This week I heard about Jeff Schreve, pastor First Baptist Church Texarkana (TX), who preached a manipulative sermon on storehouse tithing entitled...get ready for this..."How to Get Right With God". Yes, his sermon was to tell his members that if they want to have a right relationship with God, they MUST immediately begin to give 10% of all their gross income to the church - no middle ground, they must get to 10% right away to stop robbing God and to start trusting God so they can establish a right relationship with Him.
I've heard about Jeff Schreve a number of years ago, when there was some turmoil in his church and a family had contacted me, but I have never done a post on him. Members were fed up with his arrogance and self-promotion and had to hit the road. FBC Texarkana has a weekly attendance of about 1600 according to Lifeway, and as I posted a few weeks ago here, this means Jeff earns somewhere around $140,000 from his church, and that doesn't count his speaking gigs as his star continues to rise in the SBC. He has a weekly radio and TV show called "From His Heart", that his website says reaches over 149 countries, and broadcast on over 600 radio outlets in the United States.
I'm going to do another post soon about the specifics of his tithing sermon, as it really was the most complete compilation of tithing lies and manipulations that I've heard. It is an encyclopedia of all the tricks I've heard pastors pull to get people to fork over 10% of their gross income. In one 45-minute sermon he throws them all out at his congregation hoping at least one of them will stick.
Then as I read Schreve's bio, I read that before he became a pastor, he spent 12 years as a salesman - in waste management and waste treatment. Now it makes sense: Jeff was a salesman. A salesman of garbage, and chemicals to treat industrial waste. My initial observations make sense - he DOES come across as a phony salesman, because he was one and knows the trade.
Sunday Schreve reverted back to his salesman days - he was selling an industrial-size batch of toxic waste - and he did a horrible job, and I don't think he fooled his congregation. Very unconvincing performance.
In this sermon he is nervous, gets lost several times in his sermon notes, jumping around and moving back to make sure he covers all of his manipulations, and tries to pull off at least two instances of emotional pleas and fake crying. It is awful. Schreve can't fake it. His attempt to appear emotional and weeping is embarrassing to watch.
Two specifics I did want to mention about his sermon:
- Schreve pulled a trick from Perry Noble's playbook, doing the old "Parable of the Greedy Christian" routine using Skittles. The point of the object lesson is that if you are a "greedy" Christian and don't tithe, you won't get any blessings (Skittles) from God, but if you set aside your first 10% of your income each month and give it to "God" (i.e. Jeff's church), then you will get all of God's blessings, as Jeff pours the entire pitcher of Skittles into the tither's empty cup, and none go in the non-tither's. Poor non-tither. He get's nothing but God "releasing the devourer" to gobble up his resources. Sick stuff. - Jeff wanted to make sure his non-tithing members know they MUST give at the 10% level, and giving any percentage less than 10% is to give God "dog food", or a mangled and deformed sacrifice. Schreve also said a member increasing their giving slowly over time, from 4% to 6% giving, is equivalent to Schreve telling the congregation that he is slowly going to decrease his level of stealing from the church this year over last.
Think about it: in that congregation that day, who in the church is the biggest TAKER of money from the church given for ministry and to spread the gospel? It is Schreve, without question. He is taking, taking, and taking. A hard working member working 50 or 60 hours per week comes to church to give as generously as they can, and they sit there and take that arrogant ass telling them they are robbing God. No, they are GIVING. Jeff is TAKING. Jeff Schreve, you are a taker. Jeff, you conveniently left out of your sermon that Malachi was addressing pastors like you who were robbing God. Minor detail.
Watching the video of this sermon is painful. There are many crowd shots showing men, sitting there, listening to Jeff's horse manure sales pitch. These are probably hard-working men, who have careers and love their wives, and provide very well for their children's needs, paying for their schooling, and sacrificing every thing for the benefit of their families. And they sit there and let this con artist tell them for 45-minutes they are criminals - worse than criminals - because they don't fork over 10% of their income to Jeff's church.
