Date Published: 08/09/10

What Pastors Won't Tell You About Tithes - Gbenga Olumekun's Diatribe by John Ayodele

       The rejoinder by a Gbenga Olumekun to Kola Oshobi’s very objective piece titled: What Pastors won’t tell you about Tithes, published in the reputable pointblanknews.com of July 18, 2010 deserves comments from discerning people who should not  be confused.

It is apposite that every neutral or interested people take a look at the original piece by Kola Oshobi and also the harangue by Gbenga Olumekun before taking a stand on who wrote reasonably from hindsight of the Bible between the two.

The whole world is aware of the history of different Christian denominations. It is indubitable that the so-called orthodox churches came into existence long before the latter day Pentecostal churches where the matter of tithing took strong roots, and has escalated into a matter of compulsion in the hands of some ‘modern-day’ pastors. There is the need to get credible clarifications of new injunctions being dished out from some ‘modern-day’ and ‘speaking in tongue’ leaders. It is also necessary that all Christians refer to the Holy Bible to sort out any discrepancy between what some pastors say, and understand what the Holy book says. As a Christian who accepts Jesus Christ as my only Lord and Savior, I clearly give precedence to Biblical injunctions over and above ordinary injunctions. I have read and re-read Kola Oshobi’s quoted scriptures and have also found them all in the Holy Bible. The 'so-called' orthodox churches do not get harsh on tithes or demand them with curses as some modern day pastors are wont to. In fact, most orthodox churches do not have tithes in their dictionaries but 'class fees' which are fixed and paid once in a year. members are however allowed to spread their 'class fees' over a period of one year. For an example, it could be 5000 naira and paid twelve installments. These earlier churches are Christian and should tell all why for thousand of years, they had pushed no 'tithes' until some 50 years when the modern day churches brought out the importance of 'tithes'. It should be further explained that orthodox churches permit donations to their church leaders, pay their church leaders monthly salaries because they do not have other businesses, but are not solely owned by a single person or group of persons.

There is the need for Christians to check the Bible and seek the truth about tithes, speaking in tongue, the use of tithes, ownership of churches, trusteeships and many other acts causing debates in the Christendom as in the rejoinder by Gbenga Olumekun against Kola Oshobi.

Recently in the United States, some top law makers agitated for the scrutiny of how funds are managed in some of the high flying churches in the country. This is because of the deep commercialization of the Church and sole ownership of many churches in the name of propagating the Christian gospel. 'The Lord will build His Church, and the gate of hell will not prevail', thus says the Bible. 'The Church' is not the several luxury cars, personal jets and building of schools that are beyond the reach of ordinary people and poor Church members. It is not the creation of an affluent group, which does not benefit the poor unlike Christ, who is the real Church!

When exactly did the new churches and turn-around emerge? This could be traced to the period around 1947, and became quite popular through (with all due respects) Oral Roberts Foundations. Where did they shape up? When did the new ‘spirit’ show up in Africa, especially in Nigeria where some of pastors follow up their demands for tithes with ‘curses’?These may help in explaining why for thousands of years of earlier churches like the Roman Catholic, Anglican, African, Methodist, Baptist and many others, 'tithes' were (still are) not pushed. Yearly harvests remain very popular in these earlier churches.

The Holy book has a very strong injunction to all who choose foolery when they should seek for the truth. Does the Bible not admonish all to ‘seek diligently for the truth, and hold firmly to it’? Is it not written that people perish (or suffer) for lack of knowledge? Is it good to misquote the Bible passages or to quote Bible passages out of context? Why would some people choose to ignore relevant passages of the Bible because they run counter to those they regularly use to get their wants? The Bible has specifically warned that there would be no excuse on the last day – one cannot say: “Father; I was misled by my pastor or my earthly father or my friend”. Belief Perseverance could be the problem with people who have the tendency to hold on their old belief even in the face of logical need to explain. 

This writer is very comfortable with God Almighty who is full of mercy, and is not easily provoked. If God were to be a man, a lot of those professing to act for Him would get slammed on the floor when they mouth His name for ulterior motives.

No wonder, many thievery people would prefer to swear in the name of the Lord rather than swearing with the name of Ogun – god of iron or Sango – god of thunder!Those are earthly gods who have no mercy as the Almighty creator of heavens and earth.

