leonard sweet :: Freely You Have Received, Freely = Give

"Freely You Have Received, Freely = Give:"=20

Toward a Post-Tithing, = Post-Stewardship,=20 Postmodern Theology of Receiving

"What have you got that you did not = receive? If=20 then you received it,

why do you boast as if it were = not a=20 gift?"

Apostle Paul (1Cor.4:7)

***

"It=20 is not what we eat but what we digest that makes = us=20 strong; not what we gain but what we save that = makes us=20 rich; not what we read but what we remember that = makes=20 us learned; not what we preach but what we = practice that=20 makes us Christian." -- Francis = Bacon

The mysterious Watergate informant = known as "Deep=20 Throat" was right. "Follow the money," he told = reporters=20 Woodward and Bernstein. "Follow the = money."

It=92s a lesson the church, fixed on = the power of=20 politics in a world where the power paradigms = are=20 economic, has yet to learn. Money talks. And how = Jesus=20 loved to talk about money. If clergy preached on = economics as often as Jesus did, there would be = at least=20 one sermon a month devoted to what Douglas W. = Johnson=20 calls "a theology of finance," or "think[ing] = about=20 money theologically."¹But clergy = have=20 historically been reluctant to take a leadership = role in=20 the church's money matters and fund-raising. =

There are lots of reasons for this, not = the least=20 of which is that nothing has produced more = friction over=20 the years between a pastor and a congregation so = much as=20 economics.² = Likewise, some of=20 the biggest fights in church history were caused = by=20 economic issues. The Reformation after all began = in part=20 as a dispute over stewardship and fund-raising. = But=20 generally, stewardship thinking and planning has = been=20 led by the laity, not the clergy, who have been = slow to=20 appreciate how they can help people minister = with their=20 money.

The profusion of fund raising appeals = that=20 bombard us daily, from metal mailboxes outside = to=20 electronic blinking boxes inside, make it = actually=20 more rather than less important that we = talk=20 money. Some television evangelists spend an = average of=20 26 minutes of every hour fund-raising. The = church has=20 been even more creative over the years in its = attempts=20 to attract funds.

In the early twentieth century some = innovative=20 rural congregations in Georgia supported their = church by=20 a unique raffle which required some skill in = horseback=20 riding. For fifty cents one could enter a = contest in=20 which each participant would ride as fast as = possible=20 under a certain tree. Tied to a high branch of = the tree=20 by its legs was a live goose with a greased neck = and=20 head. The contestant who reached out and pulled = the head=20 off the goose won the fowl.³

In addition to tax support, colonial = churches=20 used pew rents, subscription lists, lotteries, = and=20 special offerings to underwrite their = ministries.=20 Throughout American history, lotteries = (including=20 raffles and bingo), bazaars, church suppers, the = "talent=20 plan" (which always gets the most local = publicity),=20 rummage sales, auctions, coupon redemption = schemes,=20 business enterprises like revenue-producing real = estate,=20 bond sales and endowment insurance have been = some of the=20 ways the church has let money talk in its midst. = Our=20 present system, based on the combination of = faith and=20 pledge budgets supplemented by free-will = offerings and=20 special fund-raising projects, didn't take root = until=20 after the First World War.

What all of these fund-raising gimmicks = have in=20 common is their expediency. In a world of = give-and-take,=20 Mabel Boggs Sweet used to say, the church does = not have=20 enough people who give what it takes. But beyond = the=20 fact that the church is filled with members who = lose=20 more in change a year ($100 average) than they = give to=20 the church a year (23% give less than $100) is = the=20 larger issue of whether the church's money = speaks a=20 different language than the language of a = mammonized=20 world. Money talks, but in different languages. = Is our=20 money speaking the language of Christ, or is our = money=20 saying one thing and Jesus another?

The primary monetary language = throughout church=20 history has been the holy tax of 10% called the = tithe.=20 Something almost mystical hovers about the = Jewish=20 tradition of the sacred, separated portion--the = special=20 consecration of one nation in the world, one = tree in the=20 Garden, one city in the Promised Land, the = firstborn in=20 the family, one day in the week, one-tenth of = one's=20 possessions. But the tithe, or what Chinese = Christians=20 came to call "fragrant money," long antedates = Judaism=20 and Christianity.

