DOLLAR, CREFLO: TITHING REBUTTAL

CREFLO DOLLAR TITHING REBUTTAL

By Russell Earl Kelly, PHD

July 10, 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JM3BWAmlXis

Dollar: You know we are under the blood of Jesus so we can’t shoot and stone people like we used to. All we need to do is repent and God will forgive us and take us where we need to be.

Kelly: Being under the blood of Jesus means being dead to the law (Rom 7:4) – not being under the law. In fact, Gentiles and Christians never were under the Old Covenant law (Rom 8:3).

Dollar: But I’m telling you man, if it wasn’t for the blood there would be a whole lot of us being stoned and being in hell right now over the tithe. But for the blood of Jesus we’d be doomed.

Kelly: Dollar has absolutely no idea what he is talking about. The Law was an indivisible whole given only to national Israel as the terms of the Old Covenant (Ex 19:5-6); there are 44 texts which confirm this. It was either all or none; keep ALL to be blessed; break ONE to be cursed. There is no biblical principle (hermeneutic) behind the idea that one could be blessed for tithing while, at the same time, breaking any of the other 612 laws of the Old Covenant.

Dollar’s threat of hell for not tithing reveals his gross ignorance of what tithing really was and his ignorance of the difference between the Old and New Covenants. While money was very common even in Genesis and essential for sanctuary worship, money was never a tithed item. True HOLY tithes under the Old Covenant were never money or income. They were always only FOOD from inside God’s HOLY land which God had miraculously increased (16 texts). And the only O.T. persons required to begin their level of giving at 10% were food-producers who lived inside Israel. HOLY tithes could not come from Gentiles, from non-food producers, or from outside Israel. Not even Jesus, Peter, or Paul qualified as tithe-payers. Check out these facts at www.tithing-russkelly.com.

Dollar: I thought about, when we first built the dome, I wanted to put some of those moving bars and give everybody a little card and they stick it into a little computer slot. And, if they were tithing, beautiful music would go off and you would hear “Welcome, welcome, welcome to the world dome.”

Kelly: Does that mean that only tithe-paying Christians were welcome? Does that mean that poor lost sinners were not welcome? Does that mean that the prosperity gospel has replaced the gospel of the New Covenant? He says “I wanted to” and “this is serious.”

Dollar: But, if they were non-tithers, the bar would lock up, the red and blue lights would start going, the sirens would go off and a voice would go off throughout the entire dome “Crook, crook, crook, crook.”

Kelly: Why wouldn’t the computer signal that a lost sinner had entered the building? Jesus said in Matthew 9:13 “… I am not come to call the righteous , but sinners to repentance” and in Luke 15:7 “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.”

Dollar is the real “crook.” He receives the “tithe” under false pretenses and also owns much property contrary to the same tithing law he is using to condemn others. There are twelve (12) texts which forbid Levitical tithe-recipients from owning property. (Num 18:20-26; Deu 12:12; 14:27, 29; 18:1, 2; Josh 13:14, 33; 14:3; 18:7; Eze 44:28). How many times does God have to repeat this? How many times does Creflo Dollar ignore God as a “crook”?

Dollar: Security would go and apprehend them and, once we got them all together, we would line them all up in the front and pass out Oozies by the ushers. We’d point the Oozies right at all those non-tithing members ‘cause we want God to come to church …”

Kelly: If non-tithers keep God out of churches, then no church has God today because nobody literally tithes today. Even 1000 years after the HOLY tithe was first described in Leviticus 27:30-34, it was still only FOOD in Malachi 3:10 and remained only FOOD to Jesus in Matthew 23:23 as He discussed “matters of the law.”

He wants “God to come to church” and God will not come to church if non-tithers are there. What? Whatever happened to the doctrine of the indwelling Holy Spirit within every believer? Does Dollar renounce that doctrine? Dollar is so stuck in his own brand of Old Testament finance that he throws out New Covenant freewill sacrificial giving principles.

Dollar: … and, at the count of three “Jesuses” we’d shoot them all dead.

Kelly: That would make all of the shooters murderers deserving of death under the Old Covenant because there was no death penalty listed anywhere in the Old Covenant law for non-tithers! Dollar wants to kill New Covenant Christians in the holy name of Jesus for violating 1 of 613 laws even after Jesus had removed the curse of the law and ended that covenant (Gal 3:13, 26; Heb 8:13). And he is disrespectful of the precious holy name of Jesus!

Dollar: And we’d take them out the side door there, have a big hole and bury them. And then we’d have church and have the anointing.

Kelly: The Holy Spirit would not come near a congregation which did that. Judas sold out our Lord for the price of a slave – thirty pieces of silver. At least Creflo Dollar and his brand of crooks have sold-out our Lord for even more money and fame for their apostasy.

Dollar: Aren’t you glad we’re under the blood of Jesus? ‘Cause, if we were not under the blood of Jesus, I would certainly try it. Folks this is a serious thing.

Kelly: And he probably would “certainly try it” if he thought he could get away with it. This shows where his heart really is. Dollar does not even want to be around somebody who does not pad his pocket. He would never be caught entering the kinds of houses in which Jesus ministered and, if he does, he needs to apologize for these remarks.

……………………………………..

Dollar: If you take time to tithe the tithe correctly, it is impossible to go to hell.

