Spring 2000

Page B-9

Among the most surprising findings is that while born again Christians are much more generous than the norm, very few give 10 percent or more of their income -- a proportion described in the Bible as a "tithe" – to their church.

More than four out of every five adults donated some money to non-profit organizations last year. The study found that 84 percent made at least one donation during the year, a slight decrease from the 87 percent who did so in 1998.

The people most likely to share their wealth with others were evangelicals (93 percent), members of the builder generation (ages 54-72, of whom 93 percent gave), people from households making over $60,000 (93 percent), and political conservatives (91 percent).

The people least likely to give contributions included adults who do not attend a church (27 percent of whom made no donations last year); Baby Busters (21 percent); people with household incomes under $30,000 (25 percent); political moderates (20 percent); individuals who are not registered to vote (24 percent); and adults who are not born again Christians (20 percent).

The subgroups with the highest average giving were evangelical Christians ($2,476), households making $60,000 or more ($1,687), born again Christians ($1,651), registered Republicans ($1,612), college graduates ($1,599), political conservatives ($1,533), people 54 or older ($1,341), and residents of the South ($1,281).

A significant teaching of many Protestant churches is that the Bible commands people to donate 10 percent of their annual income to the church. The survey confirmed that the admonition is rarely followed.

One out of every six born again Christians (16 percent) gave no money to his/her church during 1999. The proportion who tithed to their church was just 8 percent. In general, the more money a person makes the less likely he/she is to tithe.

The relative generosity of born again and evangelical Christians is paradoxical in the eyes of George Barna, president of the company that conducted the research.

"On the one hand, evangelicals and born again Christians should be commended for modeling generosity within a culture that esteems giving a helping hand more than it actually gives such a hand. By giving more than double the national average of their income to non-profits and churches evangelicals have set a great example for others to follow."

Barna continued, "At the same time, however, the vast majority of those individuals attend churches that teach a biblical responsibility to tithe. The fact that fewer than one out of every 10 born again believers does so suggests that financial stewardship is undoubtedly one of the greatest challenges facing the Christian church in America today."

"Most analysts would agree that 1999 was one of the best financial years we have experienced in a long time. If we experience declining generosity by Americans during a period of unusual financial favor, what should we, expect when the economy hits a downturn?" Barna asked.

"And as government leaders continue to push for more church-based and private initiatives to address America's growing list of social ills and cultural challenges, how can churches realistically take on such responsibilities?

"Churches cannot solve all of the nation's problems. But if they are to handle a significant share of the needs experienced in their communities, the typical Christian household will have to ante up more than two percent of their income to finance life-changing ministry activities, especially if they recognize tithing as one of God's requirements for their life."

The study was based on telephone interviews with a nationwide random sample of 1002 adults and has a maximum sampling error of plus or minus three percent at the 95 percent confidence level.