Tithing after the Cross (Areopagus Critical Christian Issues) Paperback – July 8, 2013

The media could not be loaded.  Several serious errors with this book(1) The author criticizes and accuses others for using arguments from silence when the author does the exact same thing. In this book Dr. Croteau tries to confine tithe only to the Mosaic law (p.3) but in order to do this he has to get rid of Abraham’s tithe and he does so by claiming his tithe was “voluntary” (p.17) and “not compulsory” (p.23) and was “given as a thanksgiving” (p.23). These are arguments from silence. The Bible does not say why Abraham gave or what he felt or whether there was a command or not. It only says that he gave tithe. We know from Genesis 26:5 that God himself testified that Abraham kept God’s laws, commandments, and statutes. What evidence does Dr. Croteau provide that tithe was not included in these commandments and statutes? He provides no evidence. How did Dr. Croteau travel back 4000 years in time and discern the “thankful” motives of Abraham? Croteau fails to explain but that did not stop him from arguing from silence otherwise. People are welcome to their own opinion but the problem is that Dr. Croteau criticizes others for using arguments from silence (p.8) when he does the same thing.(2) Croteau also criticizes others for ignoring “literary context” (p.2) and “ignoring the Hebrew text” (p.12). This is especially egregious because Croteau himself based much of his argument on ignoring Hebrew text. On page 17 he claims that Abram gave away the spoils of war “because of a vow” and “The Mosaic law strictly forbids any connection between tithing and vows.” This is a really odd claim so I personally contacted Dr. Croteau and asked him what he meant. I am very thankful for his response, He said quote:“The change in Lev 27:26 is away from what can be vowed to what is not liable to vows, namely, the firstlings of animals, any devoted thing, and the tithe of the land. These are not liable to vows because they already belong to God. Therefore, tithes, in the Mosaic law, are distinct from vows.”He argues that you cannot vow away the tithe because the tithe is the personal property of God however this causes a serious problem because in Genesis 14:23 Abraham tells the king of Sodom that he had vowed not to take “anything that is yours.” The Hebrew text contains a particle preposition 2nd person suffix indicating ownership, that’s why it is consistently translated as “yours.” If in fact Abraham had vowed not to keep the spoils of war that had previously belonged to the King of Sodom then this would not explain why he gave %10 to Melchizedek. That he vowed not to keep anything of the King of Sodom yet still gave %10 to Melchizedek is textual evidence that Abraham considered the tenth as rightfully belonging neither to Abraham nor to the King of Sodom but to Melchizedek. So it is not fair and not consistent with the text to make this claim. I contacted Dr. Croteau and asked him why he did this, his response: “I would say that I'm emphasizing the ‘I will take nothing’ part of 14:23.”Anyone familiar with biblical exegesis will notice immediately what Croteau did, in order to make this claim he is ignoring the Hebrew text that does not fit his argument and emphasizing only a small phrase. This is no different than someone taking a pair of scissors and cutting out parts of the Bible that they don’t like. This is unacceptable for even regular people and laity and it is especially unacceptable for a professor who knows better. And to make it worse, this is especially egregious because he criticizes others for ignoring context when he himself does the exact same thing. Unfortunately most Christians tend to have a high trust and confidence in scholars so they won’t discern this exegetical sleight of hand.(3) The author boasts on the front cover that he will refute the “top arguments” for tithing but never does so. By far one of the most common arguments for tithing is that if Melchizedek received tithes and Christ is a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek then Christ ought also to receive tithes. Croteau acknowledges this argument on page 21 but never explains why the argument is faulty. He spends several pages repeating a basic summary of Hebrews 7 but never explains why Christ should not receive tithes. In order to escape the force of this argument he appeals to Abraham but because he’s already used his own tricks and arguments from silence to negate and undermine Abraham’s tithe he then discounts the argument about Melchizedek. However this only creates a bigger problem, see point 4.(4) Another major evidence given in favor of tithing is Hebrews 7:9-10. Croteau tries as much as possible to make it seem as though the %10 tithe of Abraham is entirely different than the %10 Levitical tithe given by Moses, he wants his readers to believe that these are as different as apples and oranges. The problem is that the author of Hebrews makes no such distinction. Both are %10 and both are given to the priest and then goes further and in Hebrews 7:9-10 claims that Levi paid tithes through Abraham. If what Croteau claims is true then this would be impossible. How could Levi pay tithe through Abraham if his tithe were voided by the vow? Croteau also claims it was voluntary and not by commandment. This is a problem because if the tithe that Levi receives and pays is by commandment, how can he give that through Abraham if it was voluntary and without commandment? If oranges and apples how can Levi pay oranges through Abraham’s apples? How can a tithe of compulsion be given to one that is supposedly not by compulsion?How can the Levites of the circumcision pay tithe through an uncircumcised man unless tithes are not bound or confined only to the circumcision? Hebrews 7:9-10 creates enormous problems for people who argue against tithing and people try to avoid these texts as much as possible and par for the course Croteau wrote a whole book claiming to refute “top arguments” but completely avoided these references.(5) Another major tithing argument is “If to whom much is given much is required, Why would God require less of Christians today than those in the darkness of the Old Testament? If people under the law were required to give a minimum %10 how could Christians under the gospel of grace give less?” This is also a very common argument and Croteau (p.33) acknowledges this argument but again never tells us why it’s wrong or faulty. His only response is a common tactic of conflating the %10 Levitical tithe with additional tithes under Mosaic law. Many people who argue against tithing when pressed with this question will try to deflect and accuse tithers of not being consistent. If they were consistent, they argue, tithers would not give just %10 but over %20 as they did under Moses. Interestingly Croteau cites a lot of sources in his book but never provides even one reference of anyone claiming that only %10 should be given. In fact the very argument itself argues for more than %10, the %10 is only a bare minimum. Croteau also provides no examples of tithers who argue we should not give beyond %20 in combined tithe and freewill offerings. Furthermore Croteau’s deflection does nothing to refute the actual argument itself. And what about Christians today who do give more than %20? ***cricket sound***Croteau’s feeble attempts to throw shade on this argument only highlights it’s strength for those who actually practice large giving.(6) Much more could be said, there are definitely more errors but in summary, Croteau wanted to pick a fight. Croteau publicly boasted that he will refute the top arguments for tithing but his arguments from silence, word tricks, and avoidance of the actual arguments make his goal unattainable. It’s like someone boasting they will fight and defeat top boxers like Mike Tyson but after their boasting they won’t even get into the ring. His entire book and definition rest on his claim that Abraham did not tithe and this claim is based entirely upon his own speculation and avoidance of textual evidence. Very disappointing book......I will post a video review here and for those that are interested I posted a longer more detailed review on my YouTube channel “Andrew’s Tithe Review.”

