The Tithe

The tithe is an integral part of the Prosperity Doctrine and is, according to Pastor Mac, “the most fundamental aspect of our commitment to God.”¹ For the Covenant of Increase to be fulfilled, and for believers to be blessed with prosperity and increase, 10% of a person’s income must be given to the church. Pastor Hammond’s sermons during the 2011-2012 Stewardship Campaign located the tithe several times in the Bible, from Jacob’s vow to set aside a tithe for God in Genesis 29:22 to the exact specifications for how, when, and to whom to tithe found in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. The Pastor’s Sunday sermons place the tithe farther back even than the age of the Patriarchs, stating that “the principle of the tithe shows up in the Garden of Eden.”² For pastors who teach the Prosperity Gospel and the concept of increase, the tithe is a critical, Biblically-based way of understanding generosity, commitment, and return. The tithe “is a principle of life that is the first step in unlocking our covenant of increase, enabling the Lord to bring increase to bear in our lives… [it is] an absolute fundamental cornerstone of God’s increase in your life,” says Pastor Mac, a sentiment that is shared by many evangelical megachurches.³ 

At LWCC, Pastor Mac strives to make the importance of the tithe well-understood and appreciated, while acknowledging that there is a significant culture of backlash in the wider Christian community toward the tithe. In a typical interdigitation of Biblical law and modern media, Living Word even produced a “tithe rap” (above) set to the tune of Flo Rida’s “Low.”  The refrain of the song, performed live for the congregation by LWCC employees acting as accounts, called for the audience participation: “I say one hundred, you say ten! [accountants:] one hundred! [congregation:] ten!” For LWCC, prosperity and increase can only occur when the individual’s portion of the covenant is upheld, and thus the church defines the tithe as a central way of understanding what many have labeled the Prosperity Gospel.

Tithe Pig Group of Derby Porcelain c 1770 Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

Living Word employs a similar philosophy when addressing the tithe. Pastor Mac emphasizes the inherently Biblical elements of the Prosperity Doctrine, and the tithe is central to those scriptural underpinnings. As a clearly delineated, albeit complex, portion of the Old Testament, the tithe is a critically important part of a comprehensive understanding of prosperity for Living Word. Contrary to the criticism that megachurches, particularly those that teach prosperity, seek the tithe in order to build larger, more luxurious churches or fund the lavish lifestyles of their pastors, Pastor Hammond points out that the tithe acts as a freeing agent both for the individual and for the church. On the individual level, the tithe “works a change in the human heart and unhooks you from your dependence on money and having to have the security of a bank balance or whatever it may be.”⁴ For the church, the tithe allows for expanded outreach and for Living Word to “reach more people in all the ways that we can… we were building churches and schools over in Indonesia, and you know, all of those things take resources.”⁵ 

The tithe also illustrates a definitive commitment to God in a way that many evangelical leaders see as lacking in the wider Body of Christ. As a covenant works only insofar as both parties adhere to the conditions, Pastor Mac argues that “the tithe is a principle of life that is the first step in unlocking our covenant of increase, enabling the Lord to bring increase to bear in our lives.”⁶ Both he and Pastor Tim point to the wealth of the patriarch Abraham and King David as evidence of their blessedness in the eyes of God, as these Biblical fathers upheld their ends of the covenant. Importantly, Pastor Tim points out that although Abraham was blessed with innumerable riches, “he lived in a tent, and his life wasn’t about how much stuff he had.”⁷ This is how Pastor Mac would like his congregation to view the tithe. Critics see the tithe as a money-making scheme for the church, but for Pastor Mac and Living Word, it constitutes a critical part of a commitment to God that will eventually be returned in spiritual, physical, and material well-being.