In classical antiquity, according to = Censorinus,=20 tithing was no big deal. "They used to sacrifice = some=20 part of all these to the gods, more to prove = themselves=20 grateful than because they thought the gods = needed it.=20 And so, when they had gathered in the crops, = before they=20 ate, they made ready to pour the gods a = libation; and=20 since they possessed their fields and cities by = the gift=20 of the gods, they dedicated a certain portion of = them=20 for temples and shrines where they could worship = them."⁴

Athens citizens maintained their = shrines by a=20 tithe; Romans presented to Hercules a tenth of = the=20 spoils of war; Hindus and Muslims practice = tithing to=20 their faith in much larger amounts than merely = 10%=20 (although in Islam zakat, one of the 5 = pillars of=20 faith, exacts a good deal less than 10% of one's = income,=20 supplemental voluntary gifts are encouraged and=20 expected). Laying aside a tenth to the gods is = an=20 ancient practice, almost as old as the dawning = of human=20 history itself. Adopted by the Israelites from = the=20 ancient world, tithe-giving was common in as = diverse=20 cultures as Babylonia, Carthage, China, Egypt, = Greece,=20 Persia, Phoenicia, and Rome.

The history of the institution of = tithing has yet=20 to be written. Until then an accurate picture of = tithing=20 and the exact shape of tithing systems, which = differed=20 greatly over different parts of the world and = different=20 periods of history, cannot be reconstructed with = surety.=20 The Bible itself reveals different attitudes and = approaches to tithing, even within Pentateuchal = sources.=20 We do know enough, however, to realize that much = of what=20 is popularly known about tithing is wrong. =

First, there is no such thing as the = "biblical=20 tithe." The Hebrew people did not give a tithe. = They=20 gave two or three tithes. Although Tobit = represents a=20 special case, and reflects somewhat the = condition of the=20 Second Commonwealth.⁵The first = mention in=20 the Bible of a tithe tells of Abram giving a = voluntary=20 donation of ten percent to Melchizedek, priest = of God=20 Most High.⁶

According to the Holiness Code, set = forth in=20 Leviticus⁷more than 250 = years=20 later, the tithe was given to the priests and = their=20 household for the maintenance of the sanctuary = and its=20 personnel. Later, according to the Priestly = Code, every=20 year the people gave a first tithe or a = Ma`aser=20 Rishon which was paid in kind to the sons = of=20 Levi, temple personnel at Jerusalem who = performed sacred=20 as well as civic duties but who were without an=20 inheritance of the land (Num. 18:21-32). = Levitical=20 cities served as royal temple cities where = tithes were=20 stored and assigned. The Levites in turn set = aside a=20 tithe of this first tithe called Ter'umat = ma'aser, to support the priests who used = the=20 tithe for the maintenance of the central shrine = in=20 Jerusalem.⁸

According to the Deuteronomic = Code,⁹every year = the Hebrews=20 also paid a second tithe or Ma`aser = Sheni. This=20 was originally a first-fruits offering used only = at=20 Jerusalem for social purposes (part went for=20 partying--feasts, sacrifices, and festivals = which were=20 signs of rejoicing and of glorifying God). Later = part of=20 the offering also went for relief of the = community's=20 orphans, widows, strangers, and other destitute = persons.=20 Tithes now were eaten rather than given away = partly=20 because cultic reform had abolished those = institutions=20 previously maintained by the tithe (provincial=20 sanctuaries and their cultic officials). These = Priestly=20 and Deuteronomic tithes were most likely one and = the=20 same but carried out differently at different = stages in=20 response to changed conditions. By the period of = the=20 second Temple the two different scriptural = readings of=20 the same law came to be understood as = referring=20 to two separate tithes. Hence they were combined = and=20 harmonized in the Hebrew canon as a double=20 obligation.

