Jess: So Wes and I have been discussing this
"pastor" who refused to tip his waitress http://consumerist.com/2013/01/29/diner-thinks-that-saying-hes-a-pastor-allows-him-to-stiff-waiter-on-tip/. Apparently this guy doesn't need to tip his server
because he gives God 10%, and no one else deserves more than that.
Geez, this is so wrong on so many levels. I'm so beyond frustrated to see something so ridiculous cruising the internet and giving people yet another reason to hate Christians. We really suck sometimes, right?
First of all, this guy is saying that a tip is somehow equal to tithing. Wrong. Tithing (for you non-churchy people, that's the fancy word for giving 10% of your income to the church) is something we do out of gratitude to God. There are a few biblical justifications for the giving to be 10%, but the general idea is that we give back to God. But, with the exception of the sacrifices of the firstborn animal, grain, etc. from the Old Testament, this tithe wasn't ever really given TO God, precisely. Even most of the sacrifices were presented in some way before God and then actually used by the priests. The priests received their food from the offerings of the people. God has no need for food or drink, but the priests certainly did.
The point of the tithe is not that I'm giving 10% TO God, but that I'm giving 10% of the gifts with which God has blessed me so that they may be a blessing to others. In modern times, this still frequently means supporting the pastor with their salary, housing allowance, etc. But this money also goes to the other work of the church-- serving God's people. A tithe is not something we give to God because God needs it. Giving the tithe is an acknowledgement that everything we have is already God's. It's a way to say thank you. But like I said before, God doesn't need our money, food, time, whatever--those are already God's to begin with. God calls us to share these things with others, to care for the rest of creation because God loved and cared for us first.
The second (and final, because I'm ranting) point I will make is about how this guy treated the poor server. We are reminded repeatedly throughout the Bible of how God has taken care of us--from the Israelites that God rescued from slavery in Egypt, to our salvation through Jesus' death on the cross. And God calls us to care for others because he first cared for us. 1 John 4:19 says, "We love because he first loved us." This is one of my biggest problems with Christianity as an institution today. We hear so much about how cruelly Christians treat one another and especially those that they consider to be "outside" the faith. And almost none of it is good. Good deeds seem to always come from outside of Christianity, while Christians, the ones who are called to spread the message of love, are best known for our hypocrisy. Ouch. This guy is a great example of that.
Our tithing is supposed to be a way to thank God. So I can almost see how he can equate the tip with the tithe. We are thanking our server for good work. But, as I said about a million times above, God doesn't NEED our money. Someone who is working at or below minimum wage (because of whatever crazy system they have worked out for servers) NEEDS that money! Even if they're having a bad night--we should give them the benefit of the doubt. THAT'S the kind of message Christians are called to share. I'm sure we wouldn't have heard much about it, but what if this "pastor" had instead tipped above and beyond the 18%, writing a note about how he remembers being a server, and how he hopes that the server has a great day. But no, he's too busy complaining about a perfectly legitimate tip being automatically added to his tab when he brought a large party. What a jerk. So now the country is in an uproar about this "pastor's" actions. And once again the Gospel message is lost in someone's inability to see Christ in the other.
Geez, this is so wrong on so many levels. I'm so beyond frustrated to see something so ridiculous cruising the internet and giving people yet another reason to hate Christians. We really suck sometimes, right?
First of all, this guy is saying that a tip is somehow equal to tithing. Wrong. Tithing (for you non-churchy people, that's the fancy word for giving 10% of your income to the church) is something we do out of gratitude to God. There are a few biblical justifications for the giving to be 10%, but the general idea is that we give back to God. But, with the exception of the sacrifices of the firstborn animal, grain, etc. from the Old Testament, this tithe wasn't ever really given TO God, precisely. Even most of the sacrifices were presented in some way before God and then actually used by the priests. The priests received their food from the offerings of the people. God has no need for food or drink, but the priests certainly did.
The point of the tithe is not that I'm giving 10% TO God, but that I'm giving 10% of the gifts with which God has blessed me so that they may be a blessing to others. In modern times, this still frequently means supporting the pastor with their salary, housing allowance, etc. But this money also goes to the other work of the church-- serving God's people. A tithe is not something we give to God because God needs it. Giving the tithe is an acknowledgement that everything we have is already God's. It's a way to say thank you. But like I said before, God doesn't need our money, food, time, whatever--those are already God's to begin with. God calls us to share these things with others, to care for the rest of creation because God loved and cared for us first.