        I apologize for the above digression. The rejoinder of Gbenga Olumekun needs to be objectively appraised by all Christians and non-Christians because it failed abysmally to debunk the points raised by Kola in his piece. The original writer – Kola Oshobi buttressed his essay with salient facts and relevant quotations from the Holy Bible. The erudite writing has: “And my people shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free”. It is true that there are many people who never want to be free, even in the face of obvious truth. It could also be as a result of making ungodly gains from deceits. Jesus Christ did not ask the pointed question for nothing: He asked if he would meet the real faith when he returns.

       Gbenga Olumekun wrote a rejoinder which most historians would call a fallacy because it had no logical substance like that of Kola Oshobi. The main question to all agitators for tithes from both the rich and the poor is: Who are the Levites who were commanded to pay tithes? Why were the Levites permitted to have free supplies of food? Kola Oshobi gave his explanation from the Bible thus: “Now, back to Malachi 3: 8-10, the first question one should ask is who this message was directed at? The answer lies in the book of Numbers 18:25-28 which states that “The Lord commanded Moses to say to the Levites, when you receive from the Israelites the tithe that the Lord gives you as your possession, you must present a tenth of it as a special contribution to the Lord. This special contribution will be considered as the equivalent of the offering which the farmer makes of new grain and wine. In this way you would also present the special contribution which belongs to the Lord from all the tithes which you receive from the Israelites. You are to give this special contribution for the Lord to Aaron the priest.”
From the above, it is clear that it was the Levites that were directed to pay a tithe they collected from the Israelites to the priest who represents God and not the people of Israel. It was these Levites that were being referred to in the book of Malachi as those who rob God. A thorough study of the book of Malachi would reveal that in those days the Levites were collecting the tithe from the people of Israel and not remitting a tithe of it to the house of God, hence Malachi’s statement which is now being quoted out of context.
To understand what tithe really means one would have to understand the social reasons and cultural/religious setting within which it was situated. This concept of tithes was properly explained in the bible as stated in the laws of the tithe which can be found in the books of Leviticus 27:30-34, Numbers 18:25-31 and Deuteronomy 14:22-29. Upon reading these passages one would understand what tithes really mean, but unfortunately most pastors prefer to neglect these passages that tell us the true meaning of tithes and emphasize on Malachi 3:8-10 which was directed to the Levites of that time to remit the priest’s share of the tithes they collected to him. It is worthy of note that Malachi does not even define what tithe is and how it should be paid.
The definition of tithes, as practiced today, was manufactured by modern day pastors to suit their purpose as it is completely in contrast with what is in the bible and it only seeks to manipulate Christians to believe that God requests 10 per cent of their gross income from them. (These are all from Kola’s article).
So what is tithe and why did God request that it be paid to the Levities? The answer can be found in the following passages: Leviticus 27:30-32 which states that “one tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain or fruit belongs to the Lord. If a man wishes to buy back any of it he must pay the standard price plus an additional 20 per cent. One in every ten domestic animal belongs to the Lord. When the animals are counted, every tenth one belongs to the Lord.” And Deuteronomy 26:12 which states that “every third year give the tithe, a tenth of your crops to the Levites, the foreigners, the orphans and the widows, so that in every community they will have all they need to eat.”
The above quoted passages clearly tell us what tithe is and the reason why God directed the people of Israel to pay tithes. It is very evident that it was a social arrangement for the less privileged in the Jewish society of that time. It was also meant to take care of the Levites because they had no land or property of their own (today, pastors are amongst the wealthiest property owners in Nigeria). This social arrangement is obviously not relevant to us today. It also states that every third year is the year of tithing, not the weekly/monthly tithes being extorted from church members today.
Another passage illustrates the true meaning of tithes properly and also states clearly that tithe is not money. Deuteronomy 14:22-29 says: “Set aside as tithe a tenth of all that your fields produce each year then go to the one place where the Lord your God has chosen to be worshiped and there in his presence eat the tithes of your grain, wine and olive oil and first born of your cattle and sheep. Do this so that you may learn to have reverence for the Lord your God always. If the place of worship is too far from your home for you to carry there the tithe of the produce that the Lord has blessed you with, then sell your produce and take the money with you to the one place of worship, spend it on whatever you want, beef, lamb, wine, beer and there in the presence of the lord you and your family are to eat and enjoy yourselves. Do not neglect the Levites who live in your towns for they have no property of their own. At the end of every third year, bring the tithe of all your crops and store it in your towns. This is food for the Levites since they own no property and for the orphans, foreigners and widows who live in your towns. Do this and the lord your God would bless you in everything you do.”

