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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: epicure who wrote (210123)	12/8/2006 4:32:46 PM
From: Brumar89	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Teaching tithing as an ideal is a long way from "requiring" tithing. I know the majority of church-goers don't tithe. What happens when they don't? Nothing. Do churches teach salvation is dependent on tithing? The answer is no, at least for the vast majority if not all churches. There has also been much controversy with the introduction of "membership covenants" in many evangelical churches in North America, spearheaded by many mega-churches. These covenants, such as those introduced at the Willow Creek and Saddleback mega-churches, require giving 10% to that church as a condition of membership. Prospective members must sign off on a contract and are interviewed regarding their lifestyle, including tithing. Proponents say this is accountability. Opponents say this teaching is extortion. That is a minority of churches and is not going to go mainstream. Even in those churches, I'm sure salvation isn't taught as dependent on tithing - it isn't even dependent on church membership itself. Perhaps it is you who have the misconceptions? I have direct experience in our area of churches which require tithing, ... I also have a lot of direct experience. Enough to not look at Christians as strange threatening weirdos. And enough that I don't have to look up wiki to understand mainstream Christian belief in the US.