will still choose to believe their giving is charity because their willful blindness will make them feel better. However, the pressure to give when a tithe plate is passed cannot be denied by anyone who has attended church buildings.

Again, I ask readers not to misunderstand my meaning because it is not that we cannot do alms to be seen by men because we are supposed to let our light shine before men, so that they may see our good works; however, we are not to give with the intended purpose of making sure others see our giving. Yet, tithing plates being passed in church buildings feeds on the desires of those who love to be seen giving among men, while at the same time putting pressure on those who do not give, by which they will be seen as "uncharitable" and/or "unfaithful."

I believe this one of the reasons why Paul, when he would visit and collect donations to help relieve the poor and needy, told the church not to collect any money while he was visiting. They were only to collect money before he arrived, so no one would be pressured to give anything.

Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.
-1 Corinthians 16:2

Tithing also ends up create special influences and privileges within church buildings, and any churchgoer who denies this is simply lying to themselves. For example, for those church buildings that still pass a tithing plate, there are a number of people who give money by writing a check, and their names are listed on that check, which means the people collecting the money (i.e. pastors and their assistants) know exactly who is giving what, and thus, depending on how much is given, certain tithers within the church building are given special privileges and considerations for donating larger sums of money.

This means that, those who give more money, have great influence on the decisions made in the church building. When deciding what direction the church should take, who should be elected to certain positions, or what things the church should purchase, the "big spenders" in tithe have more influence on the decisions being made by the pastor and/or elders, and that alone creates a nearly countless amount of problems and corruptions.

The pastoral push for church buildings to gather up more tithe is getting worse every year. To keep up with modern technology designed for businesses and marketing firms, who are the leaders of increasing revenue streams, pastors and elders are beginning to install tithing kiosks in their church buildings so that people can quick-pay with a credit card.
This creates an even bigger problem because there are those who pay by credit card instead of bank card. This means that they are paying tithe through debt, not through the money they have, so how can it be called a "Giving Center" when many of them are not giving what they have actually earned?

The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
-Proverbs 22:7

And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
-Luke 6:34

False preacher Marty Baker advertises his "ATM for Jesus" at his leavened, worldly church building: "Pastor Marty Baker preaches that the Bible is the eternal and inviolate word of God. On other church matters, he's willing to change with the times... the electric house band has been known to cover Aerosmith's 'Dream On.' A recent men's fellowship breakfast was devoted to discussing the spiritual wages of lunching at Hooters... But Baker has waded further into the 21st century than most fishers of American souls, as evidenced one Wednesday night when churchgoer Josh Marshall stepped up to a curious machine in the church

lobby. It was one of Stevens Creek's three 'Giving Kiosks': a sleek black pedestal topped with a computer screen, numeric keypad and magnetic-strip reader... Baker came up with the kiosk idea a couple of years ago. He had just kicked off a $3-million building drive, but noticed that few people seemed to keep cash in their wallet anymore for the collection bag. So he began studying the electronic payment business. He designed his machine with the help of a computer programmer who attends Stevens Creek, and found ATM companies willing to assemble it for him. In early 2005, he introduced the first machine at his church. Since then, kiosk giving has gradually gained acceptance among his upper-middle-class flock. The three kiosks are expected to take in between $200,000 and $240,000 this year -- about 15% of the church's total donations. 'It's truly like an ATM for Jesus,' Baker said."
-Richard Fausset, "At Church, an 'ATM for Jesus'," Los Angeles Times, Sept 28, 2006, retrieved Sept 3, 2019, [articles.latimes.com/2006/sep/28/nation/na-holyatm28]

I want to note that these pastors bring in more money in one month than my wife and I will struggle to make in our entrie lifetime. The Bakers are so wealthy and highly revered, they were invited to President Donald Trump's Inauguration Prayer Breakfast. And once again, we see that their lavish wealth is only to build fancier buildings, to have more material things, and to gain more prestige, but it's still never enough, which is why they continue to find ways to get people to give and buy more.