Men of Jeff's church, man-up. Get out of Jeff's church. If you are the spiritual leader of your home, then why do you expose them to a salesman pitching you and your family a bunch of manure? If Schreve will sell you this to get his hands on your wallet, you really can't trust his next sermon. Or his next one, or his next one. Does a salesman just lie to one customer and not to the next one? You know the answer. With so many options of churches, you can move to a new one.
Did he just let a woman pray publicly at 25:00??? Naughty naughty... I'm telling Jesus on him... :) :)LOL
ReplyDeleteIn this current economy most individuals live paycheck to paycheck. Most of those working are afraid of where our country is headed especially those of us who are senior citizens. Attempting to persuade assemblies to give 10% of their gross or even net wages is a sin particularly since our sin debt has been paid in full. A lot of these so-called men of God should follow in the steps of Paul and get a job like Paul who was a tentmaker. I do not find tithing ever mentioned in the New Testament. Shameful just plain shameful. Keep us informed WD as everyone in the good old boys club would have us believe that cursed lie of storehouse tithing. By the way where is that storehouse? I haven't seen one in over 75 years.
ReplyDeleteNothing worse than a guy preaching 45 minutes on tithing ......I wonder about these guys.
ReplyDeleteI'll bet this guy makes more than most of the people in the pews. How can he seriously look at himself in the mirror in the morning?
They get by with this because so few actually read their Bibles.
ReplyDeleteAny time a preacher has you flipping from book to book with here a verse, there a verse, he's taking you down the wrong road. This would be a huge red flag to anyone who has read the Bible.
"Turn to Malachi 3:10." ~ Conveniently leaping over Malachi 1 which states the entire book is for and only for Israel.
And Watchdog has it exactly right ~ It was the priests that were robbing God, not the people. It seems they're still at it, too.
I fully understand why the unsaved world thinks we're a gullible bunch of morons. Look at what we tolerate in our churches.
It's a temple tax. In home fellowships, people can give according to need and conscience. Church as institution replaces truth with authority. I would be willing to bet many faithful members there don't even like the guy, but yet, he is "God's anointed."
ReplyDeleteTypical hipster church,blue jeans,bald heads,full band,praise team and ain't it good to be here. Say what you want about Catholics but they know something about worship that most of the modern churches have long ago abandoned. When you attend a typical Catholic service there is no doubt about it,You have just been exposed to a real religious experience.I personally am sick of the so-called contemporary rock concert form of religious entertainment. The begging manipulative preacher is the straw that finally breaks the back. I am close to becoming a None type person.
ReplyDeleteFunny that he quotes Irenaeus who was an early church father. The Catholic Church as well as Eastern Orthodox both consider Irenaeus a saint. The man was obviously Catholic in theology. Roman Catholic Churches do not adhere to the tithing doctrine but teach every man give according to his ability. I am not pushing Catholic practice but merely showing the practice of storehouse tithing to be pretty much a Baptist interpretation.
ReplyDeleteFunny thing about reading God's word,if u ask him 4the truth he will deliver!I read from Malachi this morn and what I read about had nothing at all to do with finances.The nation wasn't under a curse beacuse they were robbing God of finances,they were sinning and in rebellion in their relationship with God and it brought a curse,the land was suffering beacuse of the nation's sins and nothing else.The tithe that God was talking about had to do with a tithe coming from the fruit of the land,from the ground,from the trees,not finances as some would have u beleive today.God was angry with them beacuse they were holding back and not bringing in the full tithe to God's store house but God said that if they would bring in the whole tithe into his store house that there be food in his house he would open the windows of Heaven upon the whole nation and pour out a blessing upon them that would overflow,not a blessing of finances but a blessing upon the land,God said he would rebuke the devourer he had sent to ravage the land beacuse of their sins.This what God is saying to them thru the prophet Malachi,the message has nothing to do with finances,not only that it is a message with a warning!This portion of scripture has been taken out of context and used to build a get rich quick scheme and sadly many have bought into the lies.God's blessings cannot be bought by giving your money,God does not promise anywhere in his word that if u give 10 bucks he will give u 100 bucks,that borders on pyramid garbage.God is more interested in our growth spiritually than how much our bank account grows and matures.Run from prosperity teaching,blab it and grab it,name it and claim it,health and prosperity.It will break you financially but most of all spiritually.
