D.A. Carson
Q:The tithe is clearly taught in the Old Testament, but in the New Testament it seems to be downplayed. Are those of us who give 10 percent of our income doing something not required?
--K. Dale Miller, Wilmore, Kentucky
A: A simple yes or no to this question would be horribly misleading.
We know that the law of Moses mandated the tithe (see Lev. 27:30–33), at least in part to support the ministry of the Levites (Num. 18:21–24). Like many other laws, however, it was frequently observed in the breach, although the prophets insisted that failure to pay the tithe was nothing less than robbing God (Mal. 3:6–12).
There were also offerings to be paid. Moreover, faithful Israelites were to be generous with their alms, so that the poor of the land were supported.
In practice, the prophets found themselves inveighing against greed and social injustice (e.g., Amos) and against a raw form of capitalism that squeezed out the poor (Isa. 5:8–10). In other words, even within the Old Testament we should be careful not to isolate the tithe from broader demands of generosity and social justice.
The only passage in the New Testament that explicitly authorizes the tithe does so in a rather backhanded way: "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices . . . . But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former" (Matt. 23:23, NIV).
Jesus’ primary point, of course, is to criticize the scrupulous tithing of even a few herbs grown in the back garden if it is at the expense of fundamental issues of justice, integrity, and mercy. But one might have expected Jesus to say, "You should have practiced the latter, and let the herbs take care of themselves"--or some thing equally dismissive. Instead, he says, "You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former."
After the Cross and the Resurrection, the New Testament provides no passage with the same explicit conclusion. That raw fact leads to all the usual debates about the nature of the continuity and discontinuity between the old and new covenants.
Does the tithe continue as a divine mandate because it has not been explicitly abrogated? Or is it part of the "old order" that is passing away?
However we resolve that broad question, all sides agree that some New Testament writers insist that Christians be a giving, generous people (1 Tim. 6:18). So, at very least, we must insist that believers under both covenants are expected to give generously.
Some may wonder, Is the dispute about nothing more than the amount? Is there something about 10 percent that is entrenched in moral law?
The following two points will help focus the issue.
1. Beware of pride. There is always a great spiritual danger in thinking that if in some area we have satisfied a specific, concrete demand we have done everything that God requires. Ten percent is a lot of money to some folks; to others it’s not very much. Isn’t that one of the lessons to be learned from Jesus’ comments about the widow’s mite? To suppose that God demands 10 percent--and nothing more--can itself foster a remarkably independent and idolatrous attitude: "This bit is for God, and the rest is mine by right." Likewise, if you choose to give more than 10 percent, you may become inebriated from the contemplation of your own generosity.
2. Remember why you’re giving. A strictly legal perspective on giving soon runs into a plethora of complicated debates. Is this 10 percent of gross income or of net? How does this play out in a country where a progressive income-tax system rises to 90 percent of in come? If we choose to tithe from our net income, are we talking "take-home pay" only, or does it include what is withheld for medical insurance and retirement benefits?
It would be easy to list such questions for a page or two without ever asking, "How can I manage my affairs so that I can give more?" That is surely a better question than "What’s the correct interpretation so that I can do whatever’s required and then get on with my life?"
Christians will want to acknowledge with gratitude that they are mere stewards of all that they "possess." Moreover, New Testament ethics turn not so much on legal prescription as on lives joyfully submitted to God.
This is why the most penetrating New Testament passage on giving is 2 Cor. 8–9. Under severe trial, the Corinthians’ "overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity" (8:2). Even so, they first gave themselves to the Lord (8:5).
So, why not aim for 20 percent in your giving? Or 30? Or more, depending on your circumstances (8:12)? "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that . . . for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich" (8:9).
By D. A. Carson, research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
Showing posts with label lessons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lessons. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
Former DJ to host his funeral via DVD
HE has planned his own funeral, down to what he will wear and who is going to host the event.
He wants to be dressed in the army uniform he wore to his father's funeral.
And he is in the process of choosing the best picture he has - one that will capture his essence for his funeral photo.
Former radio DJ Billy Wang, also known as Dongfang Billy, also plans to host his own funeral here.
He will address family and friends in a DVD he has been making with the help of an assistant.
It is a documentary of his life as well as a record of things he wants to say individually to the people in his life.
The DVD, which is almost completed, will help to set the mood at his funeral.
It starts off in Mandarin with: 'Hi, how are you? I'm Billy. Are you surprised I'm your host?'
The DVD will also have 10hymns sung by Billy.
Funeral all planned
The former DJ, who now heads a cancer charity, wants his funeral to be held at his home first and then at his church.
He hopes no one will cry.
And he wants everyone to celebrate.
The 45-year-old said in an interview with Lianhe Wanbao: 'I don't want people to be sad. I want them to throw a party.'
The reason for all his preparation? The fact that his cancer has returned.
Billy was diagnosed with leukaemia in 1993, but he battled it into remission. He later became an advocate for cancer prevention and cure.
In 2006, he left MediaCorp Radio to concentrate on his work as the president of CareCancer Society, a charity he founded in 2003.Earlier this year, he became easily tired and his bones ached.
His hair fell out and he would also become thirsty after saying only a few words.
Doctors confirmed that his cancer has returned, but would not say how long more he has to live.
He told Wanbao that he now takes 24 pills a day and the side-effects include giddiness, blurred vision and nausea.
He said: 'Even though I find it hard to face death, I have accepted it. How long can I live if I have cancer? Death is but a station in life... I'm prepared to get off at that station any time.'
No regrets
Billy said he has no regrets in life.
And for friends he quarrelled with and never met again, he will address them and say goodbye in the DVD.