Please do not be fooled, Baker came up with the "ATM for Jesus" line and repeated it to the media because he knew it would create a great headline that would be free advertising for his company. (Even CNN covered the story and interviewed Baker on Aug 31, 2007.) Baker discovered this kiosk idea was so profitable, he created his own company to mass-produce kiosks for church buildings. He named it SecureGive:
"[As of 2007] SecureGive currently operates in 25 churches around the country. One of them is Family Church in West Monroe, Louisiana, where Terry Taylor is the executive pastor. 'We wanted to help those who were not giving to start walking in obedience,' says Taylor. 'We feel that is being achieved.'"
-"ATMs: Automatic Tithing Machiens," Leadership Journal, 2007, retrieved June 22, 2013, [christianitytoday.com/le/2007/summer/13.14.html]

It is not just kiosks either, he also produced an app for the kiosk, which he also sold on the Apple iPhone store:
"'This whole thing with apps, it's a big deal,' Baker said. 'We wanted to be ahead of the curve. We look at digital giving as an evolution of the financial system. Tithing itself has evolved.' Tithes were first given with animals and grains, then coins and cash, and later checks and debit cards, Baker said. 'It's not the method that matters to God,' he said. 'It's the heart.'"
-Kelly Jasper, "Augusta minister creates church donation app," The Augusta Chronicle, Dec 19, 2011, retrieved Sept 3, 2019, [augustachronicle.com/article/20111219/NEWS/312199890]

The problem with Baker's statement is not the statement itself because I can agree that God looks at the heart, but the problem is that most churchgoers overlook the fact that their hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked.

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
-Jeremiah 17:9-10

The main problem is that Baker is a complete hypocrite because what the average churchgoer does not realize is that he is exactly like the money changers that Jesus kicked out of the temple:
"On average, clients using SecureGive report a 20 percent increase in giving, Baker said. The average kiosk donation is $150. About 27 percent of donors are first-time givers. The costs for churches vary. A monthly service fee is issued based on the size of the organization, and can range from $39 to $499 per month. A processing fee is charged on donations. On a $1,000 donation, SecureGive charges $7.50 in processing fees, while the church or charity keeps $992.50, according to SecureGive."
-Kelly Jasper, "Augusta minister creates church donation app," The Augusta Chronicle, Dec 19, 2011, retrieved Sept 3, 2019, [augustachronicle.com/article/20111219/NEWS/312199890]

Baker is not only charging a usage fee for church buildings to take donations, but he also charges a processing fee to exchange the money. Baker is not an idiot; he knows that by saying "God looks at the heart," they will give more, and his company will make more money, but this process of exchanging and transferring currency is exactly the same thing the money changers were doing at the temple:

And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.
-John 2:13-16

money-changer (n): a broker who deals in money or exchanges
(See 'money-changer', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Sept 3, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

The money changers were there to turn a profit during currency exchange, and they set up shop inside the temple of God, and it is no wonder that Jesus made a makeshift whip, driving the animals and wicked men out of the temple. God is going to judge Baker in his unrighteousness because he has found a way to be a digital money-changer.

Baker's Stevens Creek Community Church is $3-million building, equipped with all the latest technology and lavish comforts. This was paid for through tithe, and so again, I asked readers: Is this really for God? Or is it for Baker? With Stevens Creek churchgoers bringing in (as of 2007) over $1.1 million every year in tithe, I suppose Baker thought that was not enough; he needed more than just a six-digit salary.

I want readers to understand that, from a court's perspective, these are very shady business practices, meaning that it's borderline illegal. Baker would definitely say that his "non-profit" 501c3 corporate ministry is separate from his for-profit business, but the problem is that he's using his non-profit to help his for-profit make money, acquiring customers by teaching false doctrine from behind the pulpit, and then using his profit numbers to advertise to other church buildings how they might make more money too.

Also, the kiosks create a simple and quick way to get a receipt for their tithe to a 501c3 corporation, thereby allowing them to write off their "gift" on their IRS tax forms. This is an unbiblical method of so-called "giving" by attempt to incentivize people to give by getting something in return, and under a 501c3 contract, it is not considered giving according to State definitions, but rather, all tithe is simply another form taxation.
(Read "501c3: The Devil's Church" here at creationliberty.com for more details)

Of course, Baker's company has grown by leaps and bounds over the past few years, and SecureGive now boasts about being active in over 30 of the top 100 churches in the U.S. As of 2019, they claim to have installed kiosks in 2300 church buildings.
(See SecureGive, "Grow your giving, guaranteed," retrieved Aug 29, 2019, [securegive.com])

"Phil Martin of the National Association of Church Business Administrators says that Automated Tithing Machines might only be the beginning. 'Whether we'll have an offering plate with a card reader one day, who knows,' he said. 'But we're certainly not far from that.'"
-"ATMs: Automatic Tithing Machiens," Leadership Journal, 2007, retrieved June 22, 2013, [christianitytoday.com/le/2007/summer/13.14.html]

Many years ago, I recorded an audio teaching on this subject in which I mistakenly quoted from a satirical website, that is, a website desgined to look real, but none of the information is accurate. I apologize to anyone I may have mislead, and have made doubly sure to check on such things before I quote information. On the satirical website, I remember it talking about card readers being attached to offering plates as a joke, however, it turns out that, some years later, the joke became reality.

