items of interest

with contributions from Amy Brown

"When you Give , God gives back to you. God is not a debtor," says Roderick Harris of Durham, North Carolina. Mr. Harris, who tithes 10 percent of his income to his church, is the exception, not the rule these days.

Many denominations agree that giving often depends on family priorities. Such financial support of churches "...is, perhaps, the best thermometer we have to indicate our spiritual condition and where our loyalties lie," says Sylvia Ronsvalle, executive vice-president of the Empty Tomb, a Christian research organization.

Some churches are trying to help members perceive a spiritual motivation for donations. Timothy Kimbrough, rector of The Church of the Holy Family in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, points out a link between a willingness to give and the transformation of the heart.

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