He also does not regret not getting married, he said, adding that his parents had spent their entire marriage fighting and marriage requires a certain personality which he does not have.
He has discussed his funeral plans with one of his older brothers and a few close friends.
But he cannot bear to tell his mother that his cancer has returned because she would be frightened.
He told Wanbao that when his cancer was first diagnosed 15 years ago, she found out about it only two years later.
After she found out, she prayed and cried every day and when he spoke to her previously about making his will, she became red-eyed.
Taiwan-born Billy came to Singapore in the late'80s.
After stints on TV variety shows here, he got a DJ job in MediaCorp Radio, where he won the hearts of heartland housewives with his no-holds-barred chats during his phone-in shows.
He was named one of the 10 most popular male artistes in the 2002 Star Awards.
Billy has come a long way from his unhappy childhood.
In earlier media interviews, he revealed that he had wanted to grow up fast and be independent to spite his family.
His late father was an army general under Taiwanese president Chiang Kai-shek and he spent little time with his family.
His mother was addicted to mahjong, Billy said.
He added: 'We had no freedom, we had to follow our father's wishes and (we) led a regimented life.
'I was the youngest among the five sons. I was often beaten by my elder brother as a form of discipline.'
So he turned rebellious and experimented with drugs.
He graduated from college after studying advertising design.
When he was in his early 20s, he travelled, singing in various nightclubs in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.
'When my mother and elder brother volunteered to donate their bone marrow to save me, I realised that my family loves me after all.
'I apologised to my family and forgave them,' he said.
Dance studio dream
Billy has set up a dance studio here called Billy House.
He hopes that people will donate generously at his funeral, especially those whose weddings he had attended and given hongbaos to.
Some of the money will go towards running the dance studio after his death.
He told Wanbao that setting up a dance studio had been his dream for many years.
On the Billy House website, the studio's address is given as Thye Shan Mansion, New Bridge Road.
He said the place is undergoing renovation and will be open next month.
He has also made handover arrangements for his cancer charity.
He wants to be dressed in the army uniform he wore to his father's funeral.
And he is in the process of choosing the best picture he has - one that will capture his essence for his funeral photo.
Former radio DJ Billy Wang, also known as Dongfang Billy, also plans to host his own funeral here.
He will address family and friends in a DVD he has been making with the help of an assistant.
It is a documentary of his life as well as a record of things he wants to say individually to the people in his life.
The DVD, which is almost completed, will help to set the mood at his funeral.
It starts off in Mandarin with: 'Hi, how are you? I'm Billy. Are you surprised I'm your host?'
The DVD will also have 10hymns sung by Billy.
Funeral all planned
The former DJ, who now heads a cancer charity, wants his funeral to be held at his home first and then at his church.
He hopes no one will cry.
And he wants everyone to celebrate.
The 45-year-old said in an interview with Lianhe Wanbao: 'I don't want people to be sad. I want them to throw a party.'
The reason for all his preparation? The fact that his cancer has returned.
Billy was diagnosed with leukaemia in 1993, but he battled it into remission. He later became an advocate for cancer prevention and cure.
In 2006, he left MediaCorp Radio to concentrate on his work as the president of CareCancer Society, a charity he founded in 2003.Earlier this year, he became easily tired and his bones ached.
His hair fell out and he would also become thirsty after saying only a few words.
Doctors confirmed that his cancer has returned, but would not say how long more he has to live.
He told Wanbao that he now takes 24 pills a day and the side-effects include giddiness, blurred vision and nausea.
He said: 'Even though I find it hard to face death, I have accepted it. How long can I live if I have cancer? Death is but a station in life... I'm prepared to get off at that station any time.'
No regrets
Billy said he has no regrets in life.
And for friends he quarrelled with and never met again, he will address them and say goodbye in the DVD.
He also does not regret not getting married, he said, adding that his parents had spent their entire marriage fighting and marriage requires a certain personality which he does not have.
He has discussed his funeral plans with one of his older brothers and a few close friends.
But he cannot bear to tell his mother that his cancer has returned because she would be frightened.
He told Wanbao that when his cancer was first diagnosed 15 years ago, she found out about it only two years later.
After she found out, she prayed and cried every day and when he spoke to her previously about making his will, she became red-eyed.
Taiwan-born Billy came to Singapore in the late'80s.
After stints on TV variety shows here, he got a DJ job in MediaCorp Radio, where he won the hearts of heartland housewives with his no-holds-barred chats during his phone-in shows.
He was named one of the 10 most popular male artistes in the 2002 Star Awards.
Billy has come a long way from his unhappy childhood.
In earlier media interviews, he revealed that he had wanted to grow up fast and be independent to spite his family.
His late father was an army general under Taiwanese president Chiang Kai-shek and he spent little time with his family.
His mother was addicted to mahjong, Billy said.
He added: 'We had no freedom, we had to follow our father's wishes and (we) led a regimented life.
'I was the youngest among the five sons. I was often beaten by my elder brother as a form of discipline.'
So he turned rebellious and experimented with drugs.
He graduated from college after studying advertising design.
When he was in his early 20s, he travelled, singing in various nightclubs in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.
'When my mother and elder brother volunteered to donate their bone marrow to save me, I realised that my family loves me after all.
'I apologised to my family and forgave them,' he said.
Dance studio dream
Billy has set up a dance studio here called Billy House.
He hopes that people will donate generously at his funeral, especially those whose weddings he had attended and given hongbaos to.
Some of the money will go towards running the dance studio after his death.
He told Wanbao that setting up a dance studio had been his dream for many years.
On the Billy House website, the studio's address is given as Thye Shan Mansion, New Bridge Road.
He said the place is undergoing renovation and will be open next month.
He has also made handover arrangements for his cancer charity.
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