Tithing

+1 to SONBP2.

My wife, who is pretty much fundamentalist Christian struggles with the OT/NT thing. For me, the new testament acknowledges that we are all sinners, and that Jesus was crucified to save us from ourselves. It's the founding of Christianity and introduces a blanket foregiveness (as long as we believe) for all and a path to heaven for all.

The old testament and all of its teaching is just guidance, to me. I think the bible's position on homosexuality is that it IS a sin (but so is adultery). In fact, I've learned through the teaching of Luther that even thinking about having sex with another person besides my wife is adultery. It is up to God to judge us, not to us to judge others. We're all sinners, some worse than others. Jesus' death gives us a path to forgiveness and heaven.

Quote: Wizard

I think a practical application is that if you were down to your last dollar, and owed it in taxes, and passed a beggar on the street who needed the dollar for food and shelter on your way to the tax collector, the biblical thing to do with be to pass him by and still pay the dollar to the tax man, since it is "Caesar's" dollar. Giving it to the beggar would be stealing it from Caesar.

I have to disagree. I think Jesus taught that everything (including everything owned by, and of the government) was God's and under His control. This would mean meeting the need of the beggar was not stealing from Caesar, since it was all God's to begin with. I think Jesus might point out that you could do both, since the beggar's need is not just for your last dollar (perhaps you could give him your cloak, teach him to fish... or sell some of your license plate collection to pay the tax and late fees later.)

There are two things each of us needs to do:

1) Love God
2) Love your neighbor

Everything else is tertiary.

Jesus taught that "the poor you will always have with you..." (Matt. 26:11a), so the challenge when faced with the beggar, is "what is his need, and how can I best address it?" This is a question ultimately answered between the individual and God (assuming the individual asks).