It seems that most Christian churches require tithing, with the required amount being ten percent of your gross income. You are expected to give special offerings on top of that. This straightforward book appears to be a short version of the author's previous, lengthy writings. The book is a quick and easy read, and you can look up all of the scripture references in your own favorite translation. First, this is the most clear outline of Old Testament laws about tithing that I have ever seen, and the Old Testament amounts and methods are clearly described. (And the amounts are clearly more than 10%.) Principles of giving are also described. You will be challenged to live less luxuriously and give cheerfully. Everything we have is given by God and belongs to Him, and we have so much to be grateful for. I highly recommend this book.

Very insightful. The church making tithe required is the one thing every church and pastor agree (all about the money). This book aim at providing knowledge so you can make the decision for yourself. Love every aspect of it.

There are various books on Kindle about how/why tithing is not necessarily an absolute Biblical requirement for Christians. This is the most thorough and in depth of the ones I found. It is thoughtful discussion, carefully researched, and not written with any personal attacks or argumentative tone. I recently published a book on Amazon titled "Tithing; From A Layman's Perspective" which is available on kindle or paperback. I hope readers of this will also read mine; not to determine any winner of any argument but to broaden their minds by researching both viewpoints. Any disagreements by me with Croteau are with love and respect. Joel M. Wilson

Short, readable, introduction to responses to arguments for mandatory tithing. I liked how the author categorized the arguments and appreciated the final chapter which is an outline (and argument for) of Christian giving as laid out in the New Testament. Folks on either side of this argument would benefit from this book.

I was looking for a simple and conservative answer but found neither. What I found was a Biblical but not dogmatic approach to a complicated topic that was treated with great care and biblical support. I appreciated the author's approach and understand much more about the subject. Very much worth the effort and a great source of information that will demonstrate why there is no 'simple and conservative' answer.

Very interesting and informative. A well researched view on this controversial topic in Christendom. So much I've learned! So much more I'll share... Great job.

This is one book that acknowledged my thinking about the subject of tithing, or giving 10 percent. The author also co-authored a similar book where 4 views on the subject of tithing are presented and it is very good as well.There are some followers who probably can't afford to, and therefore shouldn't, give 10 percent, but there are other followers who could and should give more.

At first glance looks well researched and intelligent but fails in that it doesn't look at the Bible as a whole. Infinite detail on mostly irrelevant points/ missed the big picture