Every third and sixth year of the seven = year=20 sabbatical cycle was designated the "Year of the = Tithe"=20 at which time the religious experience of = Judaism=20 obligated a third tithe called the "poor man's = tithe" or=20 "The Welfare Tithe" (Deut.14:28-29). Whether = this third=20 tithe laid aside at home replaced the second = tithe in=20 alternative years, or was an additional = requirement, is=20 still unclear, although most argue the = former.¹⁰

What is clear is that far from tithing=20 representing a "tenth" of one's income, the = Hebrew=20 tithes of terumot and ma'aserot=20 established by the rabbinical system constituted = at=20 least 20 percent annually of "whatsoever is used = for=20 food and is kept watch over and grows from the = soil,"=20 except the seventh year, when the land lay=20 fallow.¹¹ In = sum, the=20 Levite Tithe (Num.18:21-26) was given to support = the=20 Levites. The Festival Tithe (Deut.14:22-27) was = brought=20 to Jerusalem for a massive party. The Welfare = Tithe=20 (Deut.14:28-29) was gathered every three years = for the=20 orphans, aliens, and widows. Put the three = "tithes"=20 together and you get a total payment of 23 1/3 = percent=20 annually. This does not include = taxation.

Second, for most of history, the tithe = was more=20 like a tax, not a voluntary offering as it is in = America=20 today. Of course, when Israel was a theocracy, = there was=20 no need to fund government. Before the monarchy = there=20 was no need for taxation, so to understand = tithing as=20 taxation in Hebrew history is mistaken. Under = the kings=20 the Hebrew people paid taxes in addition to the = tithe=20 (see I Sam. 17:25; 2 Kings 23:35; Ezra 4:13, 20; = Neh.5:4). But in the sense that one has no = choice but to=20 pay taxes, tithing was like a tax. Rich and poor = alike=20 had to face the tithe collector. Those who were = most=20 trustworthy and constant in their tithe = collections=20 became candidates for induction into the high = order of=20 haberim and ne'emanim. Unlike the = secular=20 tax collector (publican), the haber came = to be so=20 respected and loved for their scrupulous = dealings with=20 people that the very name haber became = synonymous=20 with honesty and integrity in administering = funds. Both=20 rich and poor were also required to bring their = second=20 tithes to Jerusalem each year to be eaten there=20 (although the wealthy could commute their tithes = into=20 money, which would then be taken to Jerusalem = with an=20 added quarter to be spent for upkeep while = visiting the=20 holy city).

Not until the fourth century did the = practice of=20 tithing become firmly established in the = Christian=20 tradition, although in the second and third = centuries=20 there was increasing but conflicting evidence of = its=20 usage. After the sixth century tithing became a = legal=20 obligation for Christians, under penalty of=20 excommunication and civil punishment, and by the = thirteenth century tithing was nearly = universally=20 practiced throughout Christendom.

The combination of church tax and state = tax=20 imposed tremendous economic burdens on Jews and=20 Christians. At the time Jesus was born, the = combined=20 religious tithe and Roman tax approximated 40 = percent.=20 Giles Constable has asserted that even after = factoring=20 out historical realities from legal documents of = European history, no tax can compare with the = tithe for=20 "length of duration, extent of application, and = weight=20 of economic burden."¹²

Third, the New Testament literature = says=20 virtually nothing about the tithe. The only two=20 references Jesus makes to tithing are not = laudatory, but=20 instead sound an alarm about the entire tithing=20 system.¹³ In fact = tithing's lack=20 of significance for Jesus, plus Paul's total = silence on=20 the subject, are striking given their emphasis = on money=20 and possessions. This silence needs to be seen = within a=20 double framework. First, during Jesus' time = there had=20 been quite a bit of urbanization. The city folks = did not=20 have to give as much for tithes as their country = cousins. Hence there developed resentment among = the=20 Galilean amha-arez ("people of the land") = at what=20 was felt to be unfair discrimination. Second, = the Rabbis=20 extolled voluntary giving as "acts of = lovingkindness"=20 (gemitut hasadim). The New Testament's=20 concentration on gifts and offerings rather than = on=20 tithes was in keeping with the Rabbis. It was = also one=20 reason why the Protestant Reformers were = critical of a=20 required tithe.

