I don't know how you keep on giving

Today at the gym I got stuck watching "The 700 Club". I try to avoid such programs (and their creators) as much as possible, so this was a new experience for me. As far as I could tell, the entire show consisted of Pat Robertson trying to rally people into a frenzy by setting a clock indicating that there are "ten minutes to reach the goal of X dollars!" When only a minute or so remains, someone else has come forth with a new matching funds amount and the clock is reset. The viewer is shown some of the things done with the money (which are of the "giving water to African villages" variety) and constantly reminded that God will bless you if you give money. Stories are told of people who had God work in their lives and give them abundance--but only after they started to tithe their income. One man even "repaid" money he hadn't tithed over the years. Once tithing starts, people get jobs, build new houses, etc.

I cannot say how disturbing I find this mindset. Yes, I believe we are called to give to those who are less fortunate than we are. And I also think that most people are far more fortunate than we think, especially when compared to most of the world. But the idea that giving God a certain amount of money guarantees that I will receive physical, monetary benefits sickens me. I don't dispute that the Bible tells us to give; I do dispute that giving money to others will make it come back to me.

For starters, shouldn't we give out of a desire to see our brothers and sisters live better? If I give money so that God will reward me, isn't my understanding of generosity and faith akin to that of a child who does chores simply so s/he can watch a favorite movie? Shouldn't grown people be a bit beyond such a simplistic concept of reward and punishment?

Secondly, if God will reward me if I give enough money away, what's to stop me from becoming a total Calvinist and asserting the converse--that God is punishing those who don't have riches galore for not tithing. If "The 700 Club" presents me with countless tales of wealthy people who got that way because they tithed their income, even during sparse times, how can I not eventually conclude that my hard-up neighbor just needs to give a little more? And if I tithe but don't reap the supposed rewards, do I feel bad because I'm not giving enough?

Thirdly, I'm deeply uncomfortable with the idea of excessive material wealth being presented as God's reward. Am I a bad Christian if I don't net a million dollars a year? If my wife doesn't wear a pound of diamonds, does it mean I'm not doing right by my neighbor? If I only have one car am I out of favor with God? The people featured on "The 700 Club" as examples of success found through tithing weren't that bad off to begin with. It seems like a cruel (even more so, given that it's unintended) irony to feature stories about villages with dirty water, people who make a living scavenging garbage dumps for bottles to recycle, and children who can't attend school because they can't afford pencils alongside stories about "struggling" Americans who live in large single-family homes and clear six figures a year working on Wall Street.

After watching "The 700 Club", I wonder if this is really all the image of God some people have. If so, I feel sad for them. How awful to see the Creator of the Universe, the Redeemer, the Awesome Lord as a bank--put some in, get it back with interest. And how sad to only give out of a desire to increase your own wealth. I guess that's what makes me so mad--this show (and presumably an entire culture of Christianity) is encouraging people to limit God to this pathetic bean-counter.