The Collection Plate Controversy
"A hundred times every day I remind myself that my life depends on the labors of other people, living and dead...I realize that I must exert myself in order to give in the measure as I have received and am still receiving." - Albert Einstein
INTRODUCTION
Passing a collection plate during worship services is not practiced by 2x2s; in fact, on most occasions workers have usually scorned "worldly churches" for doing this very thing, acting as if not having a collection plate is one of the things that sets them apart from the rest of the world. It is my contention that the workers not only misunderstand the purpose of a collection of funds but also exhibit contradictory behavior because they, too, receive financial support from the Friends, an issue Nathan Barker addresses peripherally in his article entitled Old Testament Tithing.
The focus of this article will be to examine the reasons for donating money (sometimes called "tithing) by a group of churchmembers from a biblical, historical, and practical perspective.
OLD TESTAMENT PRACTICE
The term often used to describe this process is in the Old Testament called "tithing", which is derived from the Hebrew word asair, meaning "to give one-tenth". The fundamental principle underlying tithing is that God is the source of everything good in our lives and therefore everything good in our lives belongs to God, not us. Accordingly, a passage in Malachi 3:8-9 (written around 400 B.C.) is often quoted which goes so far as to equate not adequately tithing with stealing from God: "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."
Nathan tries to dismiss this passage by claiming that only the temple priests were "robbing God", but God is addressing "even this whole nation", not just the priests. The tithes first had to be presented to the priests before they could be offered to God, as in verse 11 God talks about preventing pests from devouring crops and vines from not casting fruit - does Nate honestly believe that temple priests were actually out there working in the fields? Of course this is ridiculous, because God was talking about the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem, the "descendants of Jacob" and their forefathers (Mal 3:6). But even if God was only talking to the priests, the problem is the same - not offering acceptable tithes (cf Neh 13:10).
In other words, when we give of what we have, we are really just giving back to God what already belonged to Him in the first place. The practice of giving back to the Lord is seen as early as Genesis 14, where Abraham offers tithes to the royal priest Melchizedek, and later in Genesis 28, where Jacob gives a tithe of his possession to God. Later, the Law of Moses as given in Leviticus 27:30, demonstrates the prevailing thought that possessions are actually God's, not ours: "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." (cf. Deut 14:22) and it is important to note that they were transferred to the sacred ministers: "I have given to the sons of Levi all the tithes of Israel for a possession, for the ministry wherewith they serve me in the tabernacle of the covenant." (Num 28:21)
NEW TESTAMENT PRACTICE
There are those who will try to claim that tithing was an Old Testament practice which was abolished by the New Covenant established by Jesus (Heb 8:6-8); however, this is not true. Genesis 14 and 28 show that tithing began before the Mosaic Law was given, therefore, this expectation supercedes the Law of Moses. More importantly, is not to be rejected simply because someone says "oh, that's just in the Old Testament"; for example, recall the New Testament incident detailing the fate of Ananias and his wife Sapphira, who tried to keep for themselves the money meant for the church (Acts 5:1-10).