Jesus himself was not a tither. He had = no income.=20 As a devout Jew who did not break the law, Jesus = would=20 have tithed if he had anything to tithe. But = when the=20 collectors came for the temple tax, Jesus had to = send=20 Peter to get some money, not from a church = treasury, but=20 from a fish.¹⁴ The only = time Jesus=20 said anything about the tithe was when he argued = that=20 tithing was not enough:

"Alas for you, lawyers and Pharisees, = hypocrites!
You pay tithes of mint and dill = and=20 cumin; but
you have overlooked the = weightier=20 demands of the
law, justice, mercy, and = good faith.=20 It is these
you should have practiced, = without=20 neglecting the
others."¹⁵

Actually, the Pharisees weren't at all=20 comfortable about giving tithes to the Hasmonean = dynasts=20 (who were also priests) in Jerusalem and would = have=20 shared some of Jesus' reluctance.

The arguments for the tithing system, = not as a=20 hard and fast rule but as "a minimum guide to = giving=20 rather than a prescribed amount"¹⁶ are numerous = and=20 strong. First, tithing is a simple, neat, = dignified=20 formulaic administration of income which gives = priority=20 to the church and its ministry. In the words of = Clement=20 of Alexandria, through tithing "we are = instructed in=20 piety, and in liberality, and in justice, and in = humanity."¹⁷ At a time = when real=20 disposable income has risen 60 percent (from = 1960 to=20 1980) while per capita giving to the church has=20 increased only 12 percent, the establishment of = some=20 economic baselines and starting points for = Christian=20 giving are especially helpful.

Second, tithing fosters disciplined = giving,=20 removing liberality from the ups and downs of = crisis=20 giving and placing it as part of a daily walk = with God.=20 Tithing as a spiritual discipline can actually = move=20 people to deeper levels of faith and awareness = of God's=20 presence.

Third, tithers dare non-tithers to find = one=20 person who tithes and regrets it. Evidence, they = say, is=20 overwhelming: all tithers recommend tithing. 100 = percent. People who complain about tithing are = those=20 who, if one multiplied their "tithe" by ten and = this=20 became their weekly income, would soon starve. = Homes=20 where tithing is practiced for any length of = time seldom=20 quit because families find, by developing the = image of=20 God in them, what home really is.

Fourth, universal tithing would have = tremendous=20 benefits for troubled churches. Church members = give on=20 an average 1.6 to 2.5 percent of their income. A = 10=20 percent average would increase giving by 100 = billion a=20 year, an income presenting churches with a whole = host of=20 problems they've never even imagined.¹⁸

Those who oppose the tithe have = marshaled equally=20 vigorous arguments to support their case, and to = my mind=20 they are persuasive. First, as we have shown, = the=20 tithing principle is not nearly as clear and = neat as it=20 first appears. According to the halakhah, = some=20 even interpreted the law of the tithe to include = not=20 three tithes, but one tithe divided into three = parts:=20 one-third for priests and Levites, one-third for = the=20 temple treasury, and one-third for the poor. Or = in=20 today's terms, is one tithing net or gross = income?=20

Was not tithing part of the ceremonial = law of=20 Moses which had been abrogated, thus making it = no more=20 binding than unleavened bread, sacrificial lambs = or=20 circumcision (this was the position first laid = out by=20 Epiphanius and later picked up by the Quakers)? = Did not=20 tithes depart from their Old Testament purpose = which was=20 "that there might be no beggar in Israel" and = become=20 instead, as one seventeenth century divine put = it, a=20 means by which clergy "maintain themselves in = ease, and=20 them and their wives and children in pride and=20 idleness."¹⁹

Second, rather than generosity and = compassion,=20 does tithing not generate a spirit of legalism = and=20 self-righteousness? Constraints to give must = come from=20 within, not without, if we are to fulfill the = law of=20 Christ to "freely give."²⁰

