A Jawdropping Tithing Beatdown

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Tithing beatdowns are nothing new in churches. They have gone on for years. The usually come in the forms of: 1. God won't bless you unless you tithe a full 10% faithfully. 2. Expect God's judgement if you don't tithe consistently. 3. You are living in sin if not tithing. 4. You are stealing directly from God if you don't tithe. On top of the tithing sermons, there is the constant begging for money above the tithe. There are people sitting in the pews who don't know how they are gonna pay their power bills or had to scratch up gas money just to get to the chruch, while the church staff has money for vacations, nice cars, and nice clothes stand up there and try to guilt the congregation into giving more. This has always been an issue of mine. First of all, I interpret the New Testament Scripture on tithing different than most. I am not the only one, either. That aside, no matter how you view these Scriptures, some money manipulation is over-the-top. I go to a church that is constantly berating the congregation to give. There are people stuggling financially who are made to feel guilty because they don't give more. Youth are put on the spot and are made to feel less than worthy because they don't have the money for all the events and trips (of course, I also believe youth ministry takes away from the parents-that's just me though). Anyway, tonight I heard the most heart-breaking, angering tithing beatdown. It wasn't a part of the sermon. It wasn't a little reminder before the offering or during announcements. It was, of all things, at the end of the prayer. The pastor lovingly prayed for healing for those in the congregation who are suffering physically. Then he prayed earnestly for the people of Texas who have suffered so much loss. Then he prayed that his congregation would remember NOT to use their tithe money to help the people of Texas. He prayed they would share their resources and give to relief efforts, but strongly admonished NOT to use their tithes. He then suggested that they give offerings to the church above their tithes and let the church distribute those extra offerings for the relief effort. Maybe it is just me, but that really did not sit well with me. Well, its not just me, my best friend and youngest daughter was upset by this prayer as well. Somehow this prayer does not line up with the character of Jesus. I mean people are without homes, food, water. Some have lost family members. They have very little to nothing left and the preacher basically says, don't help them if you have to use your tithe money. Time to get off that rant, but I just can't shake this sick feeling.