Misusing Scripture to Scare Christians: Gaines Suggests Non-Tithers Could Be Killed by God Just as Ananias and Sapphira

"As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell on the floor dead. God killed him....Every time a Christian refuses to tithe, they're just like Ananias and Sapphira. They're lying to God and they're stealing from God. If God treated us this morning in this room like He treated them in that day, how many people would be wrapped up in blankets and taken out the back door [dead]. Think about it. Think about it." Steve Gaines shamelessly misusing scripture to scare the sheep at Bellevue Baptist.
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How low does a "man of God" have to stoop to misuse his own holy scriptures to threaten his congregation with death if they don't tithe 10% of their income to his church each week? How spiritually blind must a preacher be to suggest that non-tithers might be killed by God for their stealing from and lying to God?

Last month Steve Gaines completely took the story of God killing Ananias and Sapphira out of context in Acts 5 and dared to tell his congregation that those who don't fork over 10% of their income to his church "are just like Ananias and Sapphira". He then poses the question of "how many people would be wrapped up in blankets and taken out the back door" if God dealt with his own sheep the same way that God dealt with Ananias and Sapphira.

The sick part of this is I really think really Steve is engaging in wishful thinking....he HOPES that God would strike at least a few non-tithers dead, as this might help prompt non-tithing recalcitrants to start forking over the prescribed 10%. In Gaines' view, if you don't tithe you're darned lucky God doesn't just strike you dead in the pew.

A couple of things that we as Christians must learn about these supposed holy men seminarians like Steve Gaines who again has misused scripture to get at our pocketbooks through guilt and fear and intimidation:

- this is a sign of desperation. Gaines is determined to use whatever means necessary to get his own sheep to fork over 1/10 of their income to his church. He every few months has accused them of being thieves, bankrobbers, and dealing in stolen goods. He has said God will make the children sick of those who don't tithe. He has even said soloists who don't tithe should not be singing in church.

- I believe Gaines knows full well what he is saying is a total fabrication and stretch of scripture. He is a Ph.D. graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. No credible theologian teaches that there is a connection between the Old Testament tithe and the story of Acts 5. To extrapolate that occurrence to the modern church, and to connect Ananias' and Sapphira's death to believers today who don't practice the law of tithing, is spiritual abuse perpetrated by Steve Gaines on the believers at Bellevue Baptist Church.

- Not only does the story of Ananias and Sapphira have nothing to do with tithing, but in 2000 years of church history there is no evidence to suggest that God still deals with his church in such a swift and drastic manner as killing people for their sin in church. Most scholars interpret this story as a warning against hypocrites in the church who deceive people with phony piety, who present themselves to the church as being super-spiritual to gain the favor and applause of men. Hmmm, so who REALLY might be subject to God's judgment in like manner as Ananias and Sapphira - non tithers or deceptive preachers?

- one of the most disturbing parts of Gaines' statements on this passage is when he says that he believes that Ananias and Sapphira were true believers! Of course! This is Gaines' way of again connecting their sin and death to his congregants. Even though you're under the blood of Jesus Christ, if you don't give 10% to your church, God might just strike you dead. This is how these first-fruits tithing preachers view the people who don't tithe: you are robbing God, you're not as devoted to God as they are, and you're worthy of a death sentence by God for your sin of not forking over 10% to their church.

- Steve Gaines should immediately apologize to his congregation. Other Christian leaders who watch this video should contact Gaines and ask him to publicly retract his remarks and apologize to believers everywhere. He won't do it, as these "holy men" will not publicly apologize. But at least his fellow seminarians should call him out for his abuse of scripture.

Steve Gaines' abuse of scripture, his attempts at painting himself as the pious tither and deceiving his congregants about what this scripture means, makes him more like Ananias and Sapphire than anyone else in his entire congregation. As he jabs his index finger at his congregation, three stubby fingers are pointing right back at him.

Repent, Steve Gaines, of your bible twisting and deception. Stop spiritually abusing the sheep at Bellevue Baptist Church over the Old Testament tithe. Trust God to move in the hearts of people to give generously, and stop the not-so-veiled threats of death and destruction directed toward God's people.

"Tithe or You're Dead" - A Satire Piece on Steve Gaines' Sermon Comparing Non-Tithers to Ananias and Sapphira

Below is a satire post by Matt Mundke at the "Steam Tunnel Pilot" blog that was posted today. It points to the absolute absurdity of Steve Gaines' March 2012 sermon in which he claims non-tithers might be killed by God, claiming "everytime a Christian refuses to tithe, they are just like Ananias and Sapphira".

I asked the blog owners for permission to post it on my blog in its entirety, and I heard back from Sergius Martin-george via email giving me his blessing to post all of it, graphics included! Thank you, Sergius!

Readers, don't miss the last paragraph - Matt quotes yours truly from my March 14, 2012 blog post - go to my blog post to see for yourself Steve Gaines in action, telling Christians they might be killed by God if they don't tithe.

Be sure to add the "Steam Tunnel Pilot" to your Google reader or Favorites list!

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Tithe or You're Dead

Though evangelicals generally eschew the euphemistic notion of a departed believer “spinning in his grave,” it’s hard not to imagine the posthumous subterranean pirouettes currently being executed by one Adrian Pierce Rogers, who went to his reward in 2005.  The twice-elected president of the Southern Baptist convention, known to most American evangelicals through his TV and radio ministries, served as senior pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in suburban Memphis, Tennessee, for more than three decades.   And while he was no stranger to theological controversy, Pastor Rogers has been spectacularly eclipsed in that department by his successor, 54-year-old Steve Gaines, whose latest pronouncement on Christian giving has raised a few eyebrows—though apparently, not nearly enough.

Pastor Steve Gaines of Bellevue Baptist Church
may need to call another press conference to explain
why his parishioners have been dropping dead

During Bellevue’s annual “Prove the Tithe Sunday” service, Pastor Gaines preached from Acts 5, a text containing one of the most dramatic incidents of the New Testament church: the judgment and sudden deaths of Ananias and Sapphira.  In a feat of eisegesis worthy of the Trinity Broadcasting Network, however, Steve Gaines, who holds a Ph.D. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, declared this passage to be about tithing:

“As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell on the floor dead. God killed him....Every time a Christian refuses to tithe, they're just like Ananias and Sapphira. They're lying to God and they're stealing from God. If God treated us this morning in this room like He treated them in that day, how many people would be wrapped up in blankets and taken out the back door [dead]. Think about it. Think about it.”

Thus, completing a sermon series called “Live Life,” Gaines placed the emphasis on sudden death.  It was only the beginning.     

NFL quarterback Tim Tebow, posing under the
famous crosses overlooking Interstate 40 on
the campus of Bellevue Baptist Church. 

Gaines made these comments on February, 5 but like the Trayvon Martin case, a very long incubation period has preceded their media saturation. Two factors are responsible for bringing this situation to the fore: attention from Christian bloggers such as Tom Rich of FBCJax Watchdog; and the fact that dozens of Gaines’s parishioners have been dropping dead. 