       Gbenga Olumekun, in his rejoinder which was just a ‘roller coaster’ failed to counter with biblical facts the piece by Kola Oshobi. The Levites had no work because they were to serve in temple, and it was the lot of Israelites to provide food for them and their families. These Levites were therefore instructed to pay tithes from the produce being given to them.

The news in the recent past had a report of a popular Church head that had a court battle with his former pastor in Ghana over financial returns!

We have also read about pastors who single-handedly wrote hefty checks to purchase properties in the name of their family members or churches all over the world. In the last few years, news reports had one that the National Bank of Nigeria sold large parcels of land to pastors around Oregun in Lagos, and the checks were solely signed by these pastors and in their names! Are we not supposed to know the truth, and the truth set us free?What is wrong in asking about the usage of 'tithes' as Senators in the United States Congress are now asking some high flying 'modern-day' pastors in the country? 

The Church is to help the poor and the needy. Jesus Christ showed great examples by feeding the hungry, providing for the poor and helping the needy. The reverse is the case today, as pastors boast of having properties all over the world, sending their children to the best schools in the world, building churches and universities which are beyond the reach of their poor members who contributed the funds by ‘heeding the call’ without ‘slacking’!

Hear Gbenga Olumekun in his rejoinder: “…it is therefore apparent that tithing was a form of “social security” for those who are jobless and disadvantaged in the society and for the advancement of the work of God as clearly stated in Deuteronomy 26:12, “When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase the third year, which is the year of tithing, and hast given it unto the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled”.

 How many of the Pentecostal Churches are using tithes to provide jobs for the jobless, food for the hungry and services for the needy as ordered in the book of Deuteronomy 26: 12?.

        Kola Oshobi has presented a 'food for thought' piece which is backed with historical and biblical facts. Please read from his piece: “... telling a bit of history from the Encyclopedia Britannica (1963, volume 22, page 253, ‘TITHES’). “Tithes in Christendom—The earliest authentic example of anything like a law of the State enforcing payment appears to occur in the capitularies [Ecclesiastes] of Charlemagne at the end of the 8th or beginning of the 9th century. Tithes were, by that enactment, to be applied to the maintenance of the bishop, clergy, the poor, and the fabric of the church. In the course of time the principle of payment of tithes was extended far beyond its original intention. Thus, they became transferable to laymen and saleable like ordinary property, despite the injunctions of the third Lateran Council; and they became payable out of sources of income [not just farming and herding, but other trades and occupations and salaries paid in the form of money] not originally tithable.”
The Catholic Church knows its own history. Here is how tithing got back into the Church after being absent for nearly five centuries:
“As the Church expanded and various institutions arose, it became necessary to make laws which would insure the proper and permanent support of the clergy. The payment of tithes was adopted from the Old Law… The earliest positive legislation on the subject seems to be contained in the letter of the bishops assembled at Tours in 567 and the [canons] of the Council of Macon in 585.”—The Catholic Encyclopedia.
They “extended” their base of tithe collecting to eventually include all forms of income. All Christian scholars know that although money was in wide use in ancient Israel, it was never a titheable commodity. But modern pastors don’t want tithes of goats or oil or corn, they want money–cold, hard cash! God has a word to the “shepherds of the sheep”, and it is the very same message that He had for the Levites in the book of Malachi. And it is this:
“My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have caused them to go astray” (Jer. 50:6).
Were Israelites aware that they were being led astray by their spiritual leaders? Not most and neither are Christians today aware that they are being led astray by their spiritual leaders.

The above are for people to ponder over and reconcile with the Bible. It is ethically responsible to ask if huge tithes can be used to provide jobs for the unemployed, food for the hungry, shelter for the homeless and make life better for the struggling masses. Nigerians need to take a cue from the United States from where Pentecostal or ‘modern-day’ churches evolved.

The beauty of the Christian race is to win the soothing words from our Lord, “thank you, the good servants, enter into an unending joyful rest, NOT get away from me”.

Kola Oshobi’s piece is an eye-sore, and until there are better rejoinders other than the tirade by Gbenga Olumekun, the debate may just be getting started!

John Ayodele

bishopbode@hotmail.com

Lagos, Nigeria.