The second (and final, because I'm ranting) point I will make is about how this guy treated the poor server. We are reminded repeatedly throughout the Bible of how God has taken care of us--from the Israelites that God rescued from slavery in Egypt, to our salvation through Jesus' death on the cross. And God calls us to care for others because he first cared for us. 1 John 4:19 says, "We love because he first loved us." This is one of my biggest problems with Christianity as an institution today. We hear so much about how cruelly Christians treat one another and especially those that they consider to be "outside" the faith. And almost none of it is good. Good deeds seem to always come from outside of Christianity, while Christians, the ones who are called to spread the message of love, are best known for our hypocrisy. Ouch. This guy is a great example of that.
Our tithing is supposed to be a way to thank God. So I can almost see how he can equate the tip with the tithe. We are thanking our server for good work. But, as I said about a million times above, God doesn't NEED our money. Someone who is working at or below minimum wage (because of whatever crazy system they have worked out for servers) NEEDS that money! Even if they're having a bad night--we should give them the benefit of the doubt. THAT'S the kind of message Christians are called to share. I'm sure we wouldn't have heard much about it, but what if this "pastor" had instead tipped above and beyond the 18%, writing a note about how he remembers being a server, and how he hopes that the server has a great day. But no, he's too busy complaining about a perfectly legitimate tip being automatically added to his tab when he brought a large party. What a jerk. So now the country is in an uproar about this "pastor's" actions. And once again the Gospel message is lost in someone's inability to see Christ in the other.
Wes: “And this is how the world
will know that you are my disciples: if you love one another.”
Jesus
said this to his disciples. It is recorded in John 13:35.
Earlier,
when asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus answered by saying, “Love
the Lord your God with all your
heart, soul, strength, and mind. The second one is like it: love your neighbor
as yourself.”
Something is wrong
when our relationship with and faith in God can be used a bludgeon to others.
It goes against everything that Jesus stood for, and completely misses the
point of the Christian life. Now, Jess did a wonderful job speaking of tithing
and of how the call of the Christian is so much more than simply writing a
check to God for 10% of our annual income. I’ll let her words stand alone in
this aspect. But something else from this really caught me off guard, and
really disappointed me: there was no love in this. Even if that 18% gratuity
was high (which I absolutely do not believe to be true), this pastor acted out
of anger and self-righteousness instead of out of love, and this is just sad. I
feel so bad for this waitress, who did not see Jesus in this pastor that night
and who ended up losing her job because of the “embarrassment” she caused this
clergy person.
I also feel bad for the pastor, who has completely missed
the point of what it means to give to God. If I ever heard a parishioner say
that they gave 10% to God and that was enough, I’d probably try to use the
occasion as a teaching experience, a chance to show them that the call on our lives
is not to give God 10% of our income but to give God 100% of ourselves. Tithing
(and the many other ways in which the Ancient Israelites were called to give to
God, which actually totals to about 33% of one’s income) was a way to allow
each person and family to take part in the work that God’s people were doing in
the world. It fed and clothed the priests who served as mediators between
Creator and created. It built the Tabernacle and later the Temple, both of
which served as focal points of worship for the people. It was not a clear-cut
tax that would be weighed and measured by authorities, but was a way to include
all in the work of the Lord. This pastor obviously missed that, and I feel bad
for her and for those who are not hearing this vital truth of Scripture at her
church.
I hope that my friends outside of the church do not judge
all of us by such acts like this. I wish I could say that they are few and far
between, but that’s not exactly true, is it? The body of Christ needs to step up
and do a better job of loving. Right now (and I admit that I speak only from my
perspective), we are missing out on chance after chance to love others, and I
sincerely doubt that the world would say that they know us first and foremost
by our love.
Let’s step it up, friends. Jesus set out a pretty steep
challenge. Let’s rise to meet it.
And come on. Tip your servers. They’re earning every penny,
and even if they’re not, they probably need it just as much as—if not more than—you
do.
Stay classy, World Wide Web.
-jess and wes
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