In his February sermon, Gaines graciously exempted visitors from tithing that day, all of whom left the church service alive.  But in the ensuing months, 108 of Bellevue’s 30,000 members have been considerably less fortunate.   More than half of those have died on the premises.  Post-mortem investigations by forensic accountants have demonstrated that nearly all of the deceased failed to contribute a minimum of 10 percent of their yearly gross income to the church. 

In recent weeks, vehicles from Kingdom
Ushers Funeral Services have taken Tim
Tebow's place

“Having people drop dead during the service can be distracting,” said Gaines in a rare interview.  “But on the plus side, it’s gotten folks really excited about tithing!”    Gaines reported that the first few weeks after Prove the Tithe Sunday were the most difficult, with 27 deaths occuring during the February 12 service.  “Our ushering crew really had a tough time.   The men in Acts 5 who carried out Ananias and Sapphira really knew what they were doing,” he said.  “But you’re only talking about two people.  What do you when dozens of people go down—during a service?  It can be very unruly.”

Help came from a very unlikely source, however, when the Benny Hinn Evangelistic Association offered the services of trained, professional “catchers,” those men you see during healing crusades whose responsibility it is to stand behind those “slain in the Spirit” by Benny Hinn, and catch them.   Brother Hinn flew a team of twenty catchers to Memphis free of charge in order to conduct training sessions on catching and “striking” felled believers from the premises. 

“It’s a little more challenging with the dead weight—if you’ll excuse that expression,” said Marty Nystrom, head usher at Bellevue.  But the Benny Hinn guys have been great.  They’ve been doing this for a long time and they really know what they’re doing.”

The death wave has proved a boon to local Funeral Home directors, most notably Les Apt, 57, of nearby Garden Meadows, Tennessee. The church has placed Apt on a retainer, a rare luxury in the undertaking industry.  In fact, so many parishioners have been dropping dead that the arrangement has become a “win-win” for all involved.   A fleet of hearses sits outside the church during all services, a commission which has enabled Apt to found a spin-off business, “Kingdom Ushers,” which is dedicated specifically to Bellevue’s departed non-tithers.  It has also led to terrific discount rates for the families of the victims.

         

At first blush, the campus of Bellevue looks like
that of any other megachurch.  A closer look at
the campus directory, however, reveals something
you don't see every day.

“I guess I was just in the right place at the right time,” Apt told us via Skype™.  “And yes, if you’re wondering, I do tithe.”   Apt reports that once Bellevue installed an on-site morgue (see photo), operations have become so efficient that he estimates they will soon be able to handle one hundred bodies in a single service, “Just in case.” 

But while some are marveling over the glory of God’s righteous judgment and the Church’s efficient response, others are perplexed at Pastor Steve Gaines’s atrocious pastoral theology.

Funeral director Les Apt is making a killing off of non-
tithers.  Graciously, though, he passes the savings
right on to their families.

“I believe Gaines knows full well what he is saying is a total fabrication and stretch of scripture,” writes Tom Rich of the FBCJax Watchdog blog.  “No credible theologian teaches that there is a connection between the Old Testament tithe and the story of Acts 5. Most scholars interpret this story as a warning against hypocrites in the church who deceive people with phony piety, who present themselves to the church as being super-spiritual to gain the favor and applause of men.   To extrapolate that occurrence to the modern church, and to connect Ananias’ and Sapphira’s death to believers today who don’t practice the law of tithing, is spiritual abuse perpetrated by Steve Gaines on the believers at Bellevue Baptist Church.”

Gaines: Non-Tithers Driving Stolen Cars, Living in Stolen Homes

And do not give any of your tithe "...to the Red Cross, or to Haiti, or to support orphans in Latin America...it goes to your church in an undesignated fashion." Steve Gaines, 1/31/10

[See Video Below]

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Steve Gaines has hit a new high (or low, depending on your perspective) in his storehouse tithing rhetoric. I really am grateful for Gaines in being so open and willing to put it all on the table to help show how ridiculous and hurtful his doctrine is.

Sunday morning 1/31/10 Gaines declared the following:

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"The reason some of you can't worship God is you're stealing from Him. You cannot be intimate with someone you're stealing from....Some of you have stolen from God and paid for other things, and that means you're living in a stolen house, you're driving a stolen car, you're wearing stolen clothes, you have stolen jewelry, you're sending your kids to school with stolen money."

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Yes, in Gaines' view of scripture, Christians who don't fork over 10% of their income, undesignated, to HIS church, are criminals dealing in stolen property. And don't think of sending your kids to a Christian school like your wealthy pastor...until you FIRST fork over 10% of your income to the pastor's church.

Here is another humdinger. This is a good one, because Gaines now takes his doctrine to its logical conclusion, that we all are powerless to help those in need around us UNTIL we first give 10% to the church.

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"You don't give that 10% to the Red Cross, or to Haiti, or to support orphans in Latin America, or to buy this or to help with a seminary or a college...it goes to your local church in an undesignated manner."

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If that be true, THANK GOD that not everyone is a Christian, else there would hardly be any money to give to Haiti - only those who are not Christian would be sending aid since only a tiny fraction of Christians have tithed in the past 100 years. Did you ever think you'd hear a preacher of the gospel tell Christians that they should NOT help the poor, the suffering, and the orphans? I didn't either, but those days are here.

Who is really the God robber? Who is the one really that is wearing stolen clothes and driving a stolen car?

If anyone in Gaines' church has had the Lord place on their heart to give generously to the Haiti relief effort, or to help orphans in Latin America but they are guilted by Gaines to instead fork that money over to his church, I would say the person that is robbing God is Doctor Steve Gaines.

Did I just say that? You better believe I did.

On one hand Gaines' comments make my blood boil that he is willing to push this garbage out to his sheep to accuse them of dealing in stolen property to fill his church coffers...but in another way we should be grateful to Gaines. He is willing to extend his storehouse tithing false teaching to its ridiculous, logical conclusion - and this may help some people see more clearly.

I have to wonder: how long before Bill O'Reilly puts Gaines up as a "pinhead" for telling his people they are sending their kids to school with stolen money, and telling people not to give to Haiti and to orphans, until they first give 10% to his church. And by God, you can't even give to the church and designate that the money go to relief. Nope. Undesignated, so that Steve Gaines and his men can do the designating. You're too stupid to designate. And you're a God robber.

My hope is that people at his church would hear his false doctrine and make up their minds to give less to his church, and more to meet the needs of people.

This sort of brazen manipulation and guilt tactics to get money out of people must be met with one thing: Good old fashioned American capitalism, where people vote with their feet and their pocketbook and take their charitable contributions ELSEWHERE...anywhere but this man's church.

Steve Gaines Elevates Tithing to an Old Testament "Commandment" That Must Be Obeyed

"When you're a Christian, the Holy Spirit of God lives in you and he will prompt you to do certain things. He will prompt you to read the bible and believe you're just supposed to do what it says. That's why I've never had a problem tithing...I read in the bible 'bring the whole tithe into the storehouse'...so when I see these commandments in scripture they're not suggestions, they are not just a few little helpful hints. But they are literally a commandment from God." Steve Gaines, 9/16/12, elevating tithing to the status of "commandment".

