House Church Talk - TITHING DROPPED BY TWO-THIRDS??

[forwarded]

This, from a secret pal of the list ... I would be interested in seeing 
the original writer's sources.     --- David Anderson, mail forwarder

> MODERATOR:  I have recently heard figures reporting that
> church-giving in the USA has dropped by TWO-THIRDS just
> over the past year!  That is an astounding decrease. Rick 
> Joyner wrote recently: "There is presently a shocking malaise 
> that has come over the church. A Gallup poll revealed that 
> tithing was down nearly two-thirds in just the past year. Just 
> two years ago, right after the 9-11 attacks, church attendance 
> broke all records. Now it may be hitting its lowest levels per 
> capita in United States history...."
> 
> Below is an email from California relating to this:
> ***********************************************************
> From:           "Tim Wirth" 
> 
> I am now in California with the saints out here. People are 
> really starting to exit the church buildings because as the 
> economy gets tighter the offering money gets less and you 
> hear the preachers really put the hammer down because 
> many of them live very wealthy lifestyles which are now in 
> danger. 
> 
> I have also been dismayed at hearing preaching that 
> suggests if we don't pay God He will not protect us. Now 
> I believe you should give but Paul plainly set up the rules 
> for the New Testament churches in I Corinthians 16 and 
> 2 Cor 8-9. I think people see the pastor driving a Jag and 
> they are having a hard time paying the light bill - and I think 
> its a poor witness and I see this all through the Charismatic 
> church. Plus where is God's grace in all this? There is a lot 
> of the seed preaching that states if you want God to save 
> your loved one you had better give God something to work 
> with. Its funny (not really) but the original reason Martin 
> Luther got ticked off at the church was because they were 
> extorting money from the poor with claims of getting your 
> loved one out of Purgatory etc. Same lie - different package. 
> And it makes it tough for all the ministries that have good 
> hearts and do good in the community because everyone is 
> getting turned off from the church.
> 
> -Tim Wirth.
> ******************
> 
> PROPHETIC SUPERSITE - http://www.prophetic-apostolic.com
> 
> MODERATOR:
> Andrew Strom,
> Thunder Ministries,
> PO Box 12-1022,
> Henderson,
> West Auckland,
> New Zealand 1231.