Kelly: Where is the Bible text to validate this? I thought the biblical way to avoid hell was to accept Jesus Christ as one’s personal Lord and Savior. Paul said that he had preached the whole gospel and never included tithing.

Luke 6:24 “But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.”

Matt 19:23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Matt 19:24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

1 Tim 6:8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content .
1 Tim 6:9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

1 Tim 6:17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;

Dollar: ‘Cause if you are doing all of that, then tithing will keep you in heaven; it will keep you in the presence of God.

Kelly: Dollar should be afraid of being struck by lightning for this kind of heresy.

……………………………………….

Dollar: We know that the tithe is the agreement. We know that, according to this we are believing right now, the tithe is the covenant.

Kelly: This is absurd. The tithe was a very small part of the entire indivisible Old Covenant. It was part of the ordinance/statute (found in Numbers 18) which was given to support the Levites and Aaronic priests to replace their loss of land inheritance rights in Israel. If Dollar is referring to Malachi 3:1, he needs to look at its context going back to 1:6 and 2:1.

Mal 2:1 And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you.

God’s anger in Malachi is directed primarily to the dishonest priests (see also 1:6) who had vowed to give God the best (from the tithe they had received) and, instead, had stolen the best (1:13-14).

Mal 2:2 If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the LORD of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart..

Those cursed in Malachi 1:14 and 2:2 are the dishonest ministers – the Creflo Dollars of 400 B.C.

Mal 2:3 Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it. Some of the nastiest words in the Bible occur here where God is angry at the priests.

Mal 2:4 And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the LORD of hosts.

The “covenant” being discussed in Malachi is the “covenant” “with Levi.” Verse 5 says “My covenant was with him of life and peace.” Verse 7 says “he (the priest) is the messenger of the Lord.” Verse 8 says “ye (priests) have corrupted the covenant of Levi.” Verse 9 says “ye (the priests) have been partial in the law” – the same sin as that of Creflo Dollar and tithe teachers –they teach only that part of the law which enriches themselves. Verse 10 says that priests were “profaning the covenant of our fathers” – honest priests of the past.

Mal 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

Jesus was born and lived under the Old Covenant law (Gal 4:4-5). Jesus cleansed the temple of the Old Covenant and Jesus ended the Old and ushered in the New Covenant.

Dollar: [Video shows his house, car and jet plane.] I’m telling you that your tithe is your covenant connector. I’m telling you that all the promises that God ever gave you, you cannot get them without being connected to them with the tithe.

Kelly: Notice the frequent “I’m telling you” because there is no text in God’s Word which is telling this lie.

Neh 10:29 They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God’s law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and DO ALL the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes.

Mal 4:4 Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.

Creflo Dollar’s duped congregation may believe his lies, but Malachi’s audience knew better. They knew that one could not be blessed from tithing while breaking any other part of the whole law. I personally know Dollar-fanatics who tithe and live out of wedlock with illegitimate children and unmarried companions.

Dollar: I’m telling you that the only way you are going to get hooked up to healing is through the tithe. I’m telling you that the only way you are going to get hooked to prosperity, deliverance or any promise in the Word of God is through the tithe.

Kelly: Due to an obvious lack of Bible texts to validate his claims, Creflo keeps on saying “I’m telling you.” He has his congregation so mesmerized and controlled that they dare not question what he says.

………………………………………….

[Video is Leroy Thompson during a church service dancing on money being continuously thrown on the platform steps. Creflo Dollar joins him at the end of the video.]

Thompson: Ooooh, I gotta walk on this money. Woooo. Woooo. Woooo. Get some anointing. You put something up here. Put some anointing on this money man. Woooo. Put some anointing on this money.  You put something up here. Woooo. Prosper. Prosper, I said. Prosper. Give them the money Lord, send it to them. Glory to God.

Kelly: This part of the video reminds me of why God promised the dishonest minister-priests of Israel that He would “spread dung upon your faces” (Mal 2:3). Certainly Jesus would have never performed such a ritual and we are to follow His example.

The largest group in American society which approaches giving ten per cent of their income to the church are ghetto-dwellers who faithfully sacrifice even disability and welfare checks in obedience to their pastors. Yet the greatest percent of them never escape poverty because they never get motivated to become educated and work long hard hours to get ahead in life. The vast majority of “tithers” never receive the “overflowing blessings and those who do are those who have persisted in other ways also. The blessings and curses of the Old Covenant ended at Calvary (Gal 3:13; Heb 8:3; 7:18).

[Video shows loud cheers from the standing church members.]

Thompson: Your bills are paid.

Kelly:  No, they are not. If this really worked – if every ghetto dweller tithed and got all his/her bills paid, the word would spread and there would be no ghetto-dwellers. That is not the real world. When Malachi 3:10-12 was written, Judah had already been in slavery to foreign nations for 206 years (since 606 B.C. and would continue in slavery to Persia, Greece, Egypt, Syria and Rome until its destruction in 135 A.D.

[Video shows almost a panic scene as Creflo Dollar joins the dance and members continue to throw money on the steps.]

Woooo. Woooo. Woooo. Wooo, glory to God. Hallelujah. Paid. Your bills are paid.

Kelly: May God help the Christian community if it allows this kind of lie to push out the gospel of salvation.

Russell Earl Kelly, PHD
www.tithing-russkelly.com