Journal
Crown Financial Manipulation
22 January 2006 › 23 comments
Donor Beware
I just got home from church, and felt I should write about this. Recently, our young couples’ Sunday school class has been going through lessons on how to manage your finances. First of all, let me say that I am a firm believer in giving a full 10% tithe to your local church. Off-topic: People that define tithe otherwise are misleading, because tithe literally means ten percent.
Crown Financial Ministries, on the other hand I do not agree with. They subtly push their agenda by over-emphasizing finances at the expense of keeping the message of the gospel message unaltered. While I do not doubt their sincerity, I think they need to re-visit their curriculum with a fine-toothed comb, and fix some of their nuances and verbage.
It’s funny because when we were at seminary, my wife and I had signed up for a series of their on-campus classes, but we had to stop attending because of our busy schedules. Now that I’m seeing what we would have been paying for, I’m thankful that we missed out.
Embellishing the Gospel
One of the first things that stuck out to me is the way they use their supporting scriptures. The first DVD we watched touched on the principle of buried treasure. Incidentally, the Bible doesn’t say it was buried necessarily. The Greek word krupto just means concealed. Anyway, that’s not my point so let’s assume it was buried. Now, I’m not talking the chest of gold from the movie Pirates of the Carribean. They presented the story of Matthew 13:44…
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. – KJV
This is all the Bible has to say about that, just one simple verse. Perhaps the good people at Crown felt this wasn’t interesting enough, because they added to it a few more details. First, they said the man was on his way to an important meeting in a nearby city. Secondly, they said he went “skipping” away with glee (yes, skipping). While this could have very well been true, we have no way of knowing it. So, they have just put words in Jesus’ mouth.
The implications are this: If the man had been on his way to a meeting, but stopped to dig up treasure, and then went immediately to find the owner of the field, then this makes him seem irresponsible. What about his “important” meeting? If I’m watching this video as a layman, I might incorrectly assume that following God excuses me from corporate responsibilities.
One of the things emphasized in seminary was to not read more out of the text than is present, and certainly never add your own superfluous thoughts and opinions to the text. Somehow, we turn a blind eye to this principle just because the curriculum is widely, and wildly popular.
On several other occasions, the man in the video says things like “Giving of your money benefits God.” This is theologically incorrect. God is infinite, and therefore cannot benefit from recieving temporal things. Logically, think of it this way: Infinity + 10% = Infinity. The spokeman should have, and perhaps meant to say “Giving of your finances pleases God.”
Paying it Forward
Another thing that did not sit well with me is the way Crown emphasizes “investing” in the Kingdom. Yes, I tithe. I do think it’s very important to financially support the Church. The way they talk about it though, you’d think we were playing the stock market. One phrase in particular stood out:
You cannot take money with you when you die, but you can send it on ahead… When you get to heaven, all that you have invested will be waiting for you! – CFM
Pardon me for saying so, but when I get to heaven, money will not be a concern. I do not expect for the pearly gates to part, only to reveal a garbage heap of all the temporal things I gave to the church during my earthly life. Although, I might inquire as to the mysterious missing sock that my dryer always seems to eat. The whole point of giving is not to stockpile heavenly rewards. That is no more altruistic than seeking tax shelter here on earth.
The supporting passage of scripture used is Matthew 6:19-21:
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Notice here that Jesus is talking about two entirely separate realms: This temporal world in which we now live, and the life to come, in which everything will be made whole. There are no hints at pre-paying for salvation. The issue is of the heart. Yes, God wants a “cheerful giver,” as referenced in 2 Corinthians 9:7. However, he doesn’t need money. The whole point of giving is so that we will be emotionally and spiritually invested, and our hearts will be tied to the work of ministry. This is not some glorified 401k plan.
Here’s another funny phrase that they used: “We are investing in God’s stock.” Great, so should I try to get a 51% controlling share? See, their analogies just have so much worldly connotations attached that they’re not even effective. Our Sunday school class laughed through most of the video.