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Steve Gaines never disappoints. Every six months or so he always manages to come up with a new twist to coerce his church members to give more and more money.

He has called his church members thieves, accusing them of driving stolen cars and eating stolen food. He has said God will make non-tithers' kids sick. He has said non-tithers' finances are cursed. He has threatened them even with death at the hands of God who hates liars. He has even said Christians must give 10% to his church before they can give money to the Red Cross to help orphans in Latin America.

His latest absurdity is to state that not only are Christians obligated to tithe, but that if they are truly Christians, the Holy Spirit will prompt them to tithe, because tithing is a literal "commandment from God."

That is strange, because there are other "commandments" of God in the Old Testament - ones that are much clearer and direct than tithing - that I'm pretty sure the Holy Spirit is not directing Gaines to obey. However, Gaines doesn't explain how he is able to differentiate tithing from the other Old Testament statements such as:

"If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; " (Lev 20:13); or

"If someone has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and will not listen to them when they discipline him....then all the men of his town are to stone him to death. You must purge the evil from among you." (Deut 21:18-21)

It is a good thing the followers of Steve Gaines don't take his advice to "just do what the Bible says", else they would be killing homosexuals and stoning rebellious teenagers. But of course, when Gaines says "just do what the Bible says", he really means "just do what I tell you the Bible says". Let's hope a Bellevue satellite church in Guyana is not planned anytime soon.

Truth is, Gaines and his SBC mega-church cohorts are making this stuff up as they go along. The more over the edge they go with their fantastic stories and cherry-picking of laws in the Old Testament that serve their own self-interests, the more people are wising up - especially younger Christians who see these charletons for who they are, and unfortunately some are leaving the faith altogether.

Shame on you, Steve Gaines.

Steve Gaines Exports His Tithing Nonsense to Johnny Hunt's Church: Says Non-Tithers are Thieves, Shouldn't Be Allowed to Even Sing in Choir

"How can you say that you trust the Lord with your eternal soul if you don't trust Him with 10% of your money?....if you're not a tither you ought not to be singing in the choir and you ought not to be leading in any area of the church...some of you drove cars you stole from God...you won't get arrested, but I got news for you, God's got your number."

Steve Gaines is still at it, still preaching his tithing nonsense to church goers. This time he tried to sell it to Johnny Hunt's church members at First Baptist Church Woodstock on July 31, 2011, while Johnny Hunt was out of town on his annual summer sabbatical.

The lies and misrepresentations put forth by Gaines on this topic are absolutely breath-taking. In this short clip he does the following:

- mocks those who can't afford to tithe in these tough economic times, inferring that God does not understand or have mercy when a person suffers hardship and can't fork over 10% to their church;

- implies that a person who doesn't tithe is probably not a true believer, asking how a person can say they trust God with their soul, but they don't trust God with 10% of their income;

- said that tithing is "New Testament", and misused scripture by saying "Jesus said to do 'it' in Matthew 23:23". Not true. Jesus did not tell Christians they have to tithe in Matthew 23:23. But I'm sure Steve has been in touch with Jesus and knows Jesus meant to say that, and probably regrets that He wasn't clear enough on that point. Glad that Steve is speaking up for Jesus.

- said Jesus tithed, else "the Pharisees and Sadducees would have eaten him alive" for not tithing. Again, not true. Jesus was a carpenter, and the Old Testament tithe was for those in agriculture and who raised livestock. But again, Steve must have had a little one-on-one session with Jesus, or he has read some secret manuscripts that say Jesus tithed;

- told Johnny Hunt's church members that if they don't tithe, they shouldn't sing in the choir, or lead in any capacity in the church. Gaines once said that non-tithers shouldn't sing solos in the church: "I don't want to hear 'Betty the bank robber' warbling for Jesus" said Gaines. But at Woodstock he kicks it up a notch...now non-tithers shouldn't even be in the choir. Hard to believe a preacher would put an entry fee or price tag on being able to use one's musical gifts;

- he accused those who don't tithe of being thieves, driving stolen cars bought with money stolen from God. Says they won't get arrested, but "God's got your number"

Gaines is skilled. It is not easy to put that much nonsense and false doctrine in a 2 minute span of a sermon. It takes a real professional like Gaines to pull it off.

Discerning Christians need to consider this question: if these mega church pastors are willing to lie to us about what the bible says concerning our money, what else are they lying to us about to further their own personal agendas? What other doctrines are they selling from the pulpit that are not true?

I do thank Gaines, as his tithing rant from Sunday will serve as a perfect contrast to the final installment of Wade Burleson's sermon we've been looking at. One preacher heaps Old Testament law on the backs of believers, while another preacher dares to teach what the New Testament teaches concerning grace giving. What a contrast it will be.

And I would say if anyone was robbing God Sunday at Woodstock, it might be Gaines himself....ask First Baptist Woodstock how much they had to pay Gaines to come in and preach. My sources tell me a preacher may earn up to $5000 honorarium to preach on a Sunday morning and evening at a mega church.

Steve, perhaps YOU are the God robber, and perhaps God's got YOUR number.

Stop beating the sheep, Steve.

What it Looks Like When an SBC Mega Church Pastor Shakes Down His Congregation - Steve Gaines Strikes Again

Leave it to Steve Gaines to once again preach a whopper of a tithing sermon in this season of tithing madness.

His sermon on November 3rd, 2013 really was a shake down. Merriam-Webseter defines "shake down" as:

"The act of taking something (such as money) from someone by using threats or deception."

Gaines uses both threats AND deception in this sermon to try to convince his members they must give more to the church, else bad things might happen to them for "robbing God".

Gaines uses Malachi 3 to tell Christians at his church that the thought of "robbing God" scares him - with the obvious implication that those who don't tithe should be scared not to give 10% to his church. Watch the video.

I sure wish more Christians would wake up and see how terrible this is for a supposed "Man of God" to try to deceive people who really do believe the Bible, who really do look at him as a man sent to help them understand the Bible. He infers something bad will happen if they don't tithe, that they can't be intimate with God, and they can't fully worship God - unless they begin giving 10%. These preachers want to tell us that God loves us, and God forgives and forgets our sins - but that he also will work with "the devourer" to hurt us if we don't give 10% to the preacher's church. Which is it? They want us to believe God is some sort of mafia boss that collects on what he is owed. They make the gospel into "bad news".

Gaines then goes into great detail to brag about how HE has tithed every bit of his income his entire life, since he was cutting yards in Dyersburg, Tennessee as a little boy. If only the people would be as holy as Steve, they too could be as blessed as he is. Show us the tax returns, Steve.

And so ironic really: that of ALL the people in the building that morning who might possibly be "robbing God", it would be Steve himself. I mean if the people are giving money to the church, because it is God's money to do God's will - who is the one in the building who is taking most of it for himself to spend as he wishes? It is Steve himself who is taking hundreds of thousands of dollars per year to live a rather lavish lifestyle.

Lastly, Steve throws out this humdinger:

"If you can't trust God with 10% of your money, are you really going to tell me that you can you trust him with your soul?"

So you might not even be capable of being a Christian, of trusting God for salvation, unless you give 10%. That is spiritual abuse. It is a shake down.

