Yours very truly,
To my great surprise only ten accepted this offer, leaving 93
institutions devoted to training preachers either indifferent or
unwilling to permit their students to accept and read, without expense,
the same literature on the subject of Tithing that active Pastors have
ordered in quantities aggregating many millions during the last 27
years for circulation among their people.
In contrast with so much apathy and indifference or opposition, many
of the replies received were of the most encouraging character, the
writers expressing deep interest in the subject and promising hearty
co-operation.
Another obstacle, and second only in importance, is found in the
attitude of a large proportion of the editors of our Religious
Newspapers. It should be remembered in their behalf that nearly all of
them are Ministers, and as a result are themselves the victims of false
teaching or no teaching on this subject, which to at least nine-tenths
of their constituency, is of the most vital importance. The few
lay-editors of Religious Newspapers that I have the honor of knowing
all believe in and practice the Tithe System.
As in the case of Theological Teachers, I have very recent confirmation
of this opinion.
A year or two ago a fellow worker in this field, the Rev. Henry
Lansdell, D. D. of Morton College, Black Heath, England, an extensive
traveler in Oriental countries, and noted author realizing that
Religious books are read by so few people as compared with Religious
newspapers, conceived and put into execution the unique idea of
publishing serially in slip form suitable for printers’ proof, some of
the results of the latest archaeological researches and discoveries
bearing on the subject of Tithing, supplementing and enriching them
with his own researches and interviews with eminent archaeologists. I
copy from a letter received from him dated July 8th, 1903:
My Dear Sir--Your letter of the 23d June, quite cheered me. I
have circularized and sent slips to upwards of 1,250 editors in
114 countries, Kingdoms and States, sending also with my offer in
167 cases an autograph or dictated letter. Thus far the result is
approximately as follows: No answer received from 976, and the number
who have declined is 248, whilst about 26 have accepted the series
in whole or in part. The number of copies printed of four of these
publications amounts to over 400,000 weekly; of the rest I do not
know the circulation, but supposing that each paper has four readers,
it does not seem at all an extravagant estimate that the articles
will be brought before two million readers weekly. This surely is
something to thank God for!
Out of the 1,250, more than half were sent to America and Canada. Not
one Canadian paper thus far has accepted, but in the United States
the papers accepting are California, 1; Arkansas, 1; Texas, 1; Ohio,
2; New York, 1; New Jersey, 1; Pennsylvania, 1; Illinois, 1.
It is my belief--certainly my hope--that Dr. Lansdell has in
preparation a volume in which he will exhaustively treat of the early
history of the Tithe.
Unfortunately I have mislaid the first three slips, each about a
newspaper column, sent me by Dr. Lansdell, and hence am unable to give
their titles. Commencing with the fourth, the titles are as follows:--
IV. Egyptian War Tithes.
V. Pre-Historic and Spartan Greece.
VI. Græco-Persian and Later Greece.
VII. The Romans.
VIII. The Pelasgi, Britons and German-Saxons.
IX. Where Did Abram Learn Tithing?
X. Jacob’s Vow.
XI. Israel’s First Tithe.
XII. Israel’s Second, or Festival Tithe.
Naturally the first three would have reference to the very earliest
history, including lately discovered evidences of Tithing in
pre-historic times.
One would suppose that such original and late matter as these titles
indicate, prepared by a thorough scholar, would be gladly accepted
and published by the religious press. That it is not carries its own
comment.
My own experience has in some respects been similar. To illustrate: Two
or three years ago I offered for a limited time to send gratis, express
prepaid, to Christian Endeavor societies, Epworth Leagues, and Baptist
Young People’s Unions such literature as I publish on the subject of
Tithing sufficient to furnish one of each to every family represented.
I had the offer printed, occupying about an inch of newspaper space,
and sent it with a personal letter asking publication to practically
all the Evangelical religious newspapers in the United States and
Canada. I kept no accurate record of the replies, but probably
one-fourth, possibly one-third, cheerfully published the offer; two or
three editorially called attention to it, while a few returned it with
an offer to insert it at regular advertising rates. The rest ignored it.
_As to Results._ These, judged by any fair standard are not only
deplorable, but a shame to our profession as Christian men and women.
The old lady who boasted that she had been a Christian for twenty-five
years and had never failed to give a dollar a year to Foreign Missions
was a good deal above the average. If she had given a like sum, less
than ten cents a month, to Home Missions, she would not have suffered
by comparison with the rest of us; and yet we are the richest nation
in the world, and while now passing through a season of unexampled
prosperity, our gifts to Missions show very slight increase; in many
cases they are less than ordinary. No wonder the world sneers at our
profession of love for Christ and desire to see His Kingdom established
throughout the world. They have the right to sneer in this regard and
we are the last people in the world who have a right to criticise them
for doing it.
In this respect both our Heavenly Father and the world about us occupy
the same standpoint of judgment. No matter what our profession may be,
both God and the world measure our real interest in this as in all
other subjects by what we do for it, and for us laymen and lay-women
our doing is measured rightly and of necessity by our contributions,
the money we give.
So far as we are concerned I can think of but one excuse. I admit that
it is a poor one but it is the best we have. We have either been
wrongly, or insufficiently, taught by our religious teachers regarding
this of all subjects to us the most important. There has been little
or no “Thus saith the Lord” about it; nearly all our teaching has been
on the line of ‘Give, Give, Give’; very little of definite _payment of
what we owe_ and letting free-will offerings commence after our debt
has been paid. We have been continuously and persistently taught that
we can _give_ money to God. We have even been exhorted and urged to
be systematically benevolent in the matter of gifts to God. Think of
it! Systematic benevolence applied to our Heavenly Father. The whole
system of our teaching on this subject has been based on “Giving,”
everlastingly “Giving.” If this teaching is right we laymen can justly
claim the right to _give_ what we please and _as_ we please. Gifts and
payment occupy very different standpoints. If I owe a debt, it is a
definite amount and I must pay it when it is due, or be branded as a
defaulter, but no man _owes_ a gift. True, we both give and pay when we
pay Tithes, but the payment is to God, the giving as His stewards and
agents is to our fellow men for the upbuilding and advancement of His
Kingdom.
It is only fair in this connection to say that ministers have the same
excuse, poor as it is, that we laymen and lay-women have. They have
been the victims of wrong teaching by their professors of theology and
teachers of practical--not theoretical--religion. The only sensible
thing for us all to do is to repent and reform.
That I may not be accused of overstating or misrepresenting the
situation, I copy the Pledge of the Tenth Legion of the Christian
Endeavor Society. This Pledge has been signed by over 25,000 of the
young people of our churches. It clearly perpetuates this false
teaching and will of course bear its legitimate fruit. At the time the
Tenth Legion was started the attention of its officers was called to
the mistake as I regard it in the language, but they declined to change
it. It reads as follows:
“Unto God the Things that are God’s”
Enrollment Blank.