I went to church today, the first time this year for me. I’m not a tither, but I give pretty decently when I do show up for service. But this time, I just gave the crumpled bills from my purse. Some people believe in tithing, regardless of the financial situation. Others think that tithing should be done when people have enough money to sacrifice.
The church I attend is big on tithing and giving. They also have an offering for the pastor. I can’t lie, I checked out the worshiper next to me. She wrote a $25 check, of which $5 went toward a love offering for the pastor. Other times, I’ve seen folks in the pew write out $100 checks. It’s a terrible habit, but I’m a journalist. I look around. I haven’t made the leap to tither. One day maybe I will, but I’m just now getting a hold of my finances.
Yesterday, I went for a walk on Sobe sands with a good friend. She knows I’m doing no-buy month, and she’s already an accomplished frugalista. She’s on the buy-your-car-with-cash program and have an "eff you" fund for just in case you want to quit work. We found street parking and had a good, healthy, sunny, sandy, sweaty walk. Fun times. My legs hurt.
After that, my friend B. called me. I haven’t seen him in years. I was really glad he called because I know I need to reconnect with a lot of my old friends. I scooped him up, he took me to lunch in Coconut Grove and we hit the art fair. When we hung years ago, we always used to swap paying for things. We met in college and both happened to end up in Miami. He sponsored the day as an olive branch. He says he may get down with the no-buy program. He just moved into a new apartment after a failed relationship. That first month/ last month stuff is draining on a budget. In all, a superior day for me. I deserved it.
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Don’t tithe because Jesus doesn’t care about that.
You are technically on a money diet. And as most people know with any diet when it is over you gain the weight back. So do you think when this is over you will go back to some of your former spending habits? This actually might be a blog topic for you.
Next question…and don’t take this the wrong way…but are you really being frugal or just being cheap when you declare a no spend month but your friends/coworkers buy you dinner/drinks? This kinda ties in to my previous question because at the end of this month you are going to owe a few people dinner/drinks thus you’ll be right back to your old way of spending.
Check this out, frugalista, and keep praying!
The Miami Herald
November 26, 2006 Sunday
Tithing when there is debt to pay
BYLINE: MICHELLE SINGLETARY
SECTION: E; Pg. 3
LENGTH: 559 words
It took me a while before I had faith enough to tithe.
Tithing means giving a tenth of your income. For many who believe in tithing, it means giving that 10 percent first — before any bills are paid.
Tithing is based on scripture followed by many Christian groups, and the money is used to support the local church. The practice of charitable giving varies among denominations. So too does the monetary amount or percentage of income members are encouraged to donate.
If my grandmother, Big Mama, were still alive, she wouldn’t approve of my decision to tithe. Although my grandmother, who raised me, faithfully took me and my brothers and sisters to church, she gave just a few dollars during the service.
It wasn’t that my grandmother wasn’t a generous woman. It’s that she feared that giving more to the church would leave less for bills. Paying her debts came first for Big Mama.
But many people who believe in the biblical requirement to tithe struggle with this question: Should I give even if I’m deeply in debt?
In a New York case, a bankruptcy judge ruled that some debtors can’t tithe or donate money to charity if they want federal bankruptcy protection. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert E. Littlefield Jr. ruled in August that because of the recent overhaul of the bankruptcy code, the $100 a week a New York couple wanted to give to their local church had to be used to pay creditors.
Under new bankruptcy rules, which went into effect a year ago, debtors who file for bankruptcy must first undergo a means test. Those whose annual incomes are at or below a certain amount based on their state’s median income are permitted to file for Chapter 7, which for the most part wipes out non-secured debt.
However, if an individual or couple makes too much money based on the means test, they must file under Chapter 13, which requires debtors to repay their debts over a three- to five-year period. In a Chapter 13 filing, only certain ”reasonable” expenses are allowed. What’s left after those expenses must be used to repay creditors.
Before the new law went into effect, bankruptcy court judges were required to permit debtors to tithe a portion of their income on a regular basis. The Religious Liberty and Charitable Donation Protection Act of 1998 allowed debtors filing for bankruptcy protection to exempt up to 15 percent of their annual income from creditors for tithing or charitable donations.
The Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 trumped that law, at least for Chapter 13 filers, Littlefield ruled.
Littlefield’s decision prompted Sens. Orrin Hatch and Barack Obama to propose legislation that would allow individuals in bankruptcy to continue giving to churches and charities.
Obama said the bill would clarify that Congress didn’t intend for the law to prioritize creditors over religious institutions and charities. The bill passed in the Senate and has been referred to the House.
”For millions of Americans, charitable giving and tithing is an essential part of their lives,” Obama said. “And in a country where 37 million citizens live in poverty, we should be encouraging charitable giving, not limiting it.”
Listen to Michelle Singletary discuss personal finance on NPR’s ”Day to Day,” noon-1 p.m. Tuesdays on WLRN-FM (91.3). Write to her c/o The Washington Post, 1150 15th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20071.