BEYOND THE OFFERING: FAITHFUL GIVING WITHOUT GUILT, PRESSURE, OR CONFUSION
For generations, Christians have been taught that faithful giving means giving ten percent. Some were taught that tithing is an unquestionable biblical command. Others heard warnings from Malachi about "robbing God." Still others were promised that financial blessing would follow if they simply gave enough.
But what does the Bible actually teach?
In Beyond the Offering: Faithful Giving Without Guilt, Pressure or Confusion, pastor, chaplain, and business-trained ministry leader Major A. Stewart takes a thoughtful and practical look at one of the church's most important and sometimes uncomfortable conversations: money.
Stewart does not write to talk Christians out of tithing. He writes to help Christians understand tithing within the larger biblical calling of stewardship.
Beginning with the foundational truth that God owns everything, Beyond the Offering traces giving before the Mosaic Law, examines Israel's system of tithes and offerings, considers the often-debated words of Malachi, and follows the conversation into the teachings of Jesus and the New Testament church.
The result is neither legalism nor an excuse to give less.
The New Testament clearly calls Christians to intentional, systematic, proportionate, and generous giving. Although it does not plainly establish ten percent as a legal requirement for every Christian, Stewart shows why the biblical history of the tithe makes ten percent a meaningful, biblically informed benchmark and starting point for disciplined Christian giving.
But ten percent is not the finish line.
Through accessible biblical teaching and practical application, Beyond the Offering explores questions Christians actually ask:
- Should I tithe from my gross income or my take-home pay?
- What about Social Security, retirement income, investments, inheritances, or irregular income?
- Should all my giving go to my local church?
- What if I am deeply in debt or cannot afford ten percent right now?
- Does volunteering count as giving?
- What does sacrificial giving really mean?
- Does Malachi promise financial prosperity to people who tithe?
- What responsibility does the church have for how it handles the money people give?
- How should churches think about pastoral compensation, financial accountability, and transparency?
At the heart of the book is a simple progression:
Ownership → Stewardship → Responsibility → Generosity → Sacrifice
Stewart also turns the stewardship conversation toward the church itself. If Christians are expected to give faithfully, churches must handle those resources faithfully. Biblical stewardship requires integrity and accountability on both sides of the offering plate.
Written for individual Christians, pastors, ministry leaders, trustees, deacons, finance teams, small groups, and congregations, Beyond the Offering combines biblical conviction with pastoral sensitivity and practical wisdom.
This is not a book about finding the smallest amount a Christian can give and still feel faithful.
It is an invitation to ask a much bigger question:
"Lord, what do You want to accomplish through everything You have entrusted to me?"
Ten percent may be a milestone.
Christlike stewardship is the destination.
Customer Reviews
ThriftBooks ® and the ThriftBooks ® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC
