New Kamp Krusty Feature: "If Jesus Had a Blog"

We FINALLY got an internet cafe in Galilee.  The ESSENES have DSL, and we're just getting dial-up.  That should tell you something!

Anyway, I was hanging out with some religious leaders.  They got on my case for not keeping their Favorite Rules (apparently, you HAVE to wash up before dinner, in accordance with scripture.)  I told them religious leaders love to have rules to make everyone else feel inadequate.  They "tithe", and stuff, but my Father doesn't care, because He's all about people having hearts for mercy, and justice, not the tithing rule.

Didn't fly very well.  :0

Posted 12:36 p.m.  in Category "Stuff I Was Talking About in Aramaic Today but Now I'm Typing in English"

12 Comments

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COMMENTS

Jesus, love ya, but I think you're throwing the baby out with the bathwater again, here.  There's nothing wrong with tithing, there's a lot of scriptural precedent for it.   

I "get" where you're coming from, a lot of the time, but this is a little too simplistic.  I encourage you to continue to learn and study. 

-- karifish777

I normally don't comment, but I had to come out of lurking here. 

"karifish" is right, Jesus.  It's easy to criticize and critique, but how exactly do we measure "mercy" and "justice"?   

Maybe pray about this and talk to your pastor about it.  Oh -- I forgot -- you don't HAVE a pastor!  (I still remember that "brood of vipers" entry...)

-- chapterboy21

J -- I usually love your blog, and I appreciate the need for "love", here, but you're basically saying (am I clear on this) that it doesn't matter if I give money or not? 

You go off on these guys, but they're following their convictions.  I appreciate your emphasis on having a heart for mercy, but that's not the only issue.  We need people to DO things that show their hearts, and tithing is part of that.  I'm glad I tithe.

My dad is a pastor, and I showed him your blog.  He said (no offense) you've probably got a thing with authority.  Anyway, I don't think you do, but you tend to over-simplify things.

-- buckeyesgo02

Dude, what are you smoking?

Honestly I love some of the funny stuff you post here (that cartoon of Herod was over-the-top, though) but this is just wrong, I'm sorry.  You are too reactionary against religious authority.  God put those authorities in your life.  Look it up in the Bible, the Word of God.  (I know, I know, I caught your post about how YOU are the word.  Didn't care for that, either.)

-- quiettimephil

OMG.  I *love* this. 

THANK YOU for posting this.  I have felt like a loser for so long, like I can't keep up with all the rules and everything my church is asking me to do and I feel like a failure as a single mom.  And you're saying you just want to see me love people!   

I'm crying. Thank you.

-- karen83

J-Train -- Love the blog.  Keep it comin' brother!

You do seem to lump all religious leaders together.  I appreciate your point, but the fact is, there are LOTS of great religious leaders out there.  You've got a little 'tude going on there, and you speak in big, blanket statements. 

Yes, our religious system is messed.  But we don't need to trash it.  We need to reform it.  Blasting our leaders doesn't help.  We NEED great religious leaders.  I just wish you'd acknowledge that. 

Anyway, just a thought from a brother.

-- agape4U

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-- yourmedsnow2323434

I linked to your blog from your woodworking site.  I had ordered a new wood pulpit, but now I'm going to cancel, now that I can see where your head is with regard to religious leaders and our system.

To be honest, I'm surprised you have a public platform in Christian ministry, and that you're still allowed to do it.  I wonder if your audiences knew what you really thought...would you still have a job?

-- preachtheword9021

Yeah, let's all stop tithing.  Let's stop obeying all the rules.  There won't be any pastors, and we won't be able to pay the bills for our churches.  Nice.

While I'm at it, I'll quit as worship pastor and give all my money to the poor.   Why don't you quit ripping on everything and tell us how church government is SUPPOSED to work?  You never detail that, you just rip, rip, rip.

-- jesusfreak777

Dude -- This story is CLASSIC.

This is why I try to link everyone to your blog.  In fact, my church-planting site is all about trying to get people to believe what you're saying.  You RULE, man. 

I'm so totally with you on the establishment, too.  The weird thing: Almost as soon as I get a new group of Jesus-blog-followers going, and then I try to recognize the mature SERVANTS among them, they all start ranking themselves, and jostling for position and attention.  Unbe-freaking-lievable. 

I write letters to them, telling them to quit putting rules on people, and then they make rules out of my letters.  Hellooooo?