Third, the tithe sets too low a = standard for the=20 rich, too high a standard for the poor. The = tithe is=20 fundamentally a regressive tax levied at a = single rate=20 on the rich and poor alike. On the one hand, the = tithe=20 entails no sacrifice for today's affluent. "The = tithe is=20 an Old Testament scheme that lets the rich get = out of=20 giving"²¹ is how the = president=20 of a major fund raising organization lays it on = the=20 line. Might this be why the tithing system as we = know it=20 was a lay-led movement at the turn of the=20 19^th century. Tithing is God's = financial plan=20 for supporting the work of the Kingdom, argue = tithers=20 like Samuel Colgate of soap, Milton Hershey of=20 chocolates, Henry J. Heinz of pickles, Henry P. = Crowell=20 of oats, and John D. Rockefeller of oil, who = more than=20 anyone bequeathed to the church the notion of = tithing as=20 a 10% gift to God of what we own.²²

On the other hand, from the poor's = perspective,=20 the tithe is too much to take, like the = government that=20 asked its people to tighten their belts, only to = receive=20 the reply: "Send belts." By the year 2000 the = majority=20 of poor will be women, children, and the elderly = (most=20 of whom are also women). When in 41 A.D. a = famine=20 prevailed in Judea, Antioch Christians sent = relief=20 according to everyone's "ability." Any system of = giving=20 that does not accommodate diversity of = "abilities" and=20 economic conditions is both inadequate and = insensitive.=20 Tithing does not accommodate prosperity = giving--"as God=20 has prospered us."

Fourth, tithing hasn't worked!²³ Nobody wants = to talk=20 about this, but after 100 years of haranguing=20 parishioners to tithe, the church=92s giving = patterns=20 aren't changing. A November 1994 article in the=20 Riverside Press-Enterprise estimated that = only=20 5000 families nationwide truly tithe.²⁴

Fifth, tithing is so tied to money that = God=92s=20 claim on the rest of one=92s life can only be = applied with=20 great conceptual legerdemain. What is more, = it=92s=20 application to the world of "money" is = increasingly=20 dubious. In the modern world "money" meant = "cash." In=20 the postmodern world money is information. In = the modern=20 world we asked people to take the temperature of = their=20 commitment to Christ by looking at what they put = in the=20 offering plate, and in the high modern era by = looking at=20 their checkbook. In the postmodern era one=92s = temperature=20 can only be tested by looking at one=92s list of = automatic=20 withdrawals.

Money is being dematerialized. The = wealth of our=20 people is in an electronic infrastructure. Of = the $7=20 trillion foundation on which the US economy is = based,=20 only $300 billion of this is in cash, and less = than 40=20 percent of this $300 billion is even transacted = within=20 the US.²⁵Postmodern = culture is a=20 cashless society, a world where "cash is dirty; = cash is=20 heavy; cash is quaint; cash is expensive."²⁶ The only = people with=20 whom cash is popular are paranoiacs, tax = dodgers,=20 crooks, drug dealers, and churches. Jesus would = be=20 pleased with us for the company we=92re keeping, = but not=20 for the reason we=92re keeping it.²⁷ Try and get = Federal=20 Express to take cash--they haven't accepted cash = for 10=20 years. Try and get a rental car company to take=20 cash--you have to sign your life away. Try and = use cash=20 to buy a couch from the pricey furniture = merchant Scan=20 International Corporation of Silver Spring, = Maryland.=20 They'll refuse to sell you the couch before = they'll take=20 your cash.

Finally, tithing tends to give = definition rather=20 than direction to stewardship. "The theology of=20 stewardship is buried under the legalism of = tithing" is=20 how one critic puts it.²⁸ By divorcing = giving=20 from the more complex, more comprehensive issue = of=20 stewardship, tithing encourages the attitude of = leaving=20 God "a big fat tip." By only identifying = stewardship=20 with financial concerns, tithing fosters a = spirit of=20 giving akin to paying the tax on a bill, even if = it is=20 God's sales tax. In short, tithing may provide=20 Christians with the will for giving, but not the = way.