People of Bellevue Baptist Church, I'm sorry that this preacher does this to you in your own church. I know that for several decades you had Adrian Rogers as your preacher, and now you have to put up with this nonsense.

But let me ask this question to you folks at Bellevue:

"If you can't trust Steve Gaines to be truthful regarding your finances, how can you trust him regarding matters of your soul?"

The Lying Continues: Steve Gaines Says Non-Tithers' Finances are Cursed, and They are Living in Stolen Houses, Eating Stolen Food

"Did you catch that? There are a lot of people in Memphis today, the 'curse' is upon their finances and they think they can't afford to tithe when they don't understand that's a lie from the devil and they're in bondage and they can't afford not to tithe. They're doing the very thing that is cursing their finances because they're stealing from God....there are too many Christians living in stolen houses, they've stolen that money from God. They're driving stolen cars, they're eating stolen groceries, they're wearing stolen jewelry and stolen clothes, they send their children to school with stolen money. Don't steal from God." Steve Gaines, 5/22/11

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When will the modern day mega churches stop lying to their congregations about what the bible says about Christian financial stewardship?

While Christians should be the picture of generosity to their culture, mega church pastors model the exact opposite behavior by greedily demanding 10% of the gross income of all parishioners, even the elderly on fixed income - and they have no fear of God in daring to use scriptures as a weapon against Christians.

The quote above, and the video below demonstrate just how shameless these preachers are getting. Have they no fear of the God they preach about? Steve Gaines of Bellevue Baptist Church doesn't even cut any slack for those on "fixed incomes", saying that it is fair that everyone, rich and poor alike, give 10% of their income. To the contrary, the lower the income, the deeper 10% cuts into the basic needs of the family. 10% to a poor family can hurt badly, while 10% of a rich person like a mega church pastor doesn't touch their basic needs. But Gaines himself being a wealthy mega church pastor, you wouldn't expect him to understand.

Gaines teaches what guys like Ed Young, Perry Noble, Robert Morris, and Mac Brunson teach: that the finances of Christians who don't tithe are under "the curse" placed by God, that God will send some sort of holy devourer - maybe God's angels named Moose and Rocco - to cause financial loss if you don't tithe. Gaines even says that people who are struggling financially are most often struggling precisely BECAUSE they do not tithe. Same nonsense that Paige Patterson preached to his students: I'm blessed because I tithe so much money, you college kids are poor because you don't. And they wonder why the secular media looks at Christians as though we are ignoramuses? They see our most prominent, successful preachers preaching illogical, non-biblical poppycock, and we tolerate it!

But this is the new trend these days with the tithing doctrine: to tell people that their money is cursed when they earn it, UNTIL they stroke a check to their local church, in the amount of 10% of their gross (not net) income to their church in an undesignated fashion.

It is a perversion of the gospel itself. The gospel says we are born sinners and we are under a curse, and we are in need of redemption, which is found at the moment we accept Jesus as our Savior, then the curse is removed and we have a relationship with God and eternal life. You give yourself to God, and you have salvation. The new tithing perversion says that at the moment you earn money, it is cursed, and it needs to be "redeemed" to have the curse removed. How do you remove the curse? How is it redeemed?

It is redeemed by YOU....like you gave yourself to God, you give your money to God, and the curse on your money is removed.

But there is a catch - to give your tithe to God so the curse on the rest is removed, you must give it to the church. You can't give any of the first 10% of your charitable giving to any missionary, or to the Red Cross, or even to your struggling neighbor or relative. Nope, it all must come to the church for church leaders to dole out, else all of your other money is cursed.

As Frank Viola says, this makes the gospel "bad news" for the poor. Your soul was redeemed by Jesus, but the blessings God has provided in the form of money for you and your family is actually cursed. And you have to do the hard work of redeeming your finances by forking 10% of it over to your church.

Gaines tells his congregation how he counsels people who have financial difficulties:

"I talk to people all the time, and they're having struggles in their finances. The first thing I ask them: 'do you tithe to your church?'...almost all the time they say 'no' if they're struggling with their finances. I say 'that's where you start.' They always say 'I can't afford to'. I say 'you can't afford not to, because until you do, the curse is on your finances.' "

Unbelievable. A pastor who is supposed to be a loving shepherd giving wrong advice, speaking of "the curse" that God has placed on their finances, blaming financial struggles they may have on their failure to fork over 10% to his church. This is a lie. It is not biblical, it is not even logical, and it is not borne out in anyway in the experience of Christians. Total rubbish, a ploy to attract more revenue from gullible people. It is a form of spiritual abuse.

The irony in all this: if there is any stealing from God going on in churches, it is the mega church pastors earning hefty salaries for themselves and their family members on staff (Gaines has multiple family members collecting paychecks from Bellevue) living lavish lifestyles.

Steve Gaines: look at yourself in the mirror, pal. You just might be driving a stolen car and living in a stolen car in God's eyes.

Here is a scripture for Gaines and the other tithing gospel teachers:

"Do not rob the poor, because he is poor... for the Lord will take up their case and plunder those who plunder them." Proverbs 22:22-23

On 9/11, Steve Gaines Pronounces God's Judgment on Non-Tithers: God Will Make Your Kids Sick, and Will Poke Holes in Your Purse

"God knows how to poke holes in your purses if you're not following Him. Those of you that are not tithing, you will not get that money yourselves. God's gonna poke a hole in your wallet, every kid you have is going to have a snotty nose, everything in your house is going to start to break, your car is going to break down and everything else. If you don't tithe, you'll never spend that extra money you're stealing from God." Steve Gaines, September 11, 2011.
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On 9/11, Steve Gaines once again delivers God's judgments from the Old Testament to Christians who don't obey the Old Testament laws of tithing. We need to update our gospel presentations, because apparently God is in the business of purposely punishing Christians who don't obey the Old Testament laws.

This time Gaines directs his message to women where they are most vulnerable: that if you don't tithe, ladies, your kids will "have snotty noses", and God will "poke holes in your purses". Notice the condescension in his voice in the video as he says "every kid you have..."

Strange, but I haven't heard Gaines yet pronouncing judgments on the men who haven't obeyed the Old Testament law of circumcision. Of course circumcision doesn't raise revenue at the church, so he leaves that law alone.

Gaines not only continues to put forth unbiblical teaching - putting Christians under the curses of the law when we know Christ became our curse - but it is absolute stupidity. You have to be a moron to not see the logical fallacies in his argument.

He is saying that your kids will get sick, because this will cost you money and his premise is that God won't let you keep money that you stole from him, the first 10% of your income.

But what if you have excellent health insurance and don't have to pay much to get treatment for your kids' illnesses? Then God would have to make your kids REALLY sick so you have to pay more out of pocket, right? Those of you with no health insurance, good for you, because God can give you a gut punch with just one trip to the doctor. Those of you with health insurance, well, God will have to really bring the hammer down on your kids.

Maybe the very wealthy who don't tithe, God will have to even deliver brain tumors, or leukemia to their kids to get all that money from them they are stealing from God. Dee at the Wartburg Watch has written about how their family went through the pain and sorrow of her daughter's brain tumor, from which she was completely healed. How irresponsible is it for Gaines to plant the idea in the mind of a young mother that her failure to tithe would somehow affect the health of her child?

