VOL. 66 NO. 4 APRIL, 1983 THEUJITIIESS To Repair the Ruined Cities Something New in the Wind: Donald W. Shriver, Jr. Bishops vs. Economic Policy Richard W. Gillett Sheltering the Homeless: publication. The Power of Futility and John Poppy reuse for required Permission DFMS. / ill Church Episcopal the of Archives 2020. Copyright JLtElJLXJaAB JJJSTTJSIU* Re: Exquisitely Insensitive LETTERS as a carry-forward of supererogation. In august buildings as well as their store- either case, you can look the Presiding fronts are largely made up of the people Bishop and other apostles of steward- whom the author thinks should be ;•• ship in the eye when they come around exempt from the rigor of giving a tithe of mmwwnvmwwmmw on their tithing canvasses, knowing that 10%: the unemployed, the underem- you are doing your fair share according ployed, the female single parents, the to the Word of God. poor, the ADC parents, the Food Stamps publication. Tithing Fiscal Archaism It is of course true that this funda- recipients as well as middle-class and Judith Anderson makes a number of mentalist interpretation of tithing would Blacks. excellent points in her protest against let affluent communicants off the ecclesi- Tithing is a crucial part of their tradi- reuse pressure for tithing ("The Exquisitely astical hook along with those in Judith tion and spirituality, a point always for Insensitive Approach to Tithing," Anderson's income bracket. This might emphasized in their worship at the time January.) She has, however, overlooked make the Standing Commission on of the offertory and in the preaching. one of the most fundamental. Stewardship and Development regret Nor is the tithe trivialized and made less required The biblical standard of tithing was that they brought the matter up in the rigorous in those churches by stretching established when the Jews were first place, which would be all to the the idea of 10% to include "time" and governed theocratically — the church good, since tithing really has no more "talent" as the author is wont to do. Such Permission and the state were one. Moses and his relevance to 20th century American a stretching may be appealing to Episco- assistants and their successors were Christendom than do animal sacrifices palians and others in churches whose responsible not only for the spiritual and patriarchal polygamy. If, however, giving is not at all commensurate with DFMS. / well-being of the people, but for the they wish to persist in fiscal archaism the suspected affluence of its member- maintenance of public order, public without losing the support of the wealthy, ship, but not in the churches of the health, education, national defense, the Blacks and the poor. A tithe is under- Church they should consider resurrecting the conduct of foreign relations, the stand- sin offering and the thank offering. stood to mean 10% of one's income for ardization of weights and measures, and The Rev. David F. Ross the work of God and His kingdom both whatever other governmental functions for the poor and the oppressed. It is an Episcopal Lexington, Ky. there were to perform. The tithe support- important understanding of stewardship the ed all of this. Hence, the modern for them. of equivalent of tithing is not to give 10% of Little Contact With Blacks I trust this answers the author's income (either gross or after-tax) to the Just an observation about the contents rhetorical query about "Would anyone Archives church, but to give 10% of gross income of the article, "The Exquisitely Insensi- preach about tithing 10% to a poor to the church and government combined. tive Approach to Tithing," by Judith inner-city parish?". Black churches as 2020. My advice to Ms. Anderson is this. Anderson. It is obvious that the author well as the Pentecostal and Holiness First, calculate your total income. Don't either has little contact with churches in churches have done it for decades and fuss about technical exemptions — this the Black religious tradition as well as in their people respond accordingly. Copyright is not for some lawyer or accountant, but the inner-city Pentecostal and Holiness The Rev. R. E. Hood for God. Put it all in — gifts from parents, tradition or has misunderstood the place \ General Theological Seminary child-support payments, food stamps, and urgency of tithing in those churches. New York, N.Y. everything you have available to meet Contrary to her well-meaning protests your expenses. Second, calculate 10% of sympathy, these churches with their of that total. Third, subtract all your tax Often Feel Guilty payments, federal, state, and local. If the Thanks to Judith Anderson for her remainder is positive, this is what you sensitive article on tithing. I am an should be contributing to the church; if "older" university student working my it's negative, you could try asking the way through a Ph.D. Funds are not church to pay it to you, or