ReplyDeleteWhat if we worshiped under a brush arbor like some did many years ago.Would it be bring ye all the tithes to the brush arbor? Same thing for house churches. Whose house gets to be the storehouse? Pure bs from the hirelings as far as I am concerned.
ReplyDeleteOctober 16 at 11:28 - One major correction/clarification. God was not angry with "them" (the people) for not bringing the tithe. They were indeed bringing the tithe AND offerings. But, it was the priests who were keeping much of the tithes and offerings the people brought so it was never getting into the storehouse. Malachi was warning those priests to bring the WHOLE tithe (that which the people brought to God) into the storehouse as it was meant to be done by those giving it. That's why he used the word "rob." The priests were stealing the tithes and offerings by keeping it for themselves and their families. Pretty clear isn't it. Makes sense too. But you won't EVER hear a preacher proclaim it this way.
ReplyDeleteDog, ( And I hope you do not mind me calling you that) my entire 58 years on this earth, I have heard Southern Baptist ministers uses this same scripture to get their 10% or as they call it " God's 10%."
ReplyDeleteThey have scared people, promised people " blessings" and the entire time, they take Malachi out of context.....and then, these guys wonder why folks have trouble with clergymen? They have no one to blame but themselves.
If you have 12 minutes, here's an amusing look at tithing: The Trial of Pastor Jones
ReplyDeleteI am a Southern Baptist pastor who taught tithing for many years. The fact is, I did not study it, but accepted the doctrine as it was virtually SBC promoted. That is before I learned proper methods of studying God's word as to interpret Scripture, rightly dividing the word of truth. I cannot believe the obvious error and misunderstanding of God's word I once embraced. Now retired from the pastorate and teaching at a Christian college, I have had many students set free from the tithing doctrine and who have recounted its abuses in churches they served and observed.
ReplyDeleteJohn,
ReplyDeleteThey discussed this in a class I took at SWBTS, and Micah and the tithe was discussed......it was like it HAD to be preached to ensure that folks put money in the offering plate so you can be sure and be paid....it was at this point I knew the ministry wasn't for me...
I think it is time quit blogging and start protesting guys. This is clear exploitation of the flock! It is time to start an Occupy Church movement. Tithe teachers under the Torah DON'T preach the release of debt during the seventh year, do they? I had two Christian businessman that did not rid my debt credit this last year. Get the point.
ReplyDeleteJeff, the lord it over man of his church, must be in desperate need of a pay raise, benefits, and special perks. Most pastors live better than their congregations, for many of the members are on welfare and government medical insurance plans, all the while the pastors don't have to go out and get a job and work with their hands like the rest of us. The Apostle Paul would be proud of our American pastors, would he not?
ReplyDeleteIn sitting under a church/pastor/leadership system for years that promoted tithing, I would have to admit the day I heard the pastor say during his sermon, "My wife and I even tithe on our life insurance policy," that was the day I saw his wolf prints in the sand. To even boast and brag of such a thing to the laity, the pastor man must love the sound of his own voice.
I listened to the whole sermon (mostly) and will offer the following summary: Bla bla bla, something about skittles, bla bla bla.
ReplyDeleteI am not a member of FBCT but wish i lived closer so i could. I have visited the Church many times the past few years and have found Dr Schreve to be the hardest worker and one of the best preacher i have heard in my 40 years of church. You are a wolf in sheep clothing remember we all must give an answer for everything we say and do. Repent.
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