But let's be real. 99.9% of the mothers sitting in the audience know that this guy is a self-serving windbag. They know there is no correlation between their giving and the health of their kids (except perhaps those who fork money over to their church instead of buying health insurance). The children of tithers aren't any healthier than those of non-tithers. People's fridges and cars and air conditioners break down regardless of whether they are tithing or not. People know it. They just tolerate Gaines's idiocy for whatever reason.

Gaines is not the first preacher lately who has misused this scripture from Hagaii to tell Christians that God will bring harm to their personal possessions if they don't tithe. Mac Brunson did it last November, in his sermon from Hagaii in which Brunson declared "God collects" on what he is owed, like some sort of cosmic loan shark.

If the Apostle Paul were alive today, he would stand and read the book of Galatians to guys like Brunson and Gaines. In Galatians Paul deals with the Judaizers - those who sought to put Christians under the Old Testament Law. When you get right down to it, that is what Gaines and Brunson are when they preach the Old Testament tithing law: they are Judaizers. Paul's answer to the attempts of the Judaizers was:

"However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, 'He who practices them shall live by them.' Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us..." Galatians 3:12-13

And I would remind all of us Christians, of Paul's strong words to those Christians who gave in and submitted to the demands of these Judaizers:

"Behold, I Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law." Galatians 5:2-3

Strong words for those who sit under the teaching of these men and can't discern the error that they are hearing.
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H/T: Chris Rosebrough's analysis on tithing, Fighting for the Faith, 9/8/11

Jacksonville Pastor Arrested for Living in a Stolen House!! Take THAT Steve Gaines!

One of Steve Gaines' most ridiculous lines when it comes to tithing, is to accuse his non-tithing church members of "living in stolen homes". In Gaines' very strange worldview, failure to fork over 10% of one's income to his church is a crime.

There is no evidence to suggest that any church member ever lived in a "stolen home". That would be pretty brazen to actually STEAL a home and live in it. Not sure how one would go about stealing a home.

But leave it to a PASTOR, oddly enough, to try to steal a home, and then live in it!

Yes, in my own hometown, a pastor was arrested Friday and accused of....get this....living in a stolen home!

Yes, Steve Gaines, one of your fellow pastors ACTUALLY is living in a stolen home!

As reported by WOKV radio, and by News4Jax, Pastor Marcelous Dunbar, who told News4Jax he is a pastor at Open Arms Christian Fellowship, took up residence in a $440,000 house as a "squatter" in an attempt to gain ownership under "adverse possession" provisions of an old Florida Statute. The family that bought the house this week was not able to move in until they got rid of the unwanted guest.

Pastor Dunbar said he was simply trying to eradicate the homeless problem in Jacksonville...by that he must mean his own homelessness.

And this isn't the only home that Pastor Dunbar is trying to steal! Apparently the good Pastor has figured out a scheme to claim "adverse possession" and has tried this at three other homes in the neighborhood! Only problem he would have to live there for 7 years, not just a few days. They must not have covered "adverse possession" in seminary. Oops.

How does a pastor go about living in a stolen home? According to Pastor Dunbar's arrest report:

"On September 20, 2011, the defendant went to the residence and drilled out the locks on the residence without the owner's consent. On September 21, 2011, the defendant occupied the residence again without the consent of the owner."

So, Steve Gaines, while no one was ever arrested for not tithing....your fellow pastor Marcelous Dunbar was arrested for grand theft and burglary for....living in a stolen home!

Church Members: Watch Out for the Shakedown Artists Posing as "Men-of-God"

Hi Readers, here is another article from the archives. Church members, during this season of tithing sermons and capital campaigns, be on the lookout for shakedown artists in he pulpit. Maybe this article will help you spot the charlatans and their gimmicks.

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Leave it to Steve Gaines to once again preach a whopper of a tithing sermon in this season of tithing madness.

His sermon on November 3rd, 2013 really was a shake down. Merriam-Webseter defines "shake down" as:

"The act of taking something (such as money) from someone by using threats or deception."

Gaines uses both threats AND deception in this sermon to try to convince his members they must give more to the church, else bad things might happen to them for "robbing God".

Gaines uses Malachi 3 to tell Christians at his church that the thought of "robbing God" scares him - with the obvious implication that those who don't tithe should be scared not to give 10% to his church. Watch the video.

I sure wish more Christians would wake up and see how terrible this is for a supposed "Man of God" to try to deceive people who really do believe the Bible, who really do look at him as a man sent to help them understand the Bible. He infers something bad will happen if they don't tithe, that they can't be intimate with God, and they can't fully worship God - unless they begin giving 10%. These preachers want to tell us that God loves us, and God forgives and forgets our sins - but that he also will work with "the devourer" to hurt us if we don't give 10% to the preacher's church. Which is it? They want us to believe God is some sort of mafia boss that collects on what he is owed. They make the gospel into "bad news".

Gaines then goes into great detail to brag about how HE has tithed every bit of his income his entire life, since he was cutting yards in Dyersburg, Tennessee as a little boy. If only the people would be as holy as Steve, they too could be as blessed as he is. Show us the tax returns, Steve.

And so ironic really: that of ALL the people in the building that morning who might possibly be "robbing God", it would be Steve himself. I mean if the people are giving money to the church, because it is God's money to do God's will - who is the one in the building who is taking most of it for himself to spend as he wishes? It is Steve himself who is taking hundreds of thousands of dollars per year to live a rather lavish lifestyle.

Lastly, Steve throws out this humdinger:

"If you can't trust God with 10% of your money, are you really going to tell me that you can you trust him with your soul?"

So you might not even be capable of being a Christian, of trusting God for salvation, unless you give 10%. That is spiritual abuse. It is a shake down.

People of Bellevue Baptist Church, I'm sorry that this preacher does this to you in your own church. I know that for several decades you had Adrian Rogers as your preacher, and now you have to put up with this nonsense.

But let me ask this question to you folks at Bellevue:

"If you can't trust Steve Gaines to be truthful regarding your finances, how can you trust him regarding matters of your soul?"

Modern Day "Circuit Riders": Traveling Mega Church Pastors Finding Another Way to Fleece the Flocks and Recycle Their Sermons

In the late 1700s and early 1800s, the Methodists used "circuit rider" preachers to minister to rural flocks. In our modern evangelical mega church world, we have our own sort of "circuit rider" - the traveling mega church preacher fleecing congregations by accepting large sums of money for recycled sermons at churches they visit.

Just look at who is preaching where this summer, and you see a virtual guest-speaker fest. It is hard to keep track of 'em all. Johnny Hunt goes on sabbatical, and Woodstock has to not only continue to pay Hunt's salary and bennies, they have to pay to bring in some big name preachers to preach the word.

Steve Gaines was preaching at Johnny Hunt's church last Sunday on his vacation, then on Wednesday he preached at Charles Stanley's church. Not bad, get your vacation fully paid by popping into a few churches to recycle an old sermon and tell the peeps they're thieves unless they give the magical 10%. Gaines' church in turn has to hire speakers for the Sunday night sermons in August. [correction: Gaines' church brings in the big guns on Wednesday nights in August, has for several years]. Mac Brunson is a regular on the preaching circuit as I've blogged about before.