Jesus did not condemn offerings made. Furthermore, reading in the New Testament shows that Jesus expected this to continue: "Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone. (Lk 11:42) Jesus even praised the woman who gave what little she had (Lk 21:1-4), and there were women who supported the ministry "out of their own means (Lk 8:1-3). After Pentecost, the early church can be seen to provide for the needs of its followers in the Acts of the Apostles:
Acts 2:44-45 "And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods , and parted them to all men, as every man had need. (KJV)
Acts 4:32 "And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common." (KJV)
Acts 4:34-36 "Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, the son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, (KJV)
Acts 4:37 "Having land, sold it , and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet." (KJV)
HISTORICAL PRACTICE
A brief survey of the historical writings of early Christians demonstrates the practice of giving a portion of what one had to the church for the benefit of its members. The community took care of the needs of everyone, as parts of the Didache, written around A.D. 100, demonstrate:
"Give to every one that asketh of thee, and ask not again; for the Father wishes that from his own gifts there should be given to all. Blessed is he who giveth according to the commandment, for he is free from guilt" (1:5)
"Thou shalt, therefore, take the firstfruits of every produce of the wine-press and threshing-floor, of oxen and sheep, and shalt give it to the prophets, for they are your chief priests; but if ye have not a prophet, give it unto the poor...." (13:3-4)
"take also the firstfruits of money, of clothes, and of every possession, as it shall seem good unto thee, and give it according to the commandment." (13:7)
"But your prayers and your almsgivings and all your deeds so do, as ye have commandment in the Gospel of our Lord." (15:4)
Justin Martyr, writing in A.D. 138, provides further evidence of the corporate nature of charity within the early church: "Those who are well-off and freewillingly wish to do so contribute as much as each one wants to. What is collected is deposited with the overseer. He uses it for the care of orphans and widows, for those who are suffering want arising from illness or any other cause, for prisoners, and for travelers staying with us for a short time. Briefly, he provides for ALL who are in need in the town."
2x2 PRACTICE
An oft-repeated theme among the Friends and Workers is that their fellowship most closely follows the Bible. Although they reject passing a collection plate at meeting, everyone knows that money has to come from somewhere. Workers travel from private home to private home receiving free meals and lodging; many of them also receive donated cars and other items, money for healthcare, credit cards and cash, etc. Money is spent on building and maintaining convention grounds - for use only 4 days a year!
In Matthew 6:1-4, Jesus taught about giving alms: "Be careful not to do your "alms of righteousness" before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father who is in Heaven. So, when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth; they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. So that your giving may be in SECRET. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret will reward you." Alms are any act, gift or service of compassion motivated by love of God and neighbor, for the help of persons in need. Alms has come to be associated with monetary gifts but it is not limited to this.
Nate rightly points out that "Self-glorification is always a present danger"; however, the point Jesus was making was not against almsgiving in public - it was giving alms in public in order to be seen doing so for the sole purpose of appearing holy before others, i.e., "self-glorification". It is perfectly possible to be discreet when taking up a collection in church.
THE PROBLEM
Workers equate collection plates with "worldly preachers" like televangelists who plead for money in tears, or Mormons who practically coerce their followers into giving money by suggesting that those who do not give enough will be eternally damned (See article here) to be the norm. When I watch the parade of evangelical freaks with their bizarre appearance and even more bizarre behavior, I can see how such skepticism can exist. This not exclusive to the friends and workers, however, as the following joke was made popular among many different religious groups shows:A priest, rabbi and televangelist were playing their usual Wednesday round of golf, and started discussing their weekly collections. Specifically, they started to compare how they decided what portion of the collection to keep for themselves and what portion to give to God.
The rabbi explains, "I draw a circle around myself and toss the money in the air. Whatever lands in the circle I keep for myself. What ever lands outside the circle, I give to God."
The priest then adds, "I use a similar method, except that whatever lands in the circle I give to God, and whatever lands outside the circle I keep for my personal needs."
The televangelist then proclaims, "I also use the same method. Except, that I toss the money in the air and I figure that whatever God wants, he can take."
Recent episodes of corruption in raising funds among "worldly churches" have raised awareness and subsequent skepticism regarding the motives of those asking for money. Some of the skepticism has been well-deserved; however, this does not disprove the fact that giving money to the ministry is necessary.
Another problem is not limited to the Friends - some people just don't want to give "their" money. This problem exists among Protestants, Catholics, Jews, et al. They justify this practice in various ways, but one of more asinine reasons was given by another professing person named Jason Landless who, in an article written for his website (which since has been removed), argued that "the Fellowship itself is comparatively poor and any money is provided solely through donations of the Friends." It was not my experience that members of the Fellowship were "comparatively poor", but is this a good enough reason for not helping others anyway? I don't think so, and neither did Jesus when He said, "I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood." (Luke 21:1-4). I remember my professing mother giving me money to give to the Salvation Army bell ringers outside stores at Christmas time, and other things she did for others outside her fellowship taught me that charity is important and that there is usually something you can give. Later in his article Jason correctly stated that giving of one's surplus is different from giving of what little a person has; however, he failed to extend this reality to the Fellowship because he implies that they are "comparatively poor". This is a feeble excuse, at best - the poor widow was "comparatively poor" but that didn't stop her, did it?
