Get a copy of the paperback book at Book Baby on June 1 and the ebook now: Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway? https://store.bookbaby.com/book/kleptomaniac
In about 27 days, ladies and gentlemen, on June 1, the scholastic, theological manifesto on tithing will hit the publishing world by storm. If you judge this book, KLEPTOMANIAC: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway? by its cover, you will miss an educational scriptural journey of a lifetime. Yes, this book concerns a subject that’s been talked about since the second century. Tithing and giving is a pre-occupation of most churches and believers but does the practice today look anything like the historical practice of the biblical people based on the land, language and literature of a bygone era? This book will take you on a fantastic theological, scriptural expedition into the tithing practices of the Hebrew/Israelite people to uncover the shocking truth about what tithing is and why what is called tithing today is a departure from the facts of the Scripture. You will be surprised what this book reveals about the tithe and who are the only people authorized to collect tithes. Here’s a sneak peek. Tithes or tithing is not money.
I guess one question is, why did I choose to name the book, KLEPTOMANIAC. Well, that’s a long story and I think it’s worth sharing with those of you who may choose this book for your library. For years, as I sat in church, I was exposed to a constant barrage of accusations that I was constantly robbing God of tithes and offerings according to Malachi 3:8-10. In many of the churches, I attended over the years, names such as God robbers, thieves, stingy givers and host of other belittling names from the pulpit pounded my conscience like a hammer. Being fed a steady diet that I somehow robbed God created fear in me. I felt like a spiritual prowler and cat burglar taking God’s money and if I did not pay my tithes, God would reign down calamity into my life and finances. For years, when financial turmoil happened in my life, I always attributed it to God vengeance against me because I missed paying Him as if he were a lone shark. And even though I gave into the claims that paying ten percent of my net income would bring blessings I would not have room enough to receive, I never felt comfortable about giving in to the strong persuasive voices from the pulpit. Around year five to six, in my last church, the call for a tenth of my gross income became the mantra from the pulpit. At first, I resisted the constant, Incendiary Explosive Doctrinal (IED) curses thrown at non-tithers, but the guilt of being a thieving good robber and my desire to see the overflowing blessing come into my house was just too powerful. So I coughed up the greenbacks. At that time, I really believed God would shower financial freedom into my bank account if I tithed on gross pay. The power of persuasive voices in my life at that time held such a grip on me that reason and logic were locked into suspended animation. Over and over again, I would hear testimonies from the pastor that as God blessed him with millions, he would stand at the back of the door of the church and hand out thousands to the congregation only if the members would bless the man of God. If we blessed him, then he would be able to call a financial blessing into our homes and finances. Money poured out of our home into the church to the turn of thousands, but there was no evidence of the financial abundance that I expected. One day, I asked earnestly asked God to show me the truth and the response I got was to study to show myself approved. In other words, Yahweh spoke right from the Bible what I should be doing.
Needless to say, tithing sermons hadn’t changed over the years. Then it happened out of the blue that after going to theology school, my desire to investigate financial tithing claims sent me to a Jewish rabbi and phone calls to Israel to seek answers. After reading the Rabbi’s giving study, I wept many tears and when I received the email response from Israel, I was shocked and amazed. Still not convinced by the Rabbi’s study or the email from Israel, I sought more information. Even though I knew in my heart what I read about tithing was correct, I was still too afraid to believe it. As I pondered these things in my heart, I started reading tithing articles on the web and looking at youtube videos. I kept reading but was still unsure if anything I researched was true. Then in the fall of October 2010, I read my first tithing book that shook the chains off my theological mind. The book that set me on a path to research was written by A. Bruce Wells.
While reading this book, it was like a power jackhammer began breaking through the doctrinal chains wrapped about my mind. A part of me rejoiced and another part of me feared what would happen if I believed what was in this book. But when I read this passage from the book, all I could do was through my hands up and shake off the broken chains. Wells wrote,
Christians are all hoping that God will someday send them a huge check for their faithfulness? But again, you must learn how to make money just as you can learn how to drive a car. Paul would have rebuked any preacher for teaching tithing as a way to access God’s provision, but most Christians think tithing is the most important commandment ever. There just seems to be a part of the fallen mentality of man that naturally gravitates toward legalism. There is no such pull when the mind is renewed to righteousness consciousness.
So, after reading this book many thoughts went through my mind about what I would do with this new found biblical information. So after many months of contemplation and traveling for my job, I kept reading articles, doing online research and read more tithing books. And each time I read a new book, I wept to God about what to do. I guess by now, you want to know why I gave the book this title. As I skip ahead in my story, I felt like I was pickpocketing God and hence the title Kleptomaniac. A klepto just can’t help but swipe things for themselves. It was as if I was born to be a God robber. Constant tithing sermons become more and more frightening as preachers told stories of calamity that would befall non-tithers. I guess over the 30 years I paid homage to the sacrificial tithe on the altars of Churchianity, it was all because I feared God would curse me. When I finally laid down all of my fear and apprehension about changing my belief in tithing, I took the first step to do a power point study. All of this happened after I had to leave my former church . Chapter one of my book discusses a little more of my personal story. I finally put together a 117-page power point study on tithing. Then I followed up with a 48-page power point study on New Testament Giving. However, in the midst of going back and forth on whether to write a book, I decided to end that study and being writing a full-fledged tithing theological book. Although I had to continue with more research, I was able to finish the book in about a year and a half. I pray this book enlightens believers in a way that brings knowledge and understanding on a neglected subject. For too many years, people have swallowed the tithe pill without reading the biblical instruction label. If you read this book, you will walk away knowing who the real KLEPTOMANIACS are.
Here’s a short excerpt from Chapter 1 called, My Story for Writing This Book.
I practiced the tax-deductible greenback tithing system for 30 years. A er extensive research on the subject and prayer, I discovered Christ never endorsed tithing as a command or a principal for New Testament/ New Covenant believers. When I peeled back the tithing onion in biblical and secular history, shock and dismay beat upon my theological head like a 2×4. When I regained consciousness, it was apparent Christ never endorsed money tithing as many modern preachers assert. The Savior followed 613 instructions of the Law and the only authentic stipulated tithing law He endorsed was the tithe the Bible emphatically claims are eatable items such as crops, cattle, herd, flocks and sheep.
Below are a couple of my first tithing videos I started doing before I ever thought about writing a book. From these initial videos, you will be able to tell how I progressed in the subject matter. There’s a lot to learn about tithing and to take your eye off the goal of studying could mean you might fall prey to the financial shenanigans if you remain unwise and uneducated about tithing.
For signed copies go to Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway?
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