The emergents are masters at this. They travel to each others' churches and conferences and push their books, and expand their market for selling their Holy Land trips and building their brand image.

My word, Steve Gaines is even taking speaking gigs at the Assemblies of God functions!

Jack Graham of Prestonwood Baptist Church flew out to Charlotte to be at emergent Steven Furtick's church this weekend, while Kevin Ezell comes to Prestonwood to fill in for Pastor Jack. It is a musical chairs of preachers during the summer as they earn extra scratch for their new boat or condo.

Why do they do this? Of course they will tell you they have the most noble of intentions. They are just spreading the gospel, right?

No, not really. It is another example of how the great masses in mega churches are fleeced by greedy mega men of God. Their sermons are already on the Internet, and we don't need to fly them in. It is all completely unnecessary. You want to hear Perry Noble tell you you're scum? Go to his website. Want to hear the latest tithing nonsense? Dial up Gaines or Young on your browser. You don't need to fly him in to the church. Besides, can't other staff members at the church fill in for the mega church pastor who is on vacation or sabbatical? The sad answer is no, they can't, because they aren't celebrities. Many worshippers view Johnny Hunt preaching behind their pulpit in the same way a giggling high school girl would see Justin Beiber crooning at their high school. It is all about celebrity.

Insiders tell me that visiting preachers at mega churches will earn up to $3000 for a Sunday morning sermon, or $5000 if they do the hard work of staying over and preaching the Sunday evening sermon also. But I'm sure they have not one iota of guilt, since they tithe on the money, which makes them super spiritual.

Not bad scratch. If they earn $3000 in addition to their travel, meals and lodging, that is about $100 per minute for an average 30-minute sermon. Not an hour. A MINUTE. That is professional baseball player per minute money. While churches everywhere are seeing their revenue continue to decline, the mega church pastors are hot and heavy to get out on the circuit to get their share of the visiting preacher dollars.

And usually what they are preaching is a sermon that is recycled from one they just were paid to prepare and preach at their mega church. Nothing new or fresh. Mac Brunson does it. Johnny Hunt does it. Steve Gaines does it. The master is Ergun Caner - as for years and years he was preaching virtually the same story, same jokes and lines at churches all over the country.

Sometimes preachers are brought in to do the dirty work of the pastor. One of the more brazen moves was Perry Noble of NewSpring church hiring Robert Morris to come in for two straight weeks to beat up the sheep over tithing, telling them of the curse on them and their money unless they gave Perry's church 10% of their income. Shameless.

And don't get me started on the Holy Land trips and luxury cruises hosted by the pastor and his family. I'm just amazed that in these days where governments at all levels are searching for creative ways to gain new revenue that they haven't figured out there is an entire market that continues to operate tax-free.

So next time the visiting mega church preacher shows up at your church, put a little extra in the offering plate for the poor traveling preacher.

Next thing you know, we'll have preachers pushing multi-level marketing schemes in their churches.

Modern Day "Circuit Riders": Traveling Mega Church Pastors Finding Another Way to Fleece the Flocks and Recycle Their Sermons

In the next installment of the best of the FBC Jax Watchdog, I am posting an updated and revised article from 2011 on Modern Day Circuit Riders. Nothing has changed since this article first posted - preachers double-dipping by recycling their sermons on the preaching circuit. Another method to fleece the sheep.

Enjoy.

FBC Jax Watchdog

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In the late 1700s and early 1800s, the Methodists used "circuit rider" preachers to minister to rural flocks. In our modern evangelical mega church world, we have our own sort of "circuit rider" - the traveling mega church preacher fleecing congregations by accepting large sums of money for recycled sermons at churches they visit.

Just look at who was preaching where this summer [2001], and you see a virtual guest-speaker fest. It is hard to keep track of 'em all. Johnny Hunt goes on sabbatical, and Woodstock has to not only continue to pay Hunt's salary and bennies, they have to pay to bring in some big name preachers to preach the word.

Steve Gaines was preaching at Johnny Hunt's church last Sunday on his vacation, then on Wednesday he preached at Charles Stanley's church. Not bad, get your vacation fully paid by popping into a few churches to recycle an old sermon and tell the peeps they're thieves unless they give the magical 10%. Gaines' church in turn has to hire speakers for the Sunday night sermons in August. [correction: Gaines' church brings in the big guns on Wednesday nights in August, has for several years].

The emergents are masters at this. They travel to each others' churches and conferences and push their books, and expand their market for selling their Holy Land trips and building their brand image.

My word, Steve Gaines is even taking speaking gigs at the Assemblies of God functions!

Jack Graham of Prestonwood Baptist Church flew out to Charlotte to be at emergent Steven Furtick's church this weekend, while Kevin Ezell comes to Prestonwood to fill in for Pastor Jack. It is a musical chairs of preachers during the summer as they earn extra scratch for their new boat or condo.

Why do they do this? Of course they will tell you they have the most noble of intentions. They are just spreading the gospel, right?

No, not really. It is another example of how the great masses in mega churches are fleeced by greedy mega men of God. Their sermons are already on the Internet, and we don't need to fly them in. It is all completely unnecessary. You want to hear Perry Noble tell you you're scum? Go to his website. Want to hear the latest tithing nonsense? Dial up Gaines or Young on your browser. You don't need to fly him in to the church. Besides, can't other staff members at the church fill in for the mega church pastor who is on vacation or sabbatical? The sad answer is no, they can't, because they aren't celebrities. Many worshipers view Johnny Hunt preaching behind their pulpit in the same way a giggling high school girl would see Justin Beiber crooning at their high school. It is all about celebrity.

Insiders tell me that visiting preachers at mega churches will earn up to $3000 for a Sunday morning sermon, or $5000 if they do the hard work of staying over and preaching the Sunday evening sermon also. But I'm sure they have not one iota of guilt, since they tithe on the money, which makes them super spiritual.

Not bad scratch. If they earn $3000 in addition to their travel, meals and lodging, that is about $100 per minute for an average 30-minute sermon. Not an hour. A MINUTE. That is professional baseball player per minute money. While churches everywhere are seeing their revenue continue to decline, the mega church pastors are hot and heavy to get out on the circuit to get their share of the visiting preacher dollars.

And usually what they are preaching is a sermon that is recycled from one they just were paid to prepare and preach at their mega church. Nothing new or fresh. Johnny Hunt does it. Steve Gaines does it. The master was Ergun Caner - as for years and years he was preaching virtually the same story, same jokes and lines at churches all over the country.

Sometimes preachers are brought in to do the dirty work of the pastor. One of the more brazen moves was Perry Noble of NewSpring church hiring Robert Morris to come in for two straight weeks to beat up the sheep over tithing, telling them of the curse on them and their money unless they gave Perry's church 10% of their income. Shameless.

And don't get me started on the Holy Land trips and luxury cruises hosted by the pastor and his family. I'm just amazed that in these days where governments at all levels are searching for creative ways to gain new revenue that they haven't figured out there is an entire market that continues to operate tax-free.