The following Christian Post article reports on the Church of England using this technology for their financial benefit:
"Collection plates in the Church of England are being digitized, an effort leaders say will enable millennial churchgoers to give more easily since many no longer carry cash. Beginning this summer, 40 churches will be using 'tap and go' contactless terminals where instead of a plate being passed through the aisles, people can give to the church with their credit cards, the Financial Times has reported... 'We're aware that younger generations — and there are many people now who don't carry cash — want to give in different ways. Enabling them to give in a way that suits them is something we'd like to try,' said John Preston, the Church of England's national stewardship officer. Use of contactless financial transactions has risen dramatically in the past few years in many areas of the economy, such as in retail shops and on transport systems. Launched in 2007, last year approximately £25 billion ($31.8 billion) was spent in this way, according to the U.K. Cards Association, more than double the amount spent in the previous eight years... The church's trial run for the contactless giving system will include a variety of options, from offering a credit card reader next [to] the collection plate to installing a terminal at the back of the church as a 'retiring collection.'"
-Brandon Showalter, "Church of England Installs Digital Collection Plates to Increase Millennial Tithing," Christian Post, June 26, 2017, retrieved Aug 29, 2019, [http://bit.ly/2L72Mm2]

The 'tap and go' is referring to the credit cards with microchips in them, which are common today. It's the next step to a completely cashless society that can be easily controlled and manipulated by a few people in power. Basically, the offering plates will have a device installed in them which will allow anyone to take our their card or phone (depending on the technology) and make a quick donation at the press of a button.

It's not that paying for something with a card is necessarily wrong, and I hope readers will not misunderstand my point; there is no reason to be afraid of the cashless society because the events that will unfold in the book of Revelation must eventually come to pass, and we rely on the Lord Jesus Christ for our care and protection. However, the fact is that these church buildings are trying to make it seem like they are doing all this "for the people," when in reality, they are doing it for their own benefit.

Ultimately, it is all being done in the name of "tithe," even though tithe is not a Christian requirement. The pastors pressure the people to give, threatening them that they are "robbing God," and then make every effort to get them to pay up as much as they can, especially since they know that people tend to spend more money when the cash is not directly in their hands. (i.e. More people have gotten in debt with digital currency than in any other time in history.)

Church buildings have peddlers instead of pastors. They have accountants instead of apostles. They have marketers instead of ministers.

Cursed be he that doeth the work of the LORD deceitfully,
-Jeremiah 48:10

According to the easyTithe website, a company selling easy-to-setup tithe kiosks, the testimonials have been very positive from pastors:
"Easy Tithe more than paid for itself within the first month of offering online giving. On top of that, our giving has continued to significantly increase month over month!"
-Kevin, Pastor, Saginaw, TX

"If every church knew about this, every church would be signing up!"
-Tony, Pastor, Atlanta, GA
-EasyTithe, Giving/Donation Kiosk Testimonials, retrieved Mar 8, 2014, [www.easytithe.com/giving-kiosk.htm]

More and more church buildings are jumping on the train of quick-pay and automated withdraw every year. It's only going to get worse. Bible Money Matters republished an article about the congregation handing over their personal bank account information, just like we saw earlier with Ed Young:
"Most Churches will sign you up for auto-withdrawal. This is where you fill out a form, which includes your bank routing and account number, your specified contribution % or amount, and an attached voided check. The Church then hands your info over to their bank who handles the rest."
-Phillip Taylor, "Automated Tithing: A New Way to Give," PT Money, Mar 19, 2012, retrieved July 26, 2014, [ptmoney.com/automated-tithing-a-new-way-to-give]

Again, automated payments for something is not wrong, but the problem is that this is done in the name of "storehouse tithing," which is false doctrine in the New Testament church. The more time goes on, the more people are being disconnected in charity, meaning that they are not being directly involved in helping the poor and needy, and instead just sign up for monthy/weekly payments to supply pastors with enough to pay cash for his new Mercedes-Benz.

This is not hard to see in most "ministries" online. I have visited many so-called "Christian" websites in which they highlight their donation page to make sure you know where it is, and they typically come with a store of merchandise where you can spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. (And most people do not know that modern "ministry" websites are designed to influence people to spend money because they are designed in the same way as any other corporate store.)

