what are your thoughts on tithing and rapid debt repayment?

**ladykemma2** · 08-09-2008, 12:19 PM

for the past two years i have been watching a blog by a guy named JW. the blog is called "we need to be debt free". my stoopid microsoft vista won't let me post the link.

it is an interesting blog. a couple of years ago he and his wife decided to go gazelle intense and deal with the debt. he struggles with keeping an emergency fund funded because "emergencies" keep happening. he struggles with extended family who keep going to his family for handouts. he has made amazing progress in his debt repayment. he had a mini stroke last month due to all the stress and overwork. his wife ran out and charged the credit cards back up (behind his back) last month. they are in marriage counseling.

anyway, he keeps paying an enormous amount of tithing. If i ran his world, i would stop paying tithing for one year, take care of my family and the monetary issues, , and then resume tithing. he has permission from his pastor to do so, yet continues to pay. If he stopped tithing he would be out of debt in about 6-8 months.

Have you read the blog? what are your thoughts on tithing? On tithing in extreme financial stress?

I tithe.

your turn.

**jas** · 08-09-2008, 12:42 PM

I tithe. Not 10% on total gross. I would love to one day work up to that. I am a sahm. My husband is not a believer, he does not mind that I tithe though. When I do bring in money from babysitting ect... I tithe 10% any bonus money, freelance work, stimulis check, 10%.

Sometimes (like now) it would be easy to skip it and think I would get a little farther ahead. God has showed me over and over again that I will do far better with the 90% than with the 100%. I trust Him and His word better than anything I can do on my own. If you trust Him, it is amazing to see how he works out situations in a way you could never dream of. Always a better way.

**DJ1972** · 08-09-2008, 12:49 PM

I tithe. Have I not tithed in a tight week...yes. Have I given extra in good weeks...yes. I don't strictly adhere to the 10% rule. I give not only to my church, but to other charities, and I consider that part of my tithe. I think if you look at it as something you HAVE to do or do it only because you think God will give back to you 10 fold, then you are doing it for the wrong reasons, which is why I loathe prosperity preachers. I tithe and give because I want to help support my church and charities I feel strongly about. If I were him, I would still tithe, (probably not as much as he is currently giving though), because it is important to me. JMHO
sorry if I rambled

**ladykemma2** · 08-09-2008, 12:52 PM

what is a prosperity preacher?

**DJ1972** · 08-09-2008, 12:57 PM

Originally Posted by ladykemma2

what is a prosperity preacher?

A preacher who mainly preaches on "Send me $100 of seed money and watch how the lord blesses you." Their main sermon is to convince you how much you will get back if you give, and to mainly give to them. While I believe the Bible and know that God promises to bless those that give freely........I think that giving has to come from your heart and with no other motive, no thinking about what you get in return, no getting a huge ego because you give so much, no bragging, etc. JMHO

**DJ1972** · 08-09-2008, 12:57 PM

Is this the blog? http://needtobedebtfree.blogspot.com/

**jas** · 08-09-2008, 01:02 PM

I am NOT into prosperity teaching. I do believe in the Word Of God though. He has not promised me I will become rich if I give. I do not believe that it is Gods plan that everyone will be filthy rich, be dripping with diamonds, and drive the latest greatest car, or live in a huge house.

I don't believe in the name it claim either.

I do not sit waiting for the hammer to come down if it is not 10% of all gross. He knows my heart. We must give whatever we give with a greatful and cheerful heart, no strings attached.

**ladykemma2** · 08-09-2008, 01:05 PM

Originally Posted by DJ1972

Is this the blog? http://needtobedebtfree.blogspot.com/

yup. that's the blog.

where is the scripture about: if a man doesn't take care of his own house, he is no greater than an infidel?

**tbs727** · 08-09-2008, 01:06 PM

Whoever it is has a link to Frugal Village. Is this one of our members?

**ladykemma2** · 08-09-2008, 01:07 PM

Originally Posted by jas

I am NOT into prosperity teaching. I do believe in the Word Of God though. He has not promised me I will become rich if I give. I do not believe that it is Gods plan that everyone will be filthy rich, be dripping with diamonds, and drive the latest greatest car, or live in a huge house.

I don't believe in the name it claim either.