My dear mother's noble exception aside, it seems that the vast majority of "free will offerings" made by the Friends are for the sole purpose of maintaining their own fellowship. This is part of their isolationist tendencies which I find offensive; for example, Nathan Barker claims, incredibly, that Pope Piux XII didn't do anything to help the Jews during World War II. After I demonstrated for him the indisputable fact that Pius XII was praised for having saved hundreds of thousands of Jews (600,000 by some estimates), I asked him what his Fellowship did to help them. He has not yet answered this question, I feel comfortable asserting that this is because his Fellowship didn't much of anything.
Isolating yourself from the world is contrary to Jesus' statement that a city on a hill cannot be hid (Mt 5:14), because we are called to be salt for the earth, both inside and outside our respective groups. "Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house." (Mt 5:15) Indeed, "He who saith that he knoweth Him and keepeth not His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But he that keepeth his word, in him in very deed the charity of God is perfected; and by this we know that we are in him." (1 Jn 2:4-5)
What is the commandment? To love God above all others and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. This happens in many different ways, and only the most judgmental of all people would try to undermine the spirit of love and compassion that motivates people to care for each other, whether by simple donation or by other means.
The way our love is expressed is through Charity, which is defined as the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God. Jesus makes charity the new commandment. By loving his own “to the end”, he makes manifest the Father’s love which he receives. By loving one another, the disciples imitate the love of Jesus which they themselves receive. Whence Jesus says: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love.” And again: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” Fruit of the Spirit and fullness of the Law, charity keeps the commandments of God and his Christ: “Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love.” Christ died out of love for us, while we were still “enemies”. The Lord asks us to love as he does, even our enemies, to make ourselves the neighbor of those farthest away, and to love children and the poor as Christ himself. “If I …have not charity,” says the Apostle, “I am nothing.” Whatever my privilege, service, or even virtue, “if I…have not charity, I gain nothing.” Charity is superior to all the virtues. It is the first of the theological virtues: “So faith, hope, charity abide, these three. But the greatest of these is charity.” (CCC 1822-1824, 1825). Or, as St. Angela Merici said, "Charity wins souls and draws them to virtue".
CONCLUSION
It is refreshing to read that Nate does not deny that money is given to the workers. However, he prefers the euphemism "free will offering" instead of "tithe", which is fine with me: "What is Freewill Offerings? It means that there is no certain Percentage involved. Everyone is asked and you just bring what or how much you are willing to give. The minister or leadership does not set an individual target at ALL. You bring the amount that you can enjoy giving (I Cor.16). That is all there is to it."
The problem is that everyone should use their "free will" and understand that they should "offer" to the Lord what is His. In other words, implying that something is given by "free will" by no means reduces the responsibility to give in the first place. As with any aspect of our walk with God, we can choose to use our gift of "free will" to do good or to disobey. Indeed, the Bible tells us that "For the earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness" (Ps 24:1), and "The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of hosts" (Haggai 2:8).