Anyway, I used to be one of those guys putting rules on people, trying to make things complex.  Swet gig, that. THANKS -- seriously -- for putting me out of THAT job. 

-- saul_call_me_paul23

Love the blog.  I think you way over-simplify, and I don't think you're right on all this stuff.  But if you are, I  just wasted three years in seminary.

-- lutherules99192

i don't understand the tithe thing but i like yourblog and i read the thing about how kids rule and i liked that a lot

i like the little yellow flowers U made UR AWSOME

-- horsegirl1999

Comments

[Keith Giles]

Brant,

I am convinced that you are a genius.

How do I know? Because you think just like me.

Love ya,
kg

[ChestertonianRambler]

Um...well....but then....and you make a good...

**crickets**

[Heidi]

I guess someone should have warned you... you get burned at the stake more for "anti-tithing" talk than for any topic you could bring up. :)

It seems to be the one law that snuck around Jesus and the cross. We even had one pastor's wife tell us we were under a curse because we "give generously" rather than "tithe religiously." (ok, she didn't exactly say the religiously part... but she did call me all the time to tell me that so-and-so was being blessed for tithing, another was being cursed for not, and we should really start doing it... and no matter my words about giving, she insisted we HAD to call it tithing. Craziness! At least she didn't try and cast out that demon while I was eating chicken in public!)

Funny... but I thought it ALL was God's.

Blessings!
HW

[RevJeff]

Hey, where did the comment go that the KJV only guy posted? Is this JESUS BLOG about censorship? What an intolerant! I can't believe He'll ever make a difference with that type of approach!

- Just my 10%

;)

[Barb]

Please keep adding to this "if Jesus had a blog." This was one of my top favorites!

[cool dad]

Y0 J3$\/5! Got here through Brant's blog. He so crazy.

I heard about what you did on the Sea of Galilee. Simply amazing.

I wanted to know, can you help me RSS feed five thousand? I only have 7 subscribers, but I'd love to expand my blog audience and then put ads on my blog and then work from home! THEN I could really do great things for you, Lord! You just see!

[Becky]

cool dad, you are hilarious.

[nancy]

Maybe if some studied what the Old Testament says about tithing and then put it with what the New Testaments says...they would get the "tithing" statement.

Thanks again for a great post.

[kcillini77]

Great post in advance of my church's annual "Come Together" campaign where they will remind us of all the great things our church is doing so we know why we need to pledge support to make sure they are able to pay for the building they had built without having the money to do so in the first place because God is on the move.

[Matthew Tilley]

But didn't He really write a "blog" that we all should be reading?

[Seaton]

I want to know who's on His blogroll.

[Kevin Kitzmiller]

Some of you are too "religious" to get the point. And most of the time, Brant hits it on the nose, but like everyone else, says things that are better left unsaid - "Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise;When he closes his lips, he is Considered prudent." Proverbs 17:28 (sorry Brant, but even you pull a Driscoll sometimes, but i still like your points)

Point is, there alot of garbage being taught. And its man-made religious nonsense.
Like Raptures, Tribulations, and yes, Tithing among many others.

Our Father is more concerned about whether or not his Son, Jesus, is lord of your life. Which will reflect in your character and in your mind, thus, changing your heart. And if you cant seem to figure it out, read your bible.

Ever notice how 99% of the time you hear a teaching on tithing, it is when the elders are in a financial panic? The teaching itself is usually a manipulation practice. How hypocritical! Doesnt God say not to worry about such things?

[Brant]

Thanks, Kevin.

I confess to wondering what I say here that should be left unsaid. I hope you're not merely saying that I occasionally say things you disagree with.

Those two things shouldn't be confused. As to whether I could be wrong about whatever -- oh, heck yeah. Always possible.

The larger point is right-on, I think, about *missing* the point. Many (most) Christians I interact with seem to presume that pharisee-ism is a purely Jewish phenomenon, as if a "Bible-believing Christian" can't be one.

But they frequently are pharisees, even though none of them believe they are. They've been trained to believe they're "taking stands for truth and the Word," etc.

[George C]

Great point about the fact that people would try and correct Jesus......except for the fact that Jesus said they should pursue justice and mercy AND not neglect to tithe.

[From Brant: Respectfully, I don't think I stand corrected. As I put it, God "is all about people having hearts for mercy and justice, not the tithing rule."

That's disconsonant with Jesus's teaching? I see that as completely in line with Luke 11.

The whole conversation started because some passion-for-rules people got on Jesus's case for not keeping their rule.

If your point is that Jesus wants people to be generous and give out of love - well, yes, yes, He does want us to give, as Jesus told the pharisees. I agree.

Of course, the point of this entry wasn't to discuss tithing, but I realized when I typed it that people would have reactions to anything that might be taken to release people from a rule.]

[Chaotic Hammer]

God, I thank You that I'm not like those other blog commenters.

[Heidi]

Some of us aren't "too religious to get the point." Some of us are too blond! But I confess I eventually figured it out, and laughed a lot!

:)

[From Brant: No worries, Heidi. Your comment was interesting, too. Like I say, merely raising the spectre of the tithing issue can be enough to derail a larger point.]

[Mike T.]

I wonder if Jesus would have cast out demons of SPAM like -- yourmedsnow2323434.

[John]

The real Jesus was careful to tell the Pharisees to do both: tithe and do the weightier matters (Matt. 23:23). When you say, "My Father doesn't care," you leave the wrong impression. Apparently He does care, just not as much as He cares about the weightier matters.

[From Brant: At the risk of sounding defensive, I still disagree, darnit.

I mean, clearly He CARES about obeying a rule without a generous heart, because Jesus said "Woe to you..." He "cares" in the sense that He was ticked.

Frankly, I think if I had Jesus say, "My Father wants MERCY, not the religious ritual", I'd be getting the exact same objections. And yet, there it is in Hosea 6, point-blank.

But yes, I used "care" as a shorthand for "He doesn't desire this." Clearly, Jesus cared, because He was blasting the Pharisees for their addiction to rules over love.]

[Paula]

Weird...that was the scripture we studied last night at Elevate (our young adults program), in conjunction with the chapter in Hebrews about Melchizedek, Abraham and Jesus. Now THAT'S interesting.

[euphrony]

No, serious theological question here: would Jesus install a spam-blocker for His comments? Or would He allow the false-prophets (profits?) have their say and leave us to decide between them and Him?

[Jim]

Brant, you make me spew carbonated beverages through my nostrils. That hurts, bro!

The spam comment sent me over the edge. I think I have a hernia now.

[Steve Sensenig]

At the risk of perpetuating the off-topic comments about tithing, I think the Hebrews passage that Paula mentioned (Hebrews 7) is being misapplied with relationship to tithing (though I can't tell if Paula is siding with the common interpretation or not).

The point of the Hebrews passage is not a commandment to continue tithing. The author of Hebrews was using the tithe of Levi (through Abraham) to Melchizedek as a way of showing how a priesthood in the order of Melchizedek is superior to a priesthood in the order of Levi.

It is also important to note that Abraham did not tithe to Melchizedek any more than the one time mentioned (that we know of), and it was not a tithe of everything but a tenth "of the choicest spoils". It was not an ongoing requirement (in fact, it was never a requirement at all for Abraham!) or practice.

Furthermore, verse Hebrews 7:8 says that under this covenant, mortal men are NOT the ones collecting the tithe (contra common practice). So how can church leaders collect a tithe and claim that they are operating under the new covenant in doing so?

And yet another point to make is that Hebrews 7:18-19 states that the Law (which included tithing) could not perfect anyone and that the former commandment (which included tithing) was set aside.

[Da Bears Fan]

It's good to see you were productive while schlepping around Nash Vegas waiting to pick up your hardware. But, seriously, being the Son of God, don't you think He would have had a wireless cell card to direct connect to the Net? That would have been His first miracle.

[Rick]

More posts like this, and this thing will go viral. I just posted this over at my place. Those comments just kill me.

[Patch]

OMG! This amazing me how much Brant is getting beat up over the issue of tithing.

Listen, if you have to be told to do it, it's a rule!

Nobody tells you you have to feed your new born baby.

I wonder, if there wasn't a tithing rule, how much would Christians give to the poor. Do you love your neighbor? Do you give them help when they need it?

Of course, I could be wrong and this tithing thing may be out of love for you. Maybe you love that giant building you meet in each week. Maybe you love the mortgage payment your pastor has to make. Maybe you love that 24 channel sound board in the back of the sanctuary. Maybe you all ARE motivated by love!

The question has to be asked, if there was no salary would your pastor still teach each week? If there was no salary would your childrens ministry director still scrape glue of the tables? If there was no RULE that said you have to tithe, would still give as much?

You're all reacting the same way the religous leaders acted when Jesus over simplified things for them. You're a bunch of pharisees who take pride in your keeping "the rules" You should all be ashamed!