Question:  Greg,

            We have been tithing 10% of our income for several months now.  It is a struggle to do that.  We can barely pay the utilities.  We feel that God wants my wife to quit her job and stay home with the kids and be a full-time housewife.  If she does this we will have to pay off some debt and tighten the budget in a big way.  In a case like this would God expect a tithe or would it be better to use it to pay down the debt?

            Larry

Answer:  Dear Larry,

            If you click on “Tithing” – one of the categories under “Ask Greg” – you will find a number of questions and answers we have posted that explain that a strict 10% tithe is not binding upon or required of Christians today.  A strict 10% tithe was a part of the old covenant – Christians are under the new covenant.  This does not mean,  of course, that Christians do not give to or support God’s work in this world – but it does mean that the exact amount we decide to give is not dictated to us – not by the Bible, and certainly not by any church or pastor.

            In Christ,

            Greg Albrecht