Nor is there anything wrong with charity of a corporate nature, i.e., from a large group of people. From Justin Martyr's writing quoted earlier, note that ALL in the town receive aid - the only assessment made is whether there exists a need for it, nothing else. There is a decided advantage in larger groups for charity, in that what one person can donate, 15 people can donate 15 times as much. This is not for the purpose of boasting, but rather to effect a greater good. In other words, one person probably can't help an entire neighborhood in need of food, clothing, and shelter, but 50 persons can. "The lips of the many shall bless him that is liberal of his bread, and the testimony of his truth is faithful" (Ecc 31:28)
The people at my parish follow the words of our Lord to "Be compassionate.....and give....". Accordingly, there is always some effort being made to help those less fortunate members of society, including some of the following: Weekly donations of food and clothing for charity, Thanksgiving's Feed-A-Family program, Advent Angel Tree, Lenten Poverty Meal, Annual School Supply Drive, Bi-monthly Red Cross Blood Drives, Easter baskets/meals, Volunteering to visit the sick once each month, a parish nurse dedicated to the health and spiritual needs of the parish, and much more. The men's group the Knights of Columbus last year contributed over $107 million dollars nation-wide to charitable causes and more than 50 million volunteer hours of community service. They sponsored programs to feed the hungry and the elderly and shelter the homeless and assisted mentally and physically challenged individuals. These things are done not in order to boast, but because of a sense of duty to be Christ's disciple. Charity is not just a nice gesture or even a noble undertaking, it is a calling. We are called to be good stewards of what God has given us, which is why my parish's Mission Statement reads, in part:
We are called by God to be his people, His Body, a sign of His presence. As His people we share and proclaim His Good News.
We are called to be church, a community of persons united in faith in our one God and in love for one another.
We are called as His people to serve and respond to the needs of His poor, to educate His youth, to develop on an ongoing basis the faith life of His people, to support family life in all its many facets, and to respond to the needs of the larger community.
In other words, by living out the role of disciple, we return a portion of what God has so graciously given us - through the "three T's": TIME - taking the time and effort to minister to the needy.TALENT - using any special abilities or gifts for others. TREASURE - financial support which helps programs keep going.
We are all called to a life of sacrifice by Jesus: "Unless you take up your cross and follow me..." Nate says that "Giving small - giving large amount - God knows our hearts.", and this is quite true. God knows whether we are giving sacrificially back to God or if we are just giving what we're "willing to give" from our leftovers. The latter approach goes against God's word, which says, "Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase" (Prov 3:9). After all, when exactly did God stop being the source of life and goodness? When exactly did our possessions become strictly our own instead of Gods, to do with just as we please? We may have been given dominion over the earth (Gen 1:26-28), but the earth is still belongs to God. We offer ourselves as sacrifices (including gifts of money, etc.) to God at church because a sacrifice is something that costs the person who makes it something of self. It represents a committment on the part of the person giving, so how much of a committment is simply giving our leftovers? It is not only an act of love and a statement of faith, it is also a declaration of our response to everything that God has done and continues to do. Charity is what binds everything together in perfect harmony and brings us closer to Christ as the church is “sent out” into the whole world. It is the soul of the whole church, so that the charity of the brotherhood abide in you (Heb 13:1). As John said, "Dearly beloved, let us love one another, for charity is of God. And everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God." (1 Jn 4:7-8).
We should feel the same way the great philosopher and scientist Albert Einstein did about all the things we have been blessed with. Gifts that are given "good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over" (Lk 6:38), because "to whom much is given, of him will much be required." (Lk 12:48). If the Friends and Workers want to call it "tithing", that's fine with me. If they want to call it a "free will offering", it makes no difference to me. Just don't condemn collection plates for what they do, and do not bear false witness by implying that no collections are taken at all, because they are, but only in a secretive way (in contrast, my church releases a public financial statement twice year which shows exactly how much money is received and how it is used). But more importantly, don't pretend that the large-scale outreach to our brothers and sisters in Christ (whether in or out of your respective fellowship) is not necessary, because questioning the motivation of those who do care for those in need is nothing more than a hypocritical attempt to cover up their own failure to respond to the call to be a community of persons united in faith in our one God and in love for one another. What business is it of theirs if someone chooses to show some devotion to God and his own fellowship by giving portions of his earnings instead of keeping to himself, anyway? And may the Lord multiply you, and make you abound in charity towards one another, and towards all men." (1 Thess 3:12)
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