What would a post-tithing method of = church=20 fund-raising look like? Let=92s begin with a = story from=20 the desert wisdom tradition:

Once some of the elders came to = Scete, and=20 Abba John the Dwarf was with them. And when = they=20 were dining, one of the priests, a very = great old=20 man, got up to give each one a little cup of = water=20 to drink, and no one would take it from him = except=20 John the Dwarf. The others were surprised, = and=20 afterwards they asked him: How is it that = you, the=20 least of all, have presumed to accept the = services=20 of this great old man? He replied: Well, = when I get=20 up to give people a drink of water, I am = happy if=20 they all take it; and for that reason on = this=20 occasion I took the drink, that he might be=20 rewarded, and not feel sad because nobody = accepted=20 the cup from him. And at this all admired = his=20 discretion.²⁹

The tithing system is based on a = "theology of=20 giving." God calls me to give 10% of what is = mine to the=20 work of the kingdom. There are two main problems = with=20 this theology of giving that has undergirded = church=20 fund-raising in the modern era.

The first is revealed by a simple = question that=20 tells more about someone=92s mental and = spiritual health,=20 the state of a soul and body, than anyone will = care to=20 have known: "Can you accept praise?"

Or: "When the affirmation we all want = comes to=20 us, how do we accept it?"

Most people in the pews have one of the = greatest=20 spiritual problems anyone can have. They are = better=20 givers than receivers. Clergy especially suffer = from=20 this disease. I confess: I am a better giver = than=20 receiver. I don=92t celebrate birthdays for a = lot of=20 reasons (I gave up birthdays when I turned 40), = chief=20 among which is the fact that I am uncomfortable=20 receiving. I love to give presents; I am awkward = and=20 ill-at-ease in receiving presents. For me the = joy is in=20 the giving, not the getting.

My soul is in mortal danger every day. = I pray=20 daily over this debilitating spiritual disease = that=20 imperils my very soul. Why?

What is my fundamental category in = relationship=20 to God? What is God=92s fundamental category in=20 relationship with me? God is the giver. I am the = receiver. The very best things about Len Sweet = are what=20 I have received. The very fact that I can love = is=20 because "Christ first loved me." The fact that = for me=20 the joy is in the giving, not the receiving, = means that=20 I don=92t like my category of receiving. I=92d = much prefer=20 God=92s category of giving.

In other words, I have a "god-complex." = And there=20 are few more dangerous spiritual conditions than = this.

The modern world built a "stewardship = ethic" on a=20 deeply flawed foundation: the theology of = giving. The=20 fact that the phrase "the joy is in the getting" = grates=20 on our spiritual nerves testifies to the very = nature of=20 our problem with basic theological doctrines of = divine=20 grace, love and providence. It is time to build = a=20 postmodern "stewardship ethic" on a theology of=20 receiving foundation rather than a theology of=20 giving.

Here is the most fundamental insight of = a faith=20 that is postmodern: All is a gift. Everything. = Here is=20 the most elemental biblical attitude toward = life: God is=20 the owner. I am the ower. When King David = dedicated to=20 God everything and everyone who was a part of = building=20 the first Temple in Jerusalem, he offered this=20 prayer:

Yours, Lord, is the greatness, the = power, the=20 glory, the splendor, and the majesty; for = everything=20 in heaven and on earth is yours. All things = come=20 from you, and of your own do we give=20 you.

1=20 Chronicles 29:14³⁰

`Know that the Lord is God! It is = He that=20 hath made us, and we are His; . . .=92 Psalm = 100:3

God owns everything. You and I own = nothing. All I=20 think I "own" anyway I "owe" (I only "own" the=20 mortgage). The best things about Len Sweet are = not what=20 I am able to give, but what I have already = received.=20 This has perhaps never been expressed in = community life=20 better than the membership commitment of The = Church of=20 the Saviour in Washington, D.C.

