TITHES AND OFFERINGS by James White

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, Cal. · Jan 22, 1880

TITHES AND OFFERINGS.

By James White

We call especial attention to the lengthy article in this paper, which quite fully sets forth the position of S. D. Adventists on the subject of tithes and offerings. We wish our real positions understood.

Those who misrepresent us from malice do not deserve that notoriety which a review would give them. We choose to keep about our work, state our views frankly and fully, and leave those who slander us, to settle the matter at the bar of God, provided they chose to have their cases go up to the higher court.

We suggest however to those clerical gentlemen, and all others who join with them in the false statements, that S. D. Adventists require of new converts one-tenth of their property on uniting with the church, and that we compel all our members to give one-tenth of what comes into their hands during the year, and that we exact sums of money from the poor, that they settle this matter with the Lord at once and quit. Here we wish to state in a few words,

1. No S. D. Adventist minister during the period of our brief history has asked any man on joining the church to give any specified sum to the cause.

2. During our history, giving has never been made a condition of church membership.

3. For nearly twenty years, S. D. Adventists have taught through their prints, and their ministers have preached from their pulpits, systematic benevolence as set forth in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. If any one, claiming to be a S. D. Adventist, has at any time urged systematic compulsion to obtain means, let the gentlemen referred to tell us who did it, when and where was it done. Will they please point it out in any of our prints.

4. Our system of benevolence, suggesting a tithe of our income, which is explained to be a tithe of what we earn, makes a light draft upon those who are simply in comfortable circumstances of life. Those of this class are the most cheerful givers of their small free-will offerings.

5. S. D. Adventists make provisions for their worthy poor. While the salary of the president of their General Conference is only $624 a year, the Battle Creek church alone gives not far from $1000 annually for the support of the poor.

J. W.