Giving 10%
Tithing, by Douglas Leblanc, is a part of the Ancient Practices Series, which consists of eight books on spiritual disciplines and their role in the life of the believer. This appears to be the last one written in the series.
Overall, I think that the layout of the book is a great idea. Instead of giving a lot of history and instruction on what tithing is and how to best do it, the author gives stories of people who are giving generously and practicing this spiritual disicpline- and he lets them tell why. Those interviewed are from different denominations and have different backgrounds, so although readers may not connect with each story (I did not), they will probably connect with at least one.
My favorite chapter was about the giving of Ron and Arbutus Sider. A couple years ago, a group of our friends read through Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger, by Sider, and I was really challenged by it. So, when I got the opportunity to get a deeper look into their life, my understanding of the book and their ideas of living simply for the sake of others really encouraged me to reflect on our lifestyle (and not ONLY giving 10%).
Overall, the message of this book is that tithing matters- it’s a discipline that we can engage in that will transform our hearts into being more generous. In a way, tithing is where it starts, but beware when God uses this to turn us into generous givers– not for the sake of living simply, but so that others can simply live.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.â€
- by guest blogger, Tiffany Malloy
