Leadership in Charitable Giving

Date Published: 09/02/2009

As we head toward what may be one of the most robust (or rough) Republican primary races for Governor of Texas in a very long time, I was intrigued but not surprised by the low level of charitable giving on both the Hutchison and Perry tax returns: Hutchison at less than 1% and Perry at the national average 3%. I know many factors come into play in deciding how to vote, so I am not implying any political preference or personal critique of these two. I also know that Democratic office holders don’t do any better at charitable giving than Republicans (though I have no idea if anyone has ever done a comparison). I also know that tax returns don’t tell the whole story. Some folk don’t report their full giving in keeping with Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:3 about not letting left hand know what the right hand is doing.

So with all those disclaimers, I do want to sound my little voice for leadership in charitable giving by those who are in positions of public leadership in government, in business, in the community and most of all in the church. Maybe we would be spared political debates and the anxiety about the federal deficit about health care reform, welfare reform, aid to families with children and the elderly and a host of other things if giving 10% (a biblical tithe) to charitable causes enabled full funding for voluntary agencies and organizations that address these needs out of a sense of compassion and calling, joy and hope. All those who argue that they don’t want the government to tax them to do something they say should be done voluntarily should be very generous in their voluntary gifts.

So far my input has nothing to do with religion, even if many of the voluntary agencies were operated by religious folk. Many “faith based” organizations are genuinely inter-faith. What kind of transformation of society might we envision of the leaders in government, in business, in the community and religion led in establishing a tithe (10%) of charitable giving as the expected norm for upstanding, responsible citizens? Even atheists could go for that!

I will acknowledge that this does have a religious and specifically Christian dimension. Of course, for people active in Christian congregations, much if not all of that tithe would go to their congregations. I expect that almost any congregation with a tithing membership will have more than enough money for all of the mission to which God calls them. I would include the congregation I currently serve that is presently struggling financially. If all of our members gave 10% of their income, we’d have no money problems (except maybe deciding on new ministries we could launch). While I’m sure that much of such giving would go to support the programs that benefit the current members, I firmly believe there would be plenty to benefit the local, national and global community as well.

Perhaps the greater spiritual benefit for a tithing population is bringing an attitude of caring for others beyond myself, my family, my friends, my congregation, my neighbors. Such an attitude would surely benefit any community both in terms of its intrinsic health and in terms of its purpose of mission in the larger world. Yes, that does have a secular benefit, but I believe it is at the core of a social ethic that springs from the teaching of Jesus, the practice of the pre-Constantinian Church, the word of the Hebrew prophets and the foundation of the Mosaic Law.