What is the tithe? Some Christians use the word tithe as if it means little more than a regular offering. Bono (lead singer for U2) used the word tithe in this fashion when he spoke at the 2006 National Prayer breakfast. Bono said, “I was amazed when I first got to America and I learned how much some church-goers tithe. Some tithe up to ten percent of the family budget.”
Strictly speaking, a tithe is always 10 percent. According to Easton’s Online Bible Dictionary a tithe was “a tenth of the produce of the earth consecrated and set apart for special purposes.”
Some Christians believe the Bible teaches that we (Christians) should give 10 percent of our income to the local church and they refer to this practice as tithing. Does the Bible teach that Christians should tithe? That’s one of the questions I’ll try to answer in the next few months.