Is Automatic Tithing Biblical?

Tithing can be a very controversial topic, for better or for worse. In any case, for most church organizations, it's necessary to keep the lights on. That's why I think it was a brilliant business decision to start offering the ability to automatically tithe through automatic withdrawal from a bank account or by credit card. I'm sure it helps ensure more regular income.

I love paying bills this way. It helps me make sure I'm never late and lets me think less about bills and more about life. And I use automatic tithing myself so I don't forget.

Does applying this to tithing, though, miss the point of tithing? Leon Bloder wrote, "My tithe is the first check I write." There's a spiritual discipline element to help us focus on God and remember that all of what we have is God's. It's a way of dedicating our income and our lives to God.

With automatic tithing, we can easily lose that. It all happens unconsciously and relegates tithing to the dreaded monthly bills category. Is that what God really wants from us?

Question of the Day: Nudity

Question of the Day: Should nudity in various forms be considered immoral/sinful, as it is in many cases? Or perhaps more of level of privacy (some people are more private with a lot of parts of their lives, which is neither right or wrong)?

Question of the Day: Bible Translation

Question of the Day: What is your favorite Bible translation? Why?

Mine is currently the NLT, which I discussed earlier here.

Question of the Day: Favorite Book of the Bible

Question of the Day: What is your favorite book of the Bible? Why?

I think I'd go for Genesis. It's the one I've studied the most, so I really appreciate its richness. Plus, it's the original story of God's goodness and character. It lays the foundation for everything else.

Question of the Day: Summary of the Gospel

Question of the Day: If you had to choose 1-3 consecutive versus to summarize the Gospel, what would they be?

I currently vote for John 10:10.

Question of the Day: Emphasizing Sin

Question of the Day: Is it possible to overemphasize sin? How, when, and why?

Is is possible to underemphasize sin? How, when, and why?

Still Here

So I've been a bad blogger lately. But I'll defend myself with the classic defense: I've been busy. It's quite true, though. The past couple of weeks have been insane, not least because my wife and I will be closing escrow on our first house any day now. So it may be a bit longer before I really start doing some big posts again. I'm going to try and schedule some short ones, asking questions. That at least keeps it going. But I just wanted to say that I'm still here! :)

If anyone is interested in guest posting, too, let me know!