Should the Church Teach Tithing? A Theologian's Conclusions about a Taboo Doctrine [Paperback]

Russell Earl Kelly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 11, 2000

This 288 page book began as a Ph.D. dissertation. It is an easy to read reference commentary which also contains many Greek and Hebrew word studies, and an extensive bibliography. Every tithing text is covered, plus every possible extension of it in the New Testament. The author demonstrates how the Church must replace this last taboo remnant of the Old Covenant Law and enter fully into must better New Covenant provisions for accomplishing God's work. No stone is left uncovered. A thorough historical survey of the first 300 years of church history and verse by verse studies of key chapters adds compelling evidence. Russell Earl Kelly can be reached at [e-mail], www.home.earthlink.net/~russkellyphd, 6610 Skyview Drive, Acworth, Ga 30101, or 770-974-4756.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

After receiving a B.A. in Theology, Russell Earl Kelly served churches in Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, and North Dakota before leaving the full-time ministry in the early 1980s. Although legally blind since 1988, he has never stopped a rigid schedule of Bible study and preaching. He has always been a very serious Bible student and thoroughly enjoys discovering and researching the beliefs of those who are of different denominations.

In August 2000 Russell fulfilled a life-long desire by receiving a Ph.D. in Religion at Covington Theological Seminary in Rossville, Georgia. This book is the revised product of his dissertation for graduation requirements. He has two children, one stepdaughter, and currently has five grandchildren as of 2006.

Russell is a Baptist.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Writers Club Press (January 11, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595159788
• ISBN-13: 978-0595159789
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #42,202 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #64 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > History

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

85 of 91 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most informative, intriguing book I've read on tithing!, March 31, 2001

By 

Dave Y. "nobody777" (Kennewick, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Should the Church Teach Tithing? A Theologian's Conclusions about a Taboo Doctrine (Paperback)

Should the Church teach tithing? This is a question that, it seems, more and more Christians are desiring an answer to today. Certainly there are many different opinions that exist on the subject. But what does God's Word clearly teach on the matter? After reading more than 40 books, commentaries, lexicons, Bible dictionaries and various study aids and position articles on this subject (from all different perspectives), I came across Dr. Kelly's book. To be honest I wasn't expecting to be surprised much after all of my previous research on the subject, but Dr. Kelly's book was a mind-blower!

Should The Church Teach Tithing, by theologian Russel Earl Kelly, Ph. D. (343 pages), is one of the most thorough and intriguing investigations of the biblical tithe I have read to date. This book answers questions and challenges against many traditional arguments and misconceptions that have been made concerning the subject of tithing and also traces the early development of church support as found in the Church Fathers before Nicea. The writing is completely void of negative critical commentary, yet presents the biblical truth in a fascinating, precise and clear cut manner. Kelly also offers his insight and perspective concerning the mysterious biblical character known as Melchizedek and offers some surprising conclusions.

Russel Earl Kelly's work is accompanied by scores of quality references and a multitude of Scriptural support for each point made. The reader is encouraged and given the resources to do their own biblical investigation into the subject along with the author.

This is a book that will encourage Christians in the area of understanding the tithe and true, biblical, New Covenant giving principles. It will help the reader to understand clearly when tithing originated, why it was implemented in the Law and how it has been fulfilled completely through Christ. Wonderful emphasis is made upon the priesthood of the believer in Jesus Christ, his New Covenant privilege of intimate relationship with God and the role this plays in blessing others. No biblical stone is left unturned in this amazing presentation.

I believe this book has the potential to strengthen the understanding of many pastors and evangelists who have commonly taught tithing to the Church. If a person is teachable and eager to embrace the simple Word of God, this book will be an exciting, fresh look into the subject of Christian stewardship and right perspectives on biblical giving principles. It is an absolute must read for anyone desiring to better understand and embrace biblical truth and right doctrine as it concerns this topic.

78 of 89 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Deals a mortal blow to false teachings on tithing, BUT ..., October 5, 2002

By 

No one of consequence (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Should the Church Teach Tithing? A Theologian's Conclusions about a Taboo Doctrine (Paperback)

I have to give Dr. Kelly's book a mixed review. On the one hand, I expected a solid analysis of biblical tithing and grace giving, and that is exactly what I got. Dr. Kelly leaves no stone unturned as he vigorously dismantles the fallacious teachings about tithing under the new covenant. His arguments generally are very persuasive and well backed by scripture, and he is quite thorough to make sure that a broad range of opposing arguments are dealt with. At times, though, the reading becomes somewhat dry and occasionally redundant. Roughly the first half of the book analyzes old testament texts, while the remainder of the book examines new testament passages.

