Kregg Hood

Whenever I come across a book on tithing or spiritual giving or any other book toting the importance of giving money to the Church, or more appropriately, your church, I am a bit wary when I discover the author is a pastor, who, as you may not be aware, makes his income from the contributions of the church members.

If you’ll allow me a slight digression, my wife and I visited a new church once and attended a class for younger folk, in hopes of making some connections. However, before the class could actually start, the church’s business manager comes into the classroom, and after opening up in prayer, she mentions that the church is over-budget, because they recently hired a senior pastor, and that in order to meet the senior pastor’s salary, they’re actually losing money. This was followed by hints, ranging from subtle to oblique, to give money to the church. Getting over the shock that (a) a church has a business manager, and (b) a senior pastor has a set salary, my wife and I decided that this church was probably not for us.

So, you may say I’m biased when it comes to books spiritual giving. Yes, the Bible teaches about giving to the Church. But it also teaches about giving to the poor, and feeding the hungry, and all other things that your contributions to your church should be financing. Ultimately, it comes down to this: is 10% of your pre-tax salary better spent paying for the air condition in a megachurch or helping people in third world countries have ready access to clean drinking water, education, and medical care?

And that was the most vibrant point that came out of this book (Take God at His Word: Expect a Harvest), through no apparent intention of the book’s author (Kregg Hood). Hood, who, according to the back-matter has a PhD in instructional communication, but also has an undergraduate degree in ‘mathmatics’, is no longer a pastor. It’s interesting to note, actually, that he is now “senior vice president at AG Financial Solutions in the Load and Capital Solutions divisions” [kregghood.com/about]. Something to chew on. The point I mentioned was meant to illustrate how blessed we were to not live in a third-world country. My takeaway, though, was “Why don’t I send the money that way instead?”

The book is filled with sweet stories about how a guy-I-know gave money to a church with bills looming over his head, and the next day, he gets a check for the same amount. It’s also filled with biblical passages, most of which support a point of abundant giving yielding abundant receiving. Further, there are some over-the-top prayers beginning each chapter.

In a day and age where our only viable churches are run like businesses, where they generate a feel-good TV-friendly product that the customers/church members chew, swallow, and digest just in time to angrily swear at one another in the parking lot, isn’t it time we go back and take a look at the guy who actually started the whole thing? Jesus, after all, didn’t get senior pastor salaries. He didn’t air-condition the Sermon on the Mount. He made his living by the sweat of his brow, the work of his hands, and the kindness of those whose lives he touched. He openly criticized the rampant commercialism of the synagogues, and he even whupped some ass in the process. His deal was “feed my lambs,” not “pay off my Mustang.”

I feel that instead of giving to your church (a) because God commands it, or (b) because you want to get a return on your investment, or (c) because senior pastors ain’t cheap, I recommend this: give to where you feel your money would be best invested to serve God’s will. As for me? I’m going to not buy any more books written by Hood.… (más)