Payment of Tithe: The History Behind the Theology

"Sister Rose has no money to go to hospital. She paid her tithe and God healed her!" If you are familiar with such story line or it makes you want to convulse, this book is for you. This is because the controversy concerning the payment of tithes has resurfaced in many parts of the third world countries. What Europe dealt with many centuries ago is now a burner in Africa. This book takes the task head on. It is historical, exegetical, and contextual. Pertinent questions related to the origin and intention of the tithe are given critical considerations. The major questions are: Is this practice still relevant? Does the Christ-event mean anything for present-day Christians? Is there a necessary connection between the payment of tithes and divine blessings? The book takes readers from the Western part of the globe back in time and leads them to understand a part of the theological struggle that has shaped their present political and religious practice. For readers from sub-Saharan Africa and other third world countries, it projects what the issue of tithe might become in the near future.