Although I thought Dr. Kelly did an excellent job in this regard, nevertheless I cannot say that I agree with him on every point. For example, he takes the position that there were three tithes under Jewish law, and while this may be a purely academic point for modern Christians, it seems fairly clear to me that scripture only teaches two at the most, and more likely only one. It seems to me that Dr. Kelly asserts the existence of three old covenant tithes more to confound modern tithe advocates than because scripture really teaches it. Also, I was not entirely impressed with Dr. Kelly's treatment of Melchizedek in his analysis of Genesis 14. He makes much of Melchizedek's reference to "El Elyon" and Abraham's naming of "Yahweh," but Exodus 6:2-3 clearly teaches that God had not revealed himself to Abraham as "Yahweh" but as "El Shaddai."

Additionally, there are occasions when he leaps to conclusions which I do not believe are warranted by the scriptural text. This was most prevalent in Dr. Kelly's discussion of whether modern gospel workers should receive full-time monetary support. In my opinion, his analysis became unbalanced here in his zeal to take away every possible argument from tithe advocates. In so doing, Dr. Kelly throws out the baby with the proverbial bath water, or to borrow the expression from the Vietnam era, he destroys the village in order to save it. His arguments and conclusions on this subject, I believe, completely miss the spirit of the teachings of 1 Cor. 9 and related passages. Just because the tithe is not for the new covenant, this does not mean that those who devote their lives to full time ministry should not receive at least modest support from free will offerings. I don't know many who enter the ministry with the expectation of getting rich. Those who do end up financially successful usually do it through other means, such as authoring or speaking at seminars.

I also believe he places far more emphasis than is proper on the single reference in Acts 18:3 on Paul being a tentmaker. That single occurrence was when Paul was ministering at Corinth, undeniably the most carnal church of the early new testament age, and was doing so specifically to take away any occasion for criticism. But to argue that gospel workers must hold full time secular employment and minister only in their free time (something which is becoming increasingly rare nowadays) is tantamount to arguing that God never calls anyone into "full time" ministry and that those who claim to be so called must be incorrect, or are doing so out of base greed.

In summary, Dr. Kelly's book starts well enough, and does a great job of debunking the myth of new covenant tithing. However, from there he continues to charge forward rather blindly and does, I believe, more harm than good in his teachings about financial support for modern gospel workers. Definitely read this book, because it contains much of value, but read it with careful discernment.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the Definitive Work on the subject of Tithing!, July 1, 2004

By 

Colin Moore (New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Should the Church Teach Tithing? A Theologian's Conclusions about a Taboo Doctrine (Paperback)

I brought this book and did not regret it. I could not put it down until I finished it. Now I am reading it again. It is a reference book that can stand alone on it's own scholarly merit. It is the definitive book on the subject of tithing from a theological point of view. It deals with all the main proof texts used by pro-tithe preachers and digs deep and exposes the shallow, dishonest use of these bible verses and how they are used out of the context of these passages as a whole. In fact it shows how the rest of the surrounding text actually dismantles their argument! The whole of the bible is shown to be in agreement and shows that the weight of the argument is truly against a legalistic mandatory requirement and that the New Testament does not command or teach tithing at all. Your pastor may not want you to read this book! It takes a bit of study and concentration to absorb but it is well worth the read if you seriously want to arm yourself with the truth. It is one thing to know in your heart that you believe something, or suspect that something is not right with what you are currently being taught, but it is another thing to fully understand both sides of the argument and be able to defend your position! In fact having read Russell's book I now feel confident to be able to defend my beliefs now on any given verse or argument that someone could try to put to me. Russell shows how God has a better way under the New Covenant and how we are really robbing God and ourselves if we don't give with a proper heart attitude and as per the New Testament patterns and teaching of Jesus and the apostles. It is very liberating to know that I can give from my heart without any compulsion, from a sense of gratitude. We have a great responsibility as Christians but God is not pleased at our giving from any sense of guilt or the like! I enjoyed the part about Melchizedek the most as this example is used often as a pre-Mosaic Law example, but Russell defuses this argument also and leaves no stone unturned with his thorough biblical research which is accurate, logical, honest, consistent, and referenced throughout. He includes early church history, the current biblical customs at the times in the bible, well known historical Christian figure's views, other well known authors, theologians, seminaries and commentaries that also maintain and support this position. It is time we stood against the tide of this current "tradition" that is holding sway over people and "makes void the word of God". I believe many people are waking up to the abuses of what many pastors churches and denominations are doing and we need more scholars like Russell who is unafraid to put his body on the line to reveal the truth about tithing as the bible defines it, in contrast to giving in the New Testament.