Thread: Church Revokes 92-Year-Old Woman's Membership for Not Tithing

Originally Posted by Quest

More disingenuous mocking..

Whatever Quest, I disagree I'm supporting a law breaker, I agree I'm a mocker. There's just no winning with you people.

Originally Posted by CatchyUsername

I really cannot fathom that you wrote this.

We are talking about a specific woman...a 92 year old woman who clearly had health problems and lived as a shut-in. What astounds me is how you and BAP cannot clearly see what is so clearly evident. That is this. Churches that have strict requirements in order to grace their doors is not what a real family is. A REAL CHURCH FAMILY has a heart for the weak. This scripture from Matthew 23:4 comes to mind (I am posting different translations for emphasis):



In this case, you know, the one from the OP, clearly the "Church" is wrong. The fact that you cannot just say that is astonishing. 12 pages later and your all appalled at this thread. Yeah, so am I, and the fact that you keep doubling down is, well....unbelievable. I honestly thought we'd have 100% agreement on this one because it's incredibly self-evident that the "Church" is in the wrong.

How about the "Church" ask the elderly lady how they can help? Maybe cook and clean for her? Maybe give her some financial assistance? God help us if even mature Christians like you and BAP cannot even see this.

But whatever.

Catchy, Please quit already !! What is it that BAP cannot see ?

In case you missed it here is what I said at the Onset ....

That said I know the woman is 92 I would expect a little more latitude from the church. Nonetheless I don't believe it's our place to judge the Church's actions

What I am against on this thread is

1) The rush to cast Judgement over a matter that one has only half heard
2) Your immediate willingness to make it about Tithing and the Tithe Doctrine in General.

Thats it !!!

Something to consider...in traditionally Black Baptist Churches (and maybe other denominations too) "tithing" wasn't taught as heavily as it has been in the past thirty or so years (more or less)..so maybe the older generation, in addition to my gm, they "gave", paid their 'dues', and yes, maybe even sold a chicken dinner or two in order to be able to give...so IMO it's not the fault of those who had spent most of their lives in churches that didn't teach tithing if they don't latch on to the modern tithe teaching..my gm's church taught GIVING, and when the pastor of thirty years passed away in 2001, and they elected their current pastor in 2004, he came in teaching tithing...most of the older folks in that church wasn't hearing that line and continued to do like they have always done...GIVE. But maybe when that generation fully passes off the scene, then maybe there will 100% compliance to tithe.

Originally Posted by krystian

Everyone including the nephew is making it sound like its only about money but its about financial support AND attendance.

In the video the nephew said his aunt was sick and a shut-in but according to the letter there are exemptions made in those cases. Now you have to wonder why none of the family notified the church that she was ill, they could have at least asked the church to pray for her since she was such a long term member.

Originally Posted by Pentecali

Why the family didn't notify the church? So it's the family's fault?

If the pastor had a true shepherd's heart, HE would be checking up on her...

That was addressed earlier...no one here knows all the details:

Originally Posted by krystian

How do we know that they didn't? For a nephew to be making that statement kind of implies that the lady has no immediate family, was she ill and shut in at a nursing facility? Again, we just don't know enough details.

Ya'll keep saying "we don't know the details", but yet there has been a rush to say Mrs. King is 'a lawbreaker', and "she knew the rules" and all that, but have not considered her side in all this...the nephew was the one speaking for her in the video, but there may be a reason why he was speaking for her...we don't know if she's in a nursing home, has dementia, or what her life circumstances are at the moment. Yet she has had her commitment to God and her church questioned..so there are unknowns on both sides

Originally Posted by FaithfulOne

Ya'll keep saying "we don't know the details", but yet there has been a rush to say Mrs. King is 'a lawbreaker', and "she knew the rules" and all that, but have not considered her side in all this...the nephew was the one speaking for her in the video, but there may be a reason why he was speaking for her...we don't know if she's in a nursing home, has dementia, or what her life circumstances are at the moment. Yet she has had her commitment to God and her church questioned..so there are unknowns on both sides

There has been no such rush dear.. Only Nikos has said that and i believe he is simply trying to emphasize the need for rules and structure ..not neccessarily to degnigrate the woman

Many here seem to believe that churches can run on abstractions such as "Love" and "Compassion" or that churches are "Family" Forgetting the fact that even families have bills to pay..

Originally Posted by FaithfulOne

Something to consider...in traditionally Black Baptist Churches (and maybe other denominations too) "tithing" wasn't taught as heavily as it has been in the past thirty or so years (more or less)..so maybe the older generation, in addition to my gm, they "gave", paid their 'dues', and yes, maybe even sold a chicken dinner or two in order to be able to give...so IMO it's not the fault of those who had spent most of their lives in churches that didn't teach tithing if they don't latch on to the modern tithe teaching..my gm's church taught GIVING, and when the pastor of thirty years passed away in 2001, and they elected their current pastor in 2004, he came in teaching tithing...most of the older folks in that church wasn't hearing that line and continued to do like they have always done...GIVE. But maybe when that generation fully passes off the scene, then maybe there will 100% compliance to tithe.

Good points...overall .. and I do appreciate the fact that you realize that there could be nuances unlike those here who ONLY think in black and white terms THAT this church must be evil

I'd expect a lot of churches to have some sort of membership fee whether it is a one time fee for administration costs or it is a yearly payment or whatever. The difference between incorporating the tithe into this membership fee and extracting a much smaller sum, for instance a flat $10 a month or 1 % or whatever is the reasons people will have for failing to pay. With a small sum it will (almost) invariably amount to having non-acceptable reasons for failing to pay. With a full blown tithe as a requirement for membership that is no longer so. The sums involved are sufficiently large that a church should try dialogue before sending out membership revokes, regardless. Especially if the person involved is or should be expected to be in a difficult financial situation. And even more so if the person has been a member for a number of years.

Originally Posted by Nikos

I don't preach for people to break rules. I expect people should honor the group they are in and if they can't then

GET OUT!

If this happened to my Mother who would now be over 100 yrs, I would withdraw membership and go to another church that I agreed with. I would not cause trouble or tell her to keep going there and cause trouble. God forbid that I would expect them to have mercy on her and let her come as a rule-breaker. No way!

She's causing trouble? Lord you see

If God had thought like that "Keep the rules - and I know you can if you try hard enough - or get out" then we would all be in hell.