just regard it available for basic repairs, TV, etc. which Approach to Tithing everyone takes for granted, to say tion essential to overthrowing money as include direct experience with the Black nothing of new clothes. We want to give, an idol and reducing it to what it is — a religious tradition and the Pentecostal but often feel guilty because the amount thing, a tool, a necessary commodity, an and Holiness traditions. But I understand is so small. (other) occasion for stewardship — and that another aspect of these traditions is Jane E. Rasmussen that's all. No mystery, no symbolic value a long-standing sense of community, St. Louis Park, Minn. no basic importance. empathy and mutual support, like that of Your questions, however, go beneath a very close-knit family, sensitive to its publication. that practical response to given social members in need; a warm, rather and Asking Right Questions norms and call us to yet further de- egalitarian atmosphere with less of the As to Judith Anderson's questions in the mystification of the causes and rationale hidden hierarchies and classism one reuse January WITNESS about to whom the for the norms themselves. I only hope senses in the ordinary Episcopal parish for Episcopal Church is talking when it talks that your plea is heard by a church church. I admire the generosity and about tithing, the answers are yes, yes, which mostly keeps itself ignorant of awareness (and exuberance) in these and yes. Yes, it is the middle and upper and goes supinely along with its own traditions. required classes talking to the middle and upper identity in the class-structure, and is David Ross's comments about the classes. Yes, we (the above) and they thereby incapacitated from addressing "theocratic" history of tithing are helpful (the "worthy poor") are alive and well as itself to the fundamental issues of justice to bear in mind in this context, under- Permission functional categories. Yes, the Episcopal which that raises. scoring the idea of a community's Church tries its darndest to remain an But cheer up; things could be worse. sensitivity to its "family" responsibilities. Old Boys' Club in matters of money (just You could live in our diocese instead of If we can treat one another in the house- DFMS. / as it does in a quite literal way in sacra- your own. Unemployment and job in- hold with more tact, perhaps we can mental matters, in this neck of the security is just about as bad here as it is better offer Christ's gifts to the world. woods). Your questions, sister, are the there; the concentration of elderly Church I think we should all welcome the right ones to be asking; I'm sorry that the people is probably much higher. My frankness of Carol Carlson's letter, the answers can only add to your anguish. husband, our parish treasurer, practi- call to some hard self-examination of In fairness to the General Convention, cally weeps as he counts out the nickels, ourselves and our denomination. The Episcopal it must be said that, given the predomi- quarters and $1 bills pledged mostly out anger and outrage and pain are very the nantly upper-class base of support for of of Social Security (or less) to the weekly real. As we begin publicly to tell our our church, and given the relative stingi- offering (no upper-class base of support stories in vivid detail, we may learn to ness of the rich (an average 1-2% of here!). communicate truly in every sense of that Archives income given away) as compared to the "Money," you say, "is a very sensitive liturgical word. poor (+5%), some kind of mandate to subject, but do we realize how symbolic Judith Anderson 2020. this group to give has long been it is?" Oh yes, Judith Anderson, I think East Lansing, Mich. necessary. Moreover, this action does we do; I really think we do. The only take one step toward moving monetary question is, how long we will tolerate Copyright income — specific dollar amounts — out such "symbols" as communications of the sacred silence which "politeness" appropriate to the Body of Christ? imposes on it in our society, and into the Carol Carlson realm of ordinary conversation and Mt. Jewett, Pa. analysis. This is a piece of de-mystifica- Ms. Anderson Responds I find the letters, and the dialogue, most interesting. In answer to R. E. Hood, it is true that my background does not THE WITNESS THE EDITOR WITNESS Mary Lou Suhor SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Robert L. DeWitt CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Richard W. Gillett Hugh C. White publication. and Something New in the Wind STAFF n the religious community's severe economic upheaval in more reuse Ann Hunter perennial and frequently contro- than a century," and stated that the for Susan Small I Bonrrie Spady versial engagement with societal "internationalization of investments Lisa Whelan issues, something new is in the and production, combined with required wind.