The reason these greedy preachers are looking for money is because they are hirelings:

I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
-John 10:11-13

Hirelings are already leavened (i.e. corrupted) because they do not have a love of the truth:

And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
-2 Thessalonians 2:10

Hirelings like the now-deceased Robert Schuller of California's Crystal Cathedral, the giant pointless church building made of glass, scammed money out of people to support his cathedral, but ended up putting the bill on the taxpayers by filing for chapter 11 (voluntary large corporate) bankruptcy in 1995, but did not fully close until 2010, shortly before he died: "At least 23 insiders at the bankrupt megachurch Crystal Cathedral received $1.8 million in compensation in the past year, half of that paid in so-called housing allowances, new records show. The trustee overseeing the case had previously objected to the salaries or housing allowances of three staffers, including two family members of the founding pastor, Robert H. Schuller. The new documents show that at least three more insiders got $100,000-plus housing allowances including Schuller's son Robert A. Schuller, his son-in-law Paul Dunn, and his daughter Carol Milner. Dunn, a resident of Hawaii, received over $300,000 in housing allowance. The tax-exempt housing allowances are allowed under IRS rules to ordained ministers. [i.e. many of the recipients of the money were not ministers] The court documents indicated that $832,000 in housing allowances went to eight people connected with the California church."
-Susanna Kim and Bill McGuire, "'Hour of Power' Church Insiders Got $1.8M, Crystal Cathedral Flilings Show," ABC News, Dec 3, 2010, retrieved Sept 3, 2019, [abcnews.go.com/Business/schuller-hour-power-church-insiders-18m/story?id=12306917]

Just to clarify, a house allowance is money that is paid for rent, property taxes, repairs, renovations, and maintenance fees on your home. These people were getting hundreds of thousands of dollars each for a housing allowance, and that was in ADDITION to their salaries. In short, these people received a housing allowance for one year that is more than what my wife and I could make over decades; my point is that we ought to consider, what exactly are they doing with all this tithed money?

Schuller said that "I learned from my father that tough times never last, tough people do," which is extremely ironic knowing that he died and left the Cathedral in a huge amount of debt. After all accounts had been totaled in 2010, it was discovered that the Crystal Cathedral corporation owed around $7.5 million to unsecured creditors and about $36 million in mortgage payments.

So here's the question I want readers to answer: Can you think of a prestigious religious entity who loves to stand on pretense with lavish buildings and has a ridiculously enormous amount of funding that would be interested in securing a gigantic pointless temple? If you said, "The Roman Catholic Church," you answered correctly:
"A prominent house of worship in Southern California has been flipped — from a towering glass megachurch of a flamboyant televangelist to the new seat of the seventh-largest Roman Catholic Church diocese in the United States. The landmark, originally named the Crystal Cathedral, hosted its first Mass on Wednesday following a $77 million renovation by the Diocese of Orange. It had served for many years as the backdrop of the 'Hour of Power,' which was once the most popular religious television program in the nation. The show's star was the Rev. Robert H. Schuller, who started his evangelical empire at a converted drive-in movie theater and referred to the 78,000-square-foot cathedral as a 'shopping center for God.'... The building was renamed Christ Cathedral and is now the spiritual center for the 1.6 million Catholics in the diocese, which described itself as the fastest growing diocese in the nation."
-Derrick B. Taylor and Neil Vigdor, "Crystal Cathedral in California Gets a New Life as a Catholic Church," New York Times, July 18, 2019, retrieved Sept 3, 2019, [nytimes.com/2019/07/18/us/crystal-cathedral-christ-cathedral-los-angeles.html]


Of course, this is all very fitting since Robert Schuller yoked together with the Catholic Church and held many false, antichrist doctrines just like the Catholic Church. If you want to learn about the false universalist doctrine of Robert Schuller, you can read our teaching "Wolves in Costume: Billy Graham" because Schuller and Graham yoked together under the same false doctrines, and it should be noted that Robert Schuller helped train Rick Warren, which you can learn more about by reading our teaching "Wolves in Costume: Rick Warren."

Can you even imagine the cost to maintain and operate that building? I remember when I was young, my parents would turn on Robert Schuller's show before we went to our church building, and he was always advertising things like, "Send in your gift on $100 or more, and receive this beautiful porcelain bald eagle," but I suppose he didn't sell enough porcelain knick-knacks in the "shopping center for God" to support his fancy tastes. The cathedral has an organ bigger than most houses, standing many stories tall, and if you stop and think about the electricity and gas bills alone, the costs to maintain the place at around 70°F (20°C) year-round, it is no wonder he had to teach storehouse tithing because that is one VERY lavish storehouse.