So next time the visiting mega church preacher shows up at your church, put a little extra in the offering plate for the poor traveling preacher.

And the next time YOUR mega church pastor takes a sabbatical, you might be shocked to see him preaching the very same sermon multiple times out on the circuit. And the crowds will be eating it up.

"10%....Undesignated...No Exceptions"

"10 percent to the budget of your church in an undesignated fashion, no exceptions."

That is Steve Gaines' definition of what it means to storehouse tithe. He speaks with authority, as one who knows the scripture, and is telling his people exactly what God expects. He clearly explains that all of your 10% must come to the church, not to any other Christian organizations or charities. ALL TO YOUR CHURCH. And you can't give to any other causes until you have first met the 10% tithe to the church.

God wants 10%. And God wants it now. And he wants it undesignated. And God allows no exceptions. None. So says Steve Gaines.

He doesn't have time to explain where in scripture, OT or NT this clear command comes from.

And wants us all to know: there are no exceptions. Period.

Strange, even the IRS who demands 20% or more from us gives us some leeway. If our income is low, or we had excessive medical expenses, or we gave some of our money to worthwhile charities, the IRS does give us some exceptions.

But not the mega church preachers. They want 10 percent. Not to any charity. They want it ALL to their church. No exceptions.

I would love for Bill O'Reilly's body language expert, Tanya Reiman, to analyze Gaines' body language as he says this to his congregation. Notice his slow eye close as he declares "..in an un-designated fashion...", with a slight emphasis on "un" and then the slight pause for effect. Its as though he is saying he will say it ONE MORE time for those of you who don't get it, and he's tired of having to say it. There seems to be a bit of contempt as he says it. Almost a threat.

I almost expected Rodney Dangerfield to come out and declare "Moose, Rocco, help the judge find his checkbook, will ya?" Or I thought Gaines was going to explain the tithe was to be given in unmarked bills, all 10's and 20's, left in a black brief case behind the Waffle House Saturday night.

But you have to hand it to this guy. He believes in the storehouse tithe, and is not afraid to ratchet up the requirements and speak them as gospel. Wow.

Steve says finances are what can define a man or woman as being "right". Says Gaines: "If a man or woman is not right in his finances, he's not right." OK, so I lose my job, debt up to my eyeballs, and my home is being foreclosed, my creditors are beating my door down, and my finances are a wreck. I guess I'm not right. I need to repent. Thanks, pastor.

He declares if you're not at 10%, you're not even close to what God wants. I think, Pastor Gaines, that YOU might not be even close to what God wants in a preacher....perhaps God wants the full 23 1/3%. Or perhaps he wants you to stop throwing percentages around and let the Holy Spirit work on Christians. Maybe he wants 50% of your mammoth salary in order for you to be a generous, sacrificial giver as the New Testament says.

"Moose, Rocco, help Mrs. Jones find her pocketbook." And maybe Mrs. Jones says "Steve, you'll get nothing, and like it!"

"Bring Ye All the UNDESIGNATED Tithe to My Church...Now"

Before we continue looking at what John McArthur has taught on the topic of storehouse tithing, let's look at a timely example of a storehouse tithing preacher and the tactics used to raise end-of-year revenue using the storehouse tithing doctrine.. The preacher is Steve Gaines of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. Below is a video that shows Gaines from this past Sunday (12/6/09) using the storehouse tithe doctrine, with a special twist, to encourage his people to give more money, and to give it ONLY to his church.

In the video you see the familiar tactics that the hard-core storehouse tithers use, and a few new ones:

- the twist this preacher uses that I haven't seen before, is he is calling not just for a 10% tithe, but he wants it given as "undesignated". I wonder how necessary it is to actually say that. Most people who give regularly to their church, do so without designating a particular budget item. If they do designate, its usually into a capital fund. Are there givers that are giving significant sums to a capital fund? If so, so what, let them give as they purpose in their hearts to give! Is it his place to tell people how to give? He seems to imply that giving to a captial fund or to a designated fund is not obedient storehouse tithing.

- this preacher emphatically tells his congregation to support NO other ministries with the first 10% of their charitable giving. He says that people will be bombarded with requests for money this time of year from "everybody and their brother", and they are to not give to these unless it is over and above the 10%. If a man in that church is able to give say 5%, or $400 per month, is he really obligated by God to give it ALL to this preacher's church? I know the preacher PREFERS it all be given to his church, but really, does God demand that it ALL go to Steve Gaines' church? If so, where in scripture does it command this as an act obedience? Would it be disobedient for someone to support another ministry like a local rescue mission, or even to help a single mom whose car needs repairs with their first 10%? This strong, emphatic call for ALL of the FIRST 10% is perhaps one of the most arrogant and greedy parts of the storehouse tithe doctrine. But it works, apparently.

- he talks about "unwritten checks" - apparently those you did NOT write to his church - as showing the condition of your heart. Amen! Perhaps if people stop forking over all of their charitable money to the mega churches and to other worthwhile charities, these "unwritten checks" will show them to have a discerning spirit!

- one positive note: at least this guy has some soft music playing, and uses his "prayer voice" to ask for the money, at least in the first part of the video, and actually does thank his church for their generosity. If you're going to tell me God Almighty has told me I need to give 10% of my money to your church as a test of my obedience, please set the mood right and be gentle. :)

- he has someone give a testimony of a wonderful ministry that their tithes are paying for. This would be a good tactic, if any measurable percentage of the money was actually paying for that ministry. This minister offers an example that really doesn't cost any money, as an example of what their money is paying for. Do they think the sheep are that stupid?

- the preacher calls the giving a wise "spiritual investment". Make the sheep believe that their gift is an "investment". Televangelists use this verbiage quite a bit...even going so far as to encouraging people to get their investment money and "put it in the kingdom" to earn a higher return! One televangelist recently told viewers that instead of putting aside money for their children's college, they should take that same money and "invest" it in his ministry and God will give them a much greater financial return.

- the power of a personal testimony of a storehouse tither is used. These testimonies are very persuasive. People in the pews who are giving generously, but not 10% will feel a sense of guilt to get to 10% so they too can be blessed, and be obedient to God. Notice the terminology used by the man and woman giving the testimony. No doubt they are very sincere, but they speak of the tithe as "an act of obedience", a "test of my faithfulness", tithing is what "the Lord has commanded". The woman mentions "the Malachi 3:10 thing", and apparently has been tithing all of her life. We'll look at this "Malachi 3:10 thing" a bit later.

Enjoy the video, and I look forward to more discussion!