I realize the point they are trying to make, that my earthly wealth (or lack thereof) can be put to good use with eternal effects, aka – helping someone know Christ. Their terminology, while aimed at trying to communicate with business lingo, has the reverse affect, and tarnishes the purity of the point.
Getting to the Point
I do not fault our local church for choosing to use the CFM educational materials. From a time and management standpoint, it makes sense. Many churches don’t have the time or dedication to write their own curriculum. If I’m a local church pastor who needs to do teaching on tithing, and there is a pre-packaged way to do it, it’s a no-brainer. Perhaps therein lies the problem. By making it easy for churches, are we undercutting their ability to think objectively about what is being taught? Hopefully Crown considers this.
In summary, I am not opposed to the underlying message that Crown is trying to convey. Rather, I simply do not much care for the manipulative way in which they present their supporting information. It could just be that I do not fit into their uninformed target demographic. Since I have a Biblical background, I’d much prefer a pastor saying a simple one-liner from the pulpit. So, that’s what I’ll do here: Don’t forget to tithe! Just don’t do it because you’re having loads of guilt put on you by some shark in a suit.
Discussion + Dissension
Comments closed after 2 weeks.
#1 Jonathan Sampson
Excellent perception. As always, where there is Gospel, there will be perverters of the Gospel. Religion is a powerful thing, especially when it includes tithing, and offerings…now there is money involved, and the love of money is the root of all evil – the Church, or its leadership are no exception to corruption either.
#2 Matt Heerema
I go back and forth on CFM. On one hand, several of Larry Burkett’s books have been an invaluable resource in establishing and managing my household finances. On the other, they seem ENTIRELY TOO CONCERNED with money and investing.
I wonder what they do with the numerous examples in the new testament of “selling all that you have and giving to the poor”, or the communistic micro-societies of the Acts church, anyone who had something sold something from time to time and gave to those who had need, etc, etc.
Christ never really talked about your 401k package… he did tell one wealthy young dude, who did pretty dang good at keeping all the commandments, to sell all his posessions…
Money is a strange duck when you look at it from a New Testament example.
Tithing is something I consider to be very important as well. But it’s interesting that tithing is not reinforced in the New Testament. Instead, the example is selling EVERYTHING and giving EVERYTHING you have…
Also, if you really look at the tithes and offerings of Old Testament Jews, there giving to the temple was more likely around 20 or 30% anyway. The tithe was simply there to help the Levites live.
Anyway, great post. I wonder if I should Digg it… ;-)
#3 Dennis Bullock
Nathan – I agree with you on your thoughts. My wife and I have started looking CFM materials and I have noted the same things… I think that the direction that they are going in is to wrap their teachings for the nonchristian to make it a bit more palletable for them but I am not sure this is the best approach. The Bible is the Bible and when teaching from it the teachings should be explained directly from the text and not morphed to make it sounds better for the audience you are talking to.
#4 Nathan Smith
Matt: My point was not percentages per say, just the fact that the word tithe literally means ten percent. So, if a church is going to ask for 20 or 30%, just say – Give us 2 or 3 tithes. It’s sort of like the measurement of 1 ton = 2000 pounds. The words themselves carry connotations of a specific values.
Dennis: I think you hit the nail on the head. If we’re going to talk about Biblical giving, let’s do it. We shouldn’t have to rely on the crutch of business minded lingo to explain it. To me, that just further clouds the discussion.
#5 Robert
I am not an advocate for Crown Financial. This company became a negative in my mind when I heard them say that God cares about money. To me, this is misinterpreting what is being said in the Bible to further advance Crown’s objectives.
Now, I don’t think that Crown was necessarily meaning that their investment of money will be waiting for us in heaven, but rather that we gave, we will be rewarded in heavenly gifts. I may be wrong, but giving them the benefit of the doubt is the right thing to do.
