Tithing in the time of Covid-19
Tithing, I’ve found, is one of those things Christians find easy to overlook.
If you steal or watch porn or engage in a full-blown shouting match with your neighbor, you’re more likely to grieve about it and come to The Lord in repentance. Miss this month’s tithe or give less than what you’ve promised and you may feel bad for a while, but it likely won’t drive you to tears.
Part of the reason for this cavalier attitude is that we simply don’t know exactly how much we should tithe. In the uncertainty, we weasel out. Most of us say it should be 10% of our salaries — hearkening to the Old Ways of the Israelites. It’s a non-controversial number, but not without its problems. Is it 10% of our gross income or after tax? If I’m a little short this month, can I defer my tithe to next month or just give what I can now? Can the charity I give to the needy be considered my tithe already?
And then, there’s that mostly quiet whisper at the back of our minds: is it even necessary?
Just so there is no confusion, let me say it once: tithing (or for that matter, any other ‘good’ act such as charity, sacrifice, good living, etc.) will not make you eligible for heaven. There are only two things that will do so: repentance (of your sinful life) and the acceptance that Jesus is your only Savior and Lord.
So why should we tithe, especially at this trying time? Should we still prioritize tithing at the time of Covid-19?
The Lord does not need your tithe, that much is obvious. Therefore, we can surmise a preposterous truth: tithing helps you more than it helps the church. At its core, tithing is worship. Tithing is trust.
Tithing teaches you how to worship — it’s not the only way to do so, but it’s an effective one. When you literally need money to survive yet the first thing you do — before allocating for food or rent or whatever — is to give to God what is God’s when you receive your earnings, it teaches and reinforces to your heart what is and what should be most important in your life.
Tithing teaches you to trust. When you’re not sure how to make ends meet, unsure about the future yet you choose to tithe, you’re teaching your heart one thing: that it’s not the size or the ferocity of the storm that matters, it’s who you’re with on the rickety boat.
Yet, even as I write this, tithing — at a time when there is an ongoing global health crisis, while businesses are in danger of closing down, money is tight, people are not earning and even losing jobs, the economy is likely to tank, most political leaders are showcasing their incompetence, and there is so much uncertainty about the future — tithing feels out of touch with the world. In a time when it feels like the world is already one foot into the apocalypse and people are dying, talking about tithing feels tone-deaf to what the world needs now.
It may seem that way at first, but it’s not.
First, tithing will ensure that church workers get paid. If it’s important to you that workers in the office, in the factories, and in shops get paid, then you should feel the same about church workers. If your church is small, even just a month’s dip on tithes can mean a hit on the finances of church cleaners, administrators, pastors, teachers — people who work full-time to do the church’s work. Like all the workers in all industries, church workers should get paid too.
Second, if your church is following how Jesus lived, then your tithes would most likely go to helping out the needy in your neighborhood. They might not be as loud as politicians or as media-savvy as those influencers, but churches — the good ones, at least — work tirelessly and without fanfare. Because churches know their community far deeper than politicians, they know where the need is greatest. They know who needs the resources the most.
(If your church and its leaders go for material wealth, on the other hand, I urge you to pray for reconsidering your membership.)
Third, The Church (I’m talking about the bigger entity here) is a worthy counterpoint to the national government. While the government network is divided into departments, areas of responsibilities, and governances, the church is connected in a different way. The tithe you give to your church in Pasig may well end up going to help impoverished families in Capiz — simply because the pastor of those families shared a Bible study with the pastor of your Pasig church two decades ago. The reach of The Church goes beyond political boundaries, personalities, geographical borders. Resources sent to The Church go where The Body needs it most.
In this time of online banking and all sorts of apps that services that facilitate the easy transfer of money, sending your tithe to your church is not an insurmountable thing. It’s not even difficult, provided you stop thinking of it as optional.
Alternatively, you can coordinate with your pastor to discuss the best place where your tithe should go. Maybe your church’s financial state is healthy enough that you can add your tithe to the charity you’ll give out (yes, in case it’s also not clear, you should be doing charity, especially at this time).
The important thing — the thing you shouldn’t miss — is that hoarding your money, especially now, is a bad, baaaaaaaaaad idea. Look out for your neighbor.
As I said before, if Jesus were still living today, he’d probably be a no-work, no-pay carpenter. Someone who can’t afford to miss work. Someone who doesn’t know where his next meal will come from because he has no money in the bank. Someone who has no health coverage or money to buy overpriced face masks.
Were we not commanded to both step out in faith and to love the lowest of the low? Tithing (and charity) accomplishes both.
