Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Spirituality as Hobby - The Importance of Tithing

The thought that spirituality without tithing reduces such pursuits to mere 'hobby' is quite sobering.  This will be quite a challenge to most of us Anglicans. 

LORD have mercy.  Brian+

"For most, the word “offering” immediately invokes the image of “money.” This is not incorrect, even if it is limited. Money can certainly be an “offering,” but our thoughts on the subject probably miss the point. Money indeed has a sacramental character (as does all of creation). In  a modern culture, money is something of a sacrament of all of our activity. As Christ Himself noted, it remains the primary means by which we may know the heart (Matt 6:21). Interest in spiritual things by those who do not practice “tithing” (returning to God a tenth of what we receive) can easily become an exercise in vanity. The failure to give alms generously (as in the tithe) can reduce spiritual activity to the level of a hobby. In this matter, the Orthodox differ in no wise from the non-Orthodox. Our culture is deeply enslaved by Mammon. Moderns are deeply suspicious of all things having to do with money. We see greed everywhere around us (except within ourselves)."               

Fr. Stephen Freeman from his posting on "Life in a Sacramental World." found HERE