The Tithe Debate >
Arguments Against Tithes & Tithing
The following links (shown as the bold titles for each sub-section) are offered in opposition to a mandatory tithing doctrine in the absence of a Levitical priesthood.
In addition to the above website, George Green hosts a series of videos about tithing at www.inyourbible.com.
Chapter 3 from his on-line book: The Tithing Dilemma.
Below is a video by Dr. Russell Kelly. The above link is to an article which is a summary of his book: "Should the Church Teach Tithing? A Theologian's Conclusions About a Taboo Doctrine", which is an expanded version of his PhD thesis. A full copy of the book can be obtained from Dr. Kelly's tithing web site.
In this tithing video Dr. Kelly refers to his former website www.shouldthechurchteachtithing.com. Since the uploading of this video the content has been moved to www.tithing-RussKelly.com.
Some characterise the Mishnah as being Judaism's New Testament. It was compiled between 200 BC and 200 AD, as a means of preserving the previously unwritten oral traditions of the Jewish religion known as the "Oral Torah", (not to be confused with the "Written Torah" or "Pentateuch", namely: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy).
As such, the Mishnah documents many of the earlier Pharisaic "traditions of the elders" and gives some helpful indication about how the doctrinal subject of tithes and tithing was practically applied when the Levitical priesthood was indeed functioning up until AD 70, and also by implication during the time of Christ.
Noticeably the Mishnah indicates that at this time tithing was applied only to agricultural produce and not to other forms of income.
Garry Pifer, was formerly an unpaid elder in his church before he gave the Bible Study in this article. On the 30th April 1999 this essay was published as the first in a series of articles on the subject of tithes & tithing in The Journal.
Return to the start of The Tithe Debate: About Tithes and Tithing?
© www.tithe-debate.info Dec 2005.
Why do many christian theologians believe even after the crucifixion that Paul kept Nazirite vows and offered sacrifices at the temple? In the predominantly Jewish New Testament church, why isn't any fuss recorded if most of the Old Testament laws were "done away" yet in Acts a small and predictable change to one "Old Testament" law about the circumcision of gentile proselytes caused massive turmoil? The Mosaic law - is it really "done away" in Galatians?