The misinterpretation of the Bible to advance one’s own objective isn’t a new thing within the Church. Something that has always bothered me is that Churches that don’t believe in real presence always leave out the part that Jesus says this is my blood, this is my body. Instead, they say this represents the blood and body, which isn’t exactly what the Bible says. Whether or not one agrees with real presense doesn’t bother me. When one removes parts of Scripture to advance their stance does.
#6 Nathan Smith
Robert: I’m sure they don’t think that the money will be literally waiting, but they are walking a thin line between advocating salvation by works, and not by grace. You’re right, beneath the veneer of financial advice lies an agenda.
#7 Matt Heerema
Nathan – ya, definitely wasn’t arguing with your definition of tithe. I was pointing out our stinginess in the Amercian church…
#8 Steven
I have been through the Crown Financial MINISTRIES several times and been through the leadership training. It is true that some of their Scriptural support is weak, and lacks in depth exegesis.
However, their financial priniciples are sound. As a participant and observer of the Asbury community there is a severe need for financial accountability and wise use. Debt load, in all too many cases. is out of control. Students are buying the latest and the best (computers, cars, etc.) unnecessarily—increasing the debt load.
Therefore, if CFM can help even a few students save their financial sitaution, which in turn can save their ministries and/or their marriages, it is well worth in, in spite of some of the obvious limitations of the program. By the way, through observation and testimonies, I believe CFM has done just that on our campus within the past two years!
#9 Nathan Smith
Steven: I have no doubt CFM is beneficial fincancially, in the same way that seeking secular counsel would be. Essentially, when you twist scriptures, that’s all you are, because you’ve perverted the very foundation on which the Biblical teachings are built. Like I said, just because something is popular does not mean we should turn a blind eye to its obvious faults. I’m not saying don’t take Crown classes, just take them with a grain of salt. Ideally, someone from there would read this article and then re-structure their whole lecture series.
#10 Kyle Talbott
Crown Ministries would never happen outside of America.
“They subtly push their agenda by over-emphasizing finances at the expense of keeping the message of the gospel message unaltered.”
There it is.
The problem with CM is that it is the most famous Christian financial advice program. It is that way b/c it concocts an unhealthy mix of Scripture (hey, I’m a “good” Christian—I’m quoting scripture) and money (hey, I’m getting rid of all my debt—I’m very holy), that as you deftly stated, is done at the expense of the gospel.
CM’s only ever given me the hee-bee-gee-bees.
#11 Terri Kendall
Nathan-I took the crown financial course here at the seminary, and I would definitely agree with you. They do have a few good things like the basics of how to balance a check book and put together a budget. Whatever good there is in the course, there is much more twisting and misuse of scripture. The most fun we had in our small group was finding all the misuses of scripture in each lesson.
#12 Nathan Smith
Terri: Yeah, that’s how I felt too. It was a bunch of potentially useful material, wrapped in the guise of Christianity. I think they need to get someone other than accountants writing their materials; Either do that, or get objective input.
#13 Jason Reynolds
Nathan, is this the course you are referencing? http://www.crown.org/cartproducts/product.asp?sku=TP257
Or is it http://www.crown.org/cartproducts/product.asp?sku=PA4015 ?
They have quite a few different products by different authors, and I can’t imagine they all fit within your categorization. To me it is a bit like saying a given Bible translation is wrong or full of heresy because it translates a few passages wrong. The translation as a whole could be good, even while not being perfect. Or are we to throw out the whole New American Standard and King James Bibles because of problem areas agreed upon by more recent textual criticism?
Is our Christianity not also the same… perfected in our weakness? Sanctified yet not free from sin?
#14 Joseph
Mr. Alcorn is the founder of Eternal Perspective Ministries in Gresham, Oregon, not the founder of Gainesville, Georgia-based Crown (which was founded by Larry Burkett and Howard Dayton). Details are in this article by Mr. Alcorn.
http://www.thegoodsteward.com/article.php3?articleID=1341
Crown does distribute a “video seminar” based on The Treasure Principle—http://www.crown.org/cartproducts/product.asp?sku=TP257—but otherwise the two ministries are not connected.
