Americans render more unto Caesar
than to God's work, research shows
___By Kristen Campbell
___Religion News Service
___CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (RNS)--Come April 15, most Americans are quick to render Caesar his proverbial due.
___No records indicate they've ever come close to doing the same for God.
___"People are not being transformed by their religion into a greater compassion and caring about other people on an ongoing basis," said Sylvia Ronsvalle, executive vice president for empty tomb, a research group in Champaign, Ill. Instead, she said, there's "an emotional, crisis-oriented approach to philanthropy, as opposed to giving reflecting our relationship with God."
___She cited the victi
ms of hurricanes, famines and Sept. 11, all of whom have received millions in financial aid from charitable citizens.
___Those numbers stand in stark contrast to annual congregational giving, which falls far below what many consider scriptural mandates.
___"Church members have been moving away from the tithe since the late 1960s," Ronsvalle said. "The average giving is at about 2.6 percent, ... which indicates that a very small percentage of the people would be tithing."
___It isn't as if tithing is a new idea.
___Babylonian texts from the sixth century B.C. mention the collection of tithes--10 percent of one's annual income--to support sanctuaries. Some Christians cite the teachings of prophets Ezra and Nehemiah, who wrote of a tax collected at the temple to support the priests and Levites.
___The idea, if not the percentage, is common in other faith traditions as well.
___Buddhist teaching emphasizes the giving of alms, or "dana," to religious leaders; the offerings are thought to cultivate selflessness and compassion. Jews speak of "tzedaka," an offering intended to bring about justice in the world. Muslims, meanwhile, pay "zakat," a financial donation specifically geared to help the needy.
___"The most basic concept of stewardship is 'everything belongs to God,'" said Terry Ellis, pastor of Spring Hill Baptist Church in Mobile, Ala. "What we do is try to lay the spiritual and biblical foundations before we ask anybody to give."
___While God isn't interested in amassing a big bank account, Ellis said, believers' charitable giving is a "very good spiritual indicator of where we are in our relationship with God. ... If we're going to hold back in a certain area, I think you're going to see it financially."
___According to national data, millions of believers do just that. Religious leaders cite myriad causes, ranging from affluence and apathy to poor leadership and rampant consumerism.
___Believers do well in covering their congregation's immediate needs--"they know the pastor needs to be paid, the lights need to be kept on," Ronsvalle said--but not so well in giving to the poor and needy on a regular basis.
___"We're seeing a turning-inward of churches," she said. "There (has) developed a services-oriented attitude among church leaders. You began to get a consumer-driven approach to religion rather than what had previously been the defining approach to religion: We came to be made into better people. Now, many church leaders (say), 'Come to our church and we'll make you happy.'"
___Talking about stewardship doesn't seem to have that cheery effect.
___"Money is the single most difficult topic pastors face in presenting to their congregations, so many of them avoid it," Ronsvalle said. "It takes courage to talk about a topic that is so close to people. Your church leaders are not holding members accountable."
___If, for example, believers had given 10 percent of their incomes to their churches in 1999, an additional $133 billion would have flowed into congregational coffers, she said.
___What kind of difference could that much money make if applied to helping the poor and needy? With just $2.5 billion, most of the 11 million children under age 5 who die each year would live, Ronsvalle said.
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