Until recently, especially after American Pentecostalism took off and spread to other lands, the factor of money in the church has not been of very serious concern to many individuals. In fact, in most countries, more particularly in Europe and America, Government has tended to shy away from interfering with anything church. Church money is not taxed, and the church has continued to enjoy certain privileges from the Government. The Vatican autonomy and Vatican world ]nation] is all too glaring. However, recently, the church has taken another dimension with so much emphasis on materialism, and the clergy appear to be as preoccupied with their own financial comfort as much as the laity. This has introduced significant suspicion of the church and especially the clergy. In all these, the church continues to suffer defacement and public opinion of the church continues to dwindle. Recently, there has been a steady echo and re-echo of financial demands on the laity. This has tended to distort the true nature of the laity´s necessary obligations of offering and tithing in the church. To a great extent, the laity itself is guilty of abuse. Money is given to the church either unwillingly or based on mouth watering conditions that the clergy work tenaciously to fish out from the Scriptures. Thus any suggestion of reward for the giver is magnified to incredible proportions and stories of financial break-through for givers occupy much of the preaching time. The days of single offering is long gone in the church. Yet the church appears to be continually in want. The laity´s commitment to the church is waning. Their economic problems encourage what may be termed fraudulent practices. As the church develops myriads of ploys to extricate from the people´s pockets, the laity themselves develop ways of giving many times without actually giving more. However, the incontestable truth remains that giving in the church is appropriate and logical irrespective of how questionable the motive may be. If offering is absent in the church, it becomes a very easy way of stifling the church and truncating its increasing successes. The issue of tithing much more than offering has aroused much interest in the church. Although tithing is heavily contested by some church circles as relevant in Christianity, most tithe inclined churches practice tithing sometimes to very ridiculous degree. To many within this group, tithing has become a monster, even becoming a devourer of the church´s sanctity as against a measure to frustrate the devourer. Church members are arm-twisted into paying their tithes without missing in any way. The threat of the Devourer is a refrain in the church. Somehow, one can hardly tell whether people pay tithes for love of the Lord or just to shake off the Devourer, and even the pastor.
About the Author: Godfrey Okoro Godfrey is an evangelist who has written quite a number of books of both Christian and secular orientations. His greater inclination is to his Christian publications which he uses to pursue his greatest love - evangelism. Godfrey sees evangelism as the greatest medium to propagate the truth in today's Christianity that is repetitively embracing extraneous ideas. He has held many positions of importance in the church, and has been a member of some church groups. Thus he may be defined as experienced in many matters relating to the church. Yet Godfrey finds this experience insufficient when compared to the time he spends reading the Bible, from which the Lord has been blessing him with remarkable insights. Godfrey was a victim of the influence of erroneous church doctrine, and understands the multi-dimensional negative implications of this. He therefore makes every effort to save his brethren from the snares of church bigotry. Godfrey is exceptionally gifted. He opens the doors of ideas that have constituted a mystery to religious scholars. He writes with an insight reflective of the authority of revelation. You could hardly read Godfrey's books without being amazed at the audacity of his revelations.