Giving and Having

The most helpful book on giving I’ve read is A.W. Pink’s book called “Tithing.” The most fascinating thing about the book is that Pink breakdowns the dichotomy between giving money away and having less money without approaching a health and wealth theology. Pink notes stories where people have experienced less financial difficulties after they started giving than when they were not giving. I’ve personally found this true in my own life – my finances have been less of a struggle when I’ve been faithful in giving. I think God works mysteriously to protect the finances of those who give. This is different than the health and wealth gospel which claims that God makes those who give rich. Pink’s nuanced view, as I understand it, is that God protects those who give from financial harm in a more substantial way than he protects non-givers from financial harm. His example in the book is of a shop keeper who is a tither who keeps their job against the odds as they are going deaf, in the midst of a recession, and in an age of limited government protection (an interesting key example because the person is clearly not wealthy). A.W. Pinks book can be found at the Christian Ethereal Library for free http://www.ccel.org/ccel/pink/tithing.html