Grace and peace,
Joseph Slife
Gateway Church (UMC) – Athens GA
#15 Nathan Smith
Jason: I was referring to the DVD video series to which Joseph posted a link, The Treasure Principle, which in my opinion is way off. I agree too, that we need to take the good with the bad, and this is the bad. I’m not saying that people shouldn’t listen to crown on the radio, etc. My point is that people be cautious in what they take as doctrine. Since the two are unrelated, as Joseph pointed out, perhaps it would be in Crown’s best interest to cut this series.
#16 Robert
Hello,
I don’t know what Crown Financial meetings you have been attending but very few of the verses you quoted are focused on in the meetings I am involved with. God created everything & owns everything. We are stewards of what God brings our way…be it a little or alot. A proper perspective of ownership and personal responsibility for individual stewardship is essential to fruitful Christian Life. The tithe is just the beginning of our giving!
#17 Nathan Smith
Robert: As stated above, it was the DVD video series of “The Treasure Principle” that my Sunday school class found laughable. I agree with you, giving should be completely wholistic, encapsulating not only our money, but our lives. I guess the narrow viewpoint and business jargon of this DVD series is what put me off. From what I hear on the radio by Crown, I wouldn’t have pegged them as a group that would put out this level of quality on video.
#18 Angel Hallock
Our church is starting these classes and in a few weeks. I searched the web to find more info and stumbled across this blog/journal/site. I have been a Christain foe awhile, but I am not “wise” in terms of scripture and such. How much of these classes(to my knowledge we are doing books, no DVDS) are worthwhile? Is it all bum scriptures? Or are those just a sidenote to the budgeting basics? The class is 55.00, which I thought was a lot to “learn” about giving money to the church. I don’t want to waste my money.
Thanks
#19 Nathan Smith
Angel: From what I understand, these DVDs are not produced by Crown, but are sold by and marketed through them. So, I think you’ll be safe with the rest of their curriculum, but I haven’t been through the book series myself, so I just know what I’ve been in the Treasure Principle videos wasn’t good.
#20 Bill Crabb
I was in the classroom with Nathan laughing at “The Treasure Principle” DVD. Our church advocates the book “The Treasure Principle”, which all members receive in a Christian Maturity class, as well as actively promotes the Crown Finiancial Ministries by Burkett and Dayton. So while there appears to be some confusion, both sets of material are promoted by our church.
Part of the problem of The Treasure Principle DVD set is that it tries to extend a book that is less than 100 pages into (6) 30 minute DVDs. I’m not sure why, but this leads to the un-biblical elaboration than Nathan was concerned about, stretching a single verse into a story. Part of my concern with the series, along with an accompanying sermon series, is that the church is preparing for a major fundraising event with a new building that is in the works. The impression I get is that they are about to ask the congregation to give until it hurts, so would we please get our houses in order in advance.
#21 Nathan Smith
Bill: That’s my point exactly. I have no problem with teachings on regular giving to churches. Heck, I don’t even mind churches asking for a little extra, in light of building projects or to support missionaries, etc. My one and only complaint is that this video series takes creative liberties with the Scriptures. It’s a dangerous line to walk, putting words in Jesus’ mouth for our own gain.
#22 Tim
Hey, I believe tithing is important and should always be given as a “first fruit.” God always provides and as the sparrow doesn’t care, why should we? Paying the tithe is always a sure way to have my bills taken care of, even if it doesn’t seem like I have the money. Do it unto the LORD, an He’ll bless ya.
So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Cor 9:7 NKJV
later brothers & sisters.
#23 Nathan Smith
Tim: Yep, that’s pretty much the way I feel. I encourage people to give to their local churches, but also feel the need to caution those same people against teachings that attempt to water down and re-hash the gospel.