I do not sit waiting for the hammer to come down if it is not 10% of all gross. He knows my heart. We must give whatever we give with a greatful and cheerful heart, no strings attached.

what is name it claim?

**Jamauk** · 08-09-2008, 01:15 PM

We aren't reglious people ~ so we don't "tithe". However, we do give to charity and to those less fortunate. Since deciding to debt free, we have scaled back on the amount we give.

However, being able to give more is one of the reasons I want to be debt free & live a frugal lifestyle. For instance, a few years back a big wind storm ripped a slide off of the playstructure at our local park. It was around $2000 (if I remember correctly) to have it fixed and it took the city a couple of months to gather the funds. DH and I both said ~ "gosh, if we had already met our finanical goals, wouldn't it be great to be able to just write the city a check to get the slide fixed?"

I'm looking forward to being able to fix slides!

**jas** · 08-09-2008, 01:33 PM

Originally Posted by ladykemma2

what is name it claim?

Some people believe that, just say, if you are sick with cancer, that you really don't have cancer if you don't acknowledge you have it. Thinking that a christian should not ever be sick. If you are sick, or broke, or alot of other things it is because you have unconfessed sin.

Well, if you are a christian you do believe you are a sinner in need of a Saviour. We all get sick, and some of us will die because of it. Not because of any lack of unconfessd sin or lack of faith.

**MomToTwoBoys** · 08-09-2008, 03:20 PM

Originally Posted by jas

Some people believe that, just say, if you are sick with cancer, that you really don't have cancer if you don't acknowledge you have it. Thinking that a christian should not ever be sick. If you are sick, or broke, or alot of other things it is because you have unconfessed sin.

Well, if you are a christian you do believe you are a sinner in need of a Saviour. We all get sick, and some of us will die because of it. Not because of any lack of unconfessd sin or lack of faith.

Hmm...

I'm still trying to wrap my brain around that one. I don't go to church anymore because family obligations keep me from going (and trust me, they do) and I went to church when I was younger. I didn't grow up in a religious family but my mother never stopped me from going to any form of religious worship

Honestly, if you're coughing up blood and you have a huge tumor growing out the side of your neck or something then you're sick...plain and simple. Does that mean then, in the mind of a Christian, that the blood and the tumor are your sins? What if you get the blood and the tumor and you're not a sinner or if you go to Confessional each time you sin?

I'm not trying to make anyone mad. I'm just trying to figure that whole thing out.

**jas** · 08-09-2008, 04:56 PM

Originally Posted by MomToTwoBoys

Hmm...

I'm still trying to wrap my brain around that one. I don't go to church anymore because family obligations keep me from going (and trust me, they do) and I went to church when I was younger. I didn't grow up in a religious family but my mother never stopped me from going to any form of religious worship

Honestly, if you're coughing up blood and you have a huge tumor growing out the side of your neck or something then you're sick...plain and simple. Does that mean then, in the mind of a Christian, that the blood and the tumor are your sins? What if you get the blood and the tumor and you're not a sinner or if you go to Confessional each time you sin?

I'm not trying to make anyone mad. I'm just trying to figure that whole thing out.

Certainly not in the minds of most Christians. Being a Christian does not cause one to throw out common sense.

Believers get sick, unbelievers get sick, the sun shines on both, it rains on both, some criminals become rich, nice people can be poor. It is how you react to it.

The name it claim/prosperity belief is not what all Christian believe.

**TheRootedNomad** · 08-09-2008, 06:19 PM

That's the blog. I've been reading it for a long time too and had posted about it here several months back. I've commented to him a few times and at one point even mentioned the village. Alas, I don't think he's joined us...unless he's

. I think in his case he should quit tithing, get his financial life in order, and then he should be able to tithe comfortably. At this point even his pastor has told him to npt tithe and do volunteer work or the like for now.

I grew up Catholic and am not sure exactly what I am at the moment, label wise anyway, but I believe in the moral/spiritual basics that most people do. I do not believe that you should give money if you don't have it. There are lots of others ways to help your community and/or church. As long as you are "giving", be it of your time/skills/finances, that which you can afford to give, I don't think it should matter if its actual "money". Someone with no change to spare can still be generous.

Personally in this guys world, my opinion is, that giving the money is a symbol to him that he's doing "what he's suppose to to be a good christian", not really because he feels he is helping. I think its sub-consciously about status.