Discussion Questions

David Bercot calls it “one of the great ironies” that churches that insist “we’re not under any law whatsoever” still preach a strict 10% tithe as if “9% is stealing 1% from God”; what do you think this contradiction reveals about how those churches function, and what does it suggest they believe God is most concerned about? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Some churches say Christians aren’t under any law, but they still demand a strict 10% tithe. What does that say about how they operate, and what do you think they believe God cares about most?

Bercot argues that the New Testament contains “not one single commandment” that Christians must tithe, and says the early Christians therefore didn’t teach it either; what are the strongest objections you feel rising up to that claim, and what specific New Testament texts (if any) do you think actually require a tithe? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Bercot says the New Testament never commands Christians to tithe. What objections do you have to that, and what New Testament verses (if any) do you think actually require tithing?

Justin Martyr’s “they give what each thinks fit” and Tertullian’s “there is no compulsion; all is voluntary” describe early Christian giving; how does that voluntary model challenge modern fund-raising tactics that rely on pressure, fear (“robbing God”), or institutional survival? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Early Christians said giving was voluntary, with no pressure. How does that challenge modern church fund-raising that uses guilt, fear (“robbing God”), or worry about keeping the church running?

Irenaeus is quoted saying that instead of tithes, “Jesus taught us to share all our possessions with the poor,” and Bercot says this creates “no minimum” and “no limit”; how does that way of thinking confront the modern instinct to ask, “What’s the least I must give and still be okay with God?” JumpstartAnother way to ask: Irenaeus says Jesus taught sharing all we have with the poor, with no minimum or maximum amount. How does that challenge the idea of giving “the least I can” and still feeling okay with God?

Bercot highlights Jesus praising the widow because she gave “out of her necessity” rather than “out of their excess”; where do you see your own giving fitting on that spectrum, and what “necessities” (not luxuries) might actually be touched if you took Jesus’ evaluation literally? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Jesus praised the widow for giving even when she didn’t have much. Where does your giving fall between giving from “extra” and giving from real need, and what basic needs might be affected if you took Jesus’ view seriously?

Using James 1:27, James 2:15–16, and 1 John 3:17–18, Bercot insists the emphasis is on giving to the poor rather than simply to “your church”; what practical responsibility does he place on individual Christians to evaluate church budgets, and how would you apply that without becoming cynical, controlling, or self-righteous? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Bercot says the Bible stresses helping the poor more than just giving to your church. What responsibility does that give you to think about how your church spends money, and how can you do that without becoming negative or self-righteous?

The early church examples (Barnabas: “Give to everyone who asks you”; Hermas: “Give to all the needy…not hesitating as to whom you are to give”; Justin and Tertullian describing funds for widows, orphans, prisoners, shipwrecked) present a very outward-facing compassion; what would have to change in our schedules, spending, and sense of “deserving” in order to resemble that? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The early church gave generously to many kinds of people in need. What would need to change in your time, spending, and view of who “deserves” help to live more like that?

Bercot says churches can spend most of their money on staff, buildings, music programs, and recreation centers—calling it “not acceptable to God” if the poor receive little; if a church argues that those things “reach people” or “build community,” how would you evaluate that claim using Bercot’s reasoning and the early Christian spending priorities he quoted? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Bercot says it’s wrong if churches spend most money on buildings, staff, and programs while the poor get little. If a church says those things help “reach people” or “build community,” how would you judge that based on Bercot’s arguments and early Christian priorities?

Bercot traces modern mandatory tithing to post-Constantine church–state taxation and says the church once viewed negotiating salaries like a business as “heresy”; what parts of modern church life feel most shaped by that “corporate/business” mindset, and what would a return to “voluntary” support look like in concrete terms for pastors and ministry needs? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Bercot says mandatory tithing came later and that treating church support like a business is a big shift. What parts of church life today feel most “business-like,” and what would fully voluntary support look like for paying pastors and meeting ministry needs?

On fasting, Bercot says early Christians treated it as normal, believed it made prayer more effective (Mark 9:29), and practiced regular fast days (Wednesday and Friday), often with bread and water and with money saved given to the poor (Hermas); what would it realistically take for fasting to become a stable practice in your life, and how might linking fasting to almsgiving expose or purify your motives? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Bercot says early Christians fasted regularly and often gave the saved food money to the poor. What would need to change for fasting to become a steady habit for you, and how might giving during fasting reveal or clean up your motives?