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"Tithing is not synonymous with giving. Tithing means to literally give 10% of your income to the work of the Lord in your church in an undesignated fashion. It was brought to the storehouse in Malachi Chapter 3 and all over the Old Testament. And in the New Testament, Jesus affirmed it as well when he was talking with folks....and I know at the end of the year you're going to have everybody and their brother sayin': 'Give to our cause, give to our cause'. Just remember though, God wants your tithe to go to your local church. And this local church is not just spending that money to build buildings and all that kinda stuff, we're putting that money back into the lives of people, to help people, so they can know about Jesus Christ. So I want to encourage you, even though a lot of people are going to be sayin' 'We need this and that', you pray about that and give to them if you're led to, but don't give your tithe, your tithe goes to your church......[then later when preaching]....What about unwritten checks?...Jesus said 'where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.' And I'm telling you, the way you spend your money shows the condition of your heart. How is your heart? Are you tithing? I tell you, that's to be an undesignated check to this church if you're a member of Bellevue. Your tithe goes to the general fund, the budget of Bellevue, it doesn't go to anyplace else. Offerings above that if you're led by the Holy Spirit, fine, but your tithe goes to the budget of this church." - Steve Gaines 12/6/09

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Watch Steve Gaines on Tithing in Faith & Lifestyle View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

More Ordaining of Political Candidates at SBC Mega Churches

Who would have thought that just six years after the Vines, Lindsay, and Rogers era at FBC Jax and Bellevue Baptist Church that political candidates would be featured as part of the worship services. The pulpits where men simply proclaimed the good news of Jesus Christ are now used by preachers to promote their preferred candidates for political office.

It happened last May with Mac Brunson performing a "laying on of hands" ceremony and pious prayer for mayoral candidate and FBC Jax member Mike Hogan. Then, last Sunday we are treated to Steve Gaines holding a similar ceremony for presidential hopeful Rick Santorum.

Steve Gaines brought up Rick Santorum and his wife to the Bellevue Baptist platform and had two men lay hands on Rick as Steve offered up a most holy and humble prayer. While sappy music played softly in the background, Steve asked for the congregation to "lift your hands up your hands toward these people like you're touching them and you'll be touching them in the spirit."

Then they all sang "Kum-bay-ya".

Of course Brunson and Gaines try to mask their efforts by trying to sound non-partisan. Gaines said multiple times that anybody can come to worship whether they be Republican, Democrat or Independent.

But only conservative Republicans get the laying on of hands by the holy men of Bellevue and FBC Jax.

Steve and Donna Gaines Give Their Church Members Another Reason to Tithe: God Has a Mortgage Refi Waiting For You!

Another sad spectacle at the Bellevue Baptist Church this past Sunday

Steve and Donna Gaines told their church that when you tithe, "good things happen"...as Donna Gaines told a story about a woman she knows that knows a woman, who got a lower monthly mortgage payment after she "obeyed God" and tithed:

"This lady had been praying and really asking the Lord to give her the strength and the courage to obey him to tithe. And she was really having a hard time with it because she felt like she didn't quite have enough money to make her mortgage payment...Monday she didn't do it, Tuesday she couldn't get away from it, so she went on line, and she tithed. 

On Wednesday she called her mortgage company to tell them she didn't think she was going to quite enough and ask if they would her get on some sort of a payment plan to pay it off, and the mortgage company said 'Well, I want to tell you something, your mortgage was bought by another company and your mortgage has been flagged and we are piloting a program and your mortgage was chosen and we are lowering your mortgage.' And she needed her mortgage to be $1000 a month, and they lowered it $400 to $1069. And she believed it was the Lord showing her 'I am faithful.' "

And then Steve Gaines immediately followed that story with this wonderful interpretation:

"You know what that is? When you obey God, good things happen. You're waiting for God to bless you before you obey him. God will bless you WHEN you obey him. You've got to be committed to the will of God.

Well, Steve, I guess I just had the Christian message wrong all along. I didn't know that God was in heaven waiting to bless me AFTER I obey him in the matter of giving money to your ministry. Not much difference between Steve and Donna's story and the zaniness of Peter Popoff. Peter tells miraculous testimonies of how people get more money when they sprinkle his miracle water on their forehead - and after they sow a seed to his ministry, of course.

This kind of tithing nonsense is hurting the church. I know the likes of Perry Noble have their cult following and are growing massive churches using tithing fables - but this won't last. People are seeing it and will see these lies for what they are and it will drive them AWAY from the church.

The God that Steve and Donna are preaching with this tithing and blessing nonsense is a God that intervenes in a person's life if they prove their obedience by giving money to their church that they can't afford to give...but a God that apparently isn't so interested in intervening in healing a cancer-stricken child, or intervening when the molester abducts a child.

Their God is a God who is watching your pocketbook, and blesses those who give 10%, and curses and holds back blessings from those who don't. He'll even sandbag and keep a father and son estranged until dad comes to his senses and starts tithing.

Like Ronnie Floyd said a few weeks ago:

"That's not the God I know."

Gaines: 'Betty the Bank Robber' Can't Warble for Jesus In My Church

One thing we have to acknowledge about Steve Gaines and his views on tithing and recent accusations against non-tithers dealing in stolen goods: Gaines is consistent. Last Sunday (1/31/10) was not the first time he has said such outragous statements about his brothers and sisters in Christ who may be obedient to God in giving sacrificially, but not meeting Gaines' 10% undesignated threshold.

In July 2003, Gaines made the following statement at Union University:

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"Number one...you have to sign this covenant to sing a solo in our church...and I don't want to hear 'Betty the Bank Robber' warble about Jesus, Amen? I don't want some thief up there singing a solo."

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So in Gaines' view of stewardship, a person cannot stand up in his church and sing praises to Jesus Christ unless they are forking over 10% undesignated to the budget of his church.

The warped doctrine itself is bad enough, but what is particularly troubling is how much disdain he must have for lay people to refer to a woman soloist as "Betty the Bank Robber". To Gaines, its apparent that your worth in his church and in the kingdom of God starts and stops with whether you give 10% to his church undesignated. If you do, you're invited to leadership. If you don't, then you can't even sing a solo in his church.

Another troubling aspect of Gaines' comments about "Betty the Bank Robber" is the audience to whom he made these remarks. He made them to seminary students. Future preachers. He is dishing out this garbage to these future preachers, so that they may implement his views. He is pushing it out to the younger generation. It must be very difficult to love the people you shepherd when you've been taught that 97.5% of them are thieves and bankrobbers and are stealing from God.

A few other choice comments from Gaines Union University sermon:

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"We define tithing in this way: storehouse tithing, 10% undesignated to the budget of the church. And we check it. In fact if they don't tithe, they don't even get asked to be a leader in our church. Now I don't check it, but the finance committee does, and you know, they give him some leeway. But you show me a guy who is living in a nice house, and driving two nice cars and is giving a thousand bucks a year to the church, he's not tithing and I don't want him as a leader. Are you OK? You say 'I don't think that's right'. You know what, he's a thief, and I don't want a thief as a deacon. He's stealing from God."

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I came across this video of Creflo Dollar, in which he describes his desire to take non-tithers, line them up in front of the church, give uzi's to all the ushers, and have them shot and buried out in back of the church so that God would show up at their service.

As I've said before, the one common doctrine shared by ALL these different sects of Christianity: SBC mega church pastors, the health and wealth prosperity prechers, the emerging church leaders....all who slam each other for their other varying doctrines...but they all share one thing in common:

They want 10% of your money in their church coffers, and they will use the Bible to convince people that this is what God wants too; in fact they declare they KNOW that is what God demands for you to have favor with God.

Shameful.