Action Initiative One
Tithing to our Church.
In the Old Testament, Yahweh commanded the people of Israel to sacrifice the first ten percent (the tithe) of their income. The tithe provided a constant reminder that all we have is a gift from God and that he deserves the first and best of what comes to us.
We desire to move past legalism into grace as Jesus taught us. Jesus asks that 100%, not 10%, of our resources be available for the Kingdom of God. However, we believe that the tithe is still a useful starting point for most, if not all, western Christians. We also believe that there is value in tithing to a specific local church. Though all churches are imperfect, it is the local church that is charged with carrying the message of the Kingdom to our neighborhoods.
We commit to tackle the elephant by giving 10% of our income to the local church.
Action Initiative Two
Forgiving Personal Debts.
Israel had very specific mandates to forgive personal debt every seven years, and to completely forgive all debts every fifty years in the year of Jubilee. Jesus uses economic language when he taught us to pray, “forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” We believe that this is both a literal and figurative teaching. It is in forgiving our economic debts that we learn to forgive other trespasses or infractions.
Most of us are owed something by someone. It could be a dollar borrowed for a soda, a lawnmower never returned by a neighbor, or a large personal loan given to a friend or family member. A debt is a debt. Forgiving any debt allows us to show those who owe us how deeply God has forgiven us.
We commit to tackle the elephant by forgiving at least one personal financial debt.
Debt forgiveness as Kingdom proclamation.
Action Initiative Three
Sharing our excess with the poor.
God provided specific economic practices in the Old Testament so that the poor could have their needs met through the “margins” or “excess” of the wealthier members of the community. The Israelites were not permitted to fully harvest their fields or vineyards so that the poor could glean the excess for their families. Many wealthy Christians today are hoarding their excess and spending to the margins, thus robbing the poor of the food, clothes and shelter that God has provided for them.
We commit to tackle the elephant by finding creative ways to share our excess with the poor.
2007 :: No elephants were harmed in the making of tacklingtheelephant.com.
Find us on MySpace!