20
Sep
2010

Driscoll on Tithing

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20 Sep 2010

While I wish that he had explained the distinction between the tithe and the offering (one obligatory, one voluntary), nevertheless, in the video below Mark Driscoll gives one of the most helpful presentations on biblical giving:

About Post Author

Nick Batzig is the senior pastor of Church Creek PCA in Charleston, SC and an associate editor for Ligonier Ministries. Prior to serving at Church Creek, Nick was a pastor at Wayside PCA on Signal Mountain, TN. Formerly, Nick served as the founding pastor of New Covenant Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Richmond Hill, GA and as the editor of Reformation21 and the Christward Collective--sites of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. He frequently writes for Tabletalk Magazine, Reformation 21, He Reads Truth, and the Christward Collective. Nick was also the host of East of Eden, a podcast devoted to the Biblical and Systematic Theology of Jonathan Edwards. You can friend him on Facebook here and follow him on Twitter @nick_batzig

6 Responses

  3. Matt Holst
    Reply

    I think Driscoll’s attitude is quite helpful here – it is about devotion and chiefly about worship. Given that God sets principles of worship -the tithe being one- which he affirmed earlier in the presentation, I feel he took the easy way out by saying “we don’t set the percentage, it’s between you and Jesus”. He could have finished, reiterating what he said earlier, that the tithe the starting point of giving. Nonetheless, good to hear a contemporary pastor speaking positively to such unpopular issues.

  4. Tithe
    Reply

    From what i’ve heard so far from driscoll, i really support his heart and theology, but i have to disagree with him about tithing. The idea of a starting point is a deep misconception. There are dominating examples in the bible where individuals gave less than 10% from either their possessions or increase. If this is the case (i assure you, it is), then we must reevaluate the core fundamentals of biblical giving; and begin to base them solely on unchanging principles.

    – jared

  5. J. Hansen
    Reply

    I would love to hear more on this topic. While I feel obliged to give to my church when I am earning, the tithe seems very much related to the temple and aspects of the old testament that, as far as I’m aware, are not supposed to be practiced by Christians. Nonetheless, Christians must finance the needs of the Church. Sure, Paul does reach into the old testament in I Corinthians 9 to support his point. This, however, is not carte blanch for us to do so will nilly. Paul might have just as easily cited the tithe. In fact, that would have been much easier than the arguments he did make. Much simpler. But he didn’t do that. It is also a little funny how Mark says that “10% is the minimum” and then proceeds to claim that he doesn’t (I think he actually said “we don’t”) teach tithing. I’m pretty sure he was teaching tithing in that clip.

  6. J. Hansen
    Reply

    For those of you who believe that the tithe from the Old Testament is meant to be obligatory for Christians viz-a-viz the Church, what does that argument look like? What other old testament practices would that argument necessarily make obligatory for Christians?

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