THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN BY ME, EBESEKAYE RUKEVWE. NO COPYRIGHT POLICY ATTACHED,PLEASE SHARE. REPRODUCE IN ANY FORM IF YOU WANT.
Dear Nairalanders, I want to use this medium to convey my non-chauvinistic opinion on one issue that has been debated over the years and is currently trending. Before I proceed with my argument, I want to state my position about the WORD OF GOD. I do not mean what your pastor or anyone teaches you per se but I mean the BIBLE. The BIBLE to me is the basic foundation or fundamental unit of all wisdom and social morality of the human race. Personal opinion or scientific hypothesis could debate some things in the BIBLE but none has been able to disqualify or modify the BIBLE. Biblical position on things like PRIDE GOES BEFORE A FALL, PRAYER, LOVE and GIVING are still evident in everyday social life irrespective of religion or ethnicity. This brings me to the focal point which is the AMBIVALENT CONCEPT OF GIVING IN CHURCHES AND THE WEALTH OF CHRISTIAN LEADERS.

Deprecatory opinion on why and how people give in churches, the wealth or material status of pastors is not good. I don't want to emphasize on which verse of the bible talked about tithe, offering and giving but I just want to talk on the material status of pastors; WHY SHOULD PEOPLE EXPECT PASTORS TO BE POOR? WHY DO PEOPLE THINK IT'S WRONG FOR PASTORS TO HAVE THE BEST THINGS OF LIFE? Let me categorically say that Jesus was not poor, God is not poor. (Luke 19:29-31) shows that Jesus likes the best things. If he were on earth now, he probably would buy "tear rubber" cars or maybe customized cars and private jets. Would it be wise to ask Jesus why he doesn't use average cars to travel around if he has the resources to get the best cars? (1Corinthians 9:11-14) From this passage, it shows that this issue is not a recent one, it has been there for as long as you can imagine and the BIBLE has an answer to it.

God is too wise, humans can't comprehend all of His wisdom in a thousand life time. There is a popular adage that says "A person who usually cooks for a community will have excess when the community cooks for them". Honestly I can't get the actual phrase but I believe it is self explanatory. This is the principle of giving. (Acts 20:35, Luke 6:38) "The measure you give to other people will be given back unto you". Let's take an analogy, if a businessman provides services for ten million people at the rate hundred naira per individual every month, would you not expect him to be rich? Relatively, if a church General Overseer has a nationwide followership of ten million people which he renders religious or spiritual service and the ten million followers decide to give him "willingly" an average material donation of fifty naira every month, do you think it would be unlikely that the pastor would be rich even if he spends a considerable percentage on charity and social welfare of members and community? Ironically, those that give do not complain but those that don't give protest and bleat about it probably to justify why they don't give or simply striving to dissuade others from giving. My submission is, there are so many religious, moral and social principles to adhere to and this is just one. If you don't want to give for whatever reasons good for you, if you want to give for whatever reason best for you. However, I want to say I'm a Christian by religion but I'm not a religious fanatic neither am I dogmatic about it.

Balderdash! Tithes? Check Deuteronomy 14 v22- end.

Take it to a jss 3 student to interprete it to you in simple language word for word!.





People who criticise tithes are not nonbelievers in tithing... Also freewill offering is different from tithing!

SmartchoiceNGR:
Balderdash! Tithes? Check Deuteronomy 14 v22- end.

Take it to a jss 3 student to interprete it to you in simple language word for word!.





People who criticise tithes are not nonbelievers in tithing... Also freewill offering is different from tithing!

There's no point directing him to a jss 3 student, I want you to summarize those passages. I am waiting.

PointZerom:


There's no point directing him to a jss 3 student, I want you to summarize those passages. I am waiting.

No time to waste.

SmartchoiceNGR:
No time to waste.

So summarizing the passages you quoted has become time waisting?