Mark my words: Pastors who teach storehouse tithing are doing it out of selfish greed, not out of love and charity. They are men who act like they are ministers of righteousness on the outside, but behind closed doors, they work deceitfully, and are the ministers of the Devil:

But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
-2 Corinthians 11:12-15

Our church has operated out of our home since we started it back in 2009, and for those of us who live too far away (i.e. some of our members are in other countries around the world), we meet together online over Skype, and after all these years, our church's overhead costs are almost ZERO, which means we can operate completely on charity. If we see a need in our church, we can simply get together and provide for those who are in need, and we do not have to enforce false doctrines and put people under a "divine curse" if they do not or cannot help, nor will we cease to exist and our work for the Lord Jesus Christ stop because we are not bringing in a six-digit "housing allowance."

Furthermore, when I started up my own teaching ministry online in 2009, it was completely self-funded, I found inexpensive and free ways to get everything done, and my teachings have gone out farther than I ever imagined, to the point that I have received letters from readers and listeners from every continent across the world. I have always operated on paying for things myself and on the charitable donations of others, and have always given everything away for free; the Lord God has been kind and merciful to us, blessing our work, and I never had to collect tithe to get it done, proving that it is possible to have and operate a church and ministry on charity alone, without tithe, just as the church has always done over the past 2,000 years.

I urge Christians to stop focusing on the law and false requirements of tithe, giving to men who are teaching false doctrine. Christians should not seek to be bound by the law, but rather, accept the liberty given to us by our Lord. Let's turn to our Lord Jesus Christ in prayer, and ask Him to reveal to us the needs of our neighbors, our adversaries, and our evangelists and preachers, so we can practice being humble and charitable Christians whose actions will give honor and praise to God the Father.

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. [NOT TITHE!]
-1 Corinthians 13:13

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
-Galatians 5:1

God will bless those who give charitably, as He has promised:

But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work... For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God; Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men; And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you. Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.
-2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Granted, charity is not very common, and, after we reached 10 years working in ministry (as of Jan 2019), we only had an average of nine people per month who donated to help our ministry financially so I can simply pay for my food and bills, and we have gotten by, which is good enough. The grace of God to save my soul and provide for my needs is more than enough.

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
-Hebrews 13:5

Because of how few people really give and help out, I can somewhat understand the reason why some pastors feel the need to preach storehouse tithing, knowing that many churchgoers are not charitable (because there are so many false converts in the church buildings today). However, that only demonstrates how little faith most pastors have in the Lord God to provide as He promised in Matthew 6:28-34, and it certainly does NOT justify them to lie to congregations, teaching them false doctrine, because we are held accountable to the Living God who will judge the iniquity of all men.

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many [not few] will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
-Matthew 7:21-23
(Read "Why Millions of Believers on Jesus Are Going to Hell" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

The Bible tells us that God will not hold a man guiltless for taking His name in vain, meaning that a man who takes the name of Christ upon himself, claiming to be a pastor of Christ, will be held accountable on the Day of Judgment for teaching false doctrine in his covetousness. God is going to judge these men for feigning to be a church, when they were really businessmen and marketers.

Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
-Exodus 20:7

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
-Proverbs 14:12

Charity is the end of the law, fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ, and we should be teaching that, but the pressured giving from storehouse tithing sermons is not part of Christ's doctrine. God willing, through this teaching, I pray our Lord Jesus Christ would open the eyes of those who are living in darkness and blindness, give them repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow) of their sins, and that they would choose follow His Word.
(Read "Is Repentance Part of Salvation?" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
-2 Timothy 2:22-26

As a final note, I have listened to the storehouse-tithing pastors' preaching, and heard them threaten people myself and others for nothing giving tithe by telling us that Ananias and Sapphira were killed by God because they held back the tithe. That is a LIE; a malicious intent designed to extort. In fact, the example of Ananias and Sapphira is an excellent warning to pastors who are preaching the false message of tithe:

But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him. And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.
-Acts 5:1-11

Ananias and his wife sold land for a certain price, kept back part of it, and gave part of it to the church; there is nothing wrong with that. They were free to do as they willed with their money. However, the problem was that they LIED by saying that they gave the church the full price they sold the property, so they could make others believe they were very charitable on the outside to create a false appearance; God punished them for LYING, not for keeping back a portion, and this should be a warning to pastors who LIE in their storehouse tithing sermons.

All of us are going to give an account for everything we have ever said, thought, or done when we stand before God, and I encourage church leaders to think carefully about what they're doing and what example they're setting. When you are behind the pulpit preaching your false doctrines on tithe, you might look good in front your congregation, but God knows the truth of your wicked, lying, extorting heart.

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
-Jeremiah 17:9

Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest [twist, distort], as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
-2 Peter 3:14-16

And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
-Luke 16:15

But through repentance and faith, Christ is willing to cleanse us of all unrighteousness:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
-1 John 1:9

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