"I commit myself, regardless of the = expenditures of time, energy, and money to = becoming=20 an informed, mature Christian. I believe = that God is=20 the total owner of my life and resources. I = give God=20 the throne in relation to the material = aspect of my=20 life. God is the owner. I am the ower. = Because God=20 is a lavish giver I too shall be lavish and = cheerful=20 in my regular=20 gifts."

The second major problem with a = theology of=20 giving is that it deludes us into believing that = what we=20 are giving God is ours to begin with. = Stewardship is=20 more than a stale word that conveys to the = hearer a host=20 of couldas, wouldas, shouldas. More is at stake = in the=20 word "stewardship" than nomenclature. The entire = "stewardship" metaphor is anachronistic, and=20 arrogant.

The anachronism comes from the cultural = irrelevance of the word itself. There are no = stewards=20 around anymore. In an agrarian culture, a = "steward" or=20 literally a "keeper of a pig sty" was a word = ladled in=20 meaning and laden with power. We named our = church=20 treasurers "stewards." We named our caretakers = in flight=20 "stewardesses." A "steward" was someone to be = trusted.=20

The only "stewards" postmoderns come = into contact=20 with are at 5-Star restaurants--and they=92re = the ones=20 giving out the libations. The word itself has = lost its=20 rich referents to creation and life. = "Stewardship=20 Sunday" is now not about costly care for = creation, but=20 the cost of keeping church and fund-raising. If=20 anything, modern "stewardship" appeals have = separated=20 people from creation more than connecting them = to=20 WholeLife Discipleship. Stewardship means = "money." For=20 postmoderns, the currency of the future is time = more=20 than it is money.

Biologist Lynn Margulis hammers home = the=20 arrogance problem: "The idea that we are = 'stewards of=20 the earth' is another symptom of human = arrogance.=20 Imagine yourself with the task of overseeing = your body's=20 physiological processes. Do you understand the = way it=20 works well enough to keep all its systems in = operation?=20 Can you make your kidneys function? Can you = control the=20 removal of waste? Are you conscious of the blood = flow=20 through your arteries, or the fact that you are = losing a=20 hundred thousand skin cells a minute? We are = unconscious=20 of most of our body's processes, thank goodness, = because=20 we'd screw it up if we weren't. The human body = is so=20 complex, with so many parts, . . . a system = which is far=20 more complex than we can fully imagine. The idea = that we=20 are consciously care-taking such a large and = mysterious=20 system is ludicrous."³¹

Even if we were to argue that it's a = viable=20 metaphor intrinsically, it's not a metaphor that = works.=20 "Stewardship" is like trying to reach people for = Christ=20 in postmodern culture with a button or = bumper-sticker=20 that says "Jesus Saves" or through the "Four = Spiritual=20 Laws." I once was in a car with some Gen-Xers = who=20 cracked up when a radio program came on. The = Christian=20 broadcast was introduced with organ background = music,=20 with the announcer saying "Welcome to New = Testament=20 Light." Of course, the kids didn=92t hear = "Light." They=20 heard "Lite."

Two New Testament Greek words are = translated by=20 "stewardship." One is epitropos, which = means=20 "manager, foreman, steward, governor, = procurator,=20 guardian." (the latter as in Galatians 4:1-2--; = The=20 other more common NT word is oikonomos, = which=20 also means "manager, steward, administrator." It = is=20 formed by combining two words--oikos or = house and=20 nomos or law.

***

What wee gave, wee = have;
What wee=20 spent, wee had;
What wee left, wee=20 = lost.

Epitaph on Edward Courtenay, = Earl of=20 Devon (d. 1419) and his wife at=20 = Tiverton.
<= /BLOCKQUOTE>

***

I wish to argue that the best = postmodern=20 translation of both epitropos and=20 oikonomos is trustee. For the former, see = Galatians 4:1-2: "What I am saying is that as = long as=20 the heir is a child, he is no different from a = slave,=20 although he owns the whole estate. He is subject = to=20 guardians and trustees until the time set by his = father." For the latter, see Paul=92s use of the = word, as=20 here in 1Cor.9:17: "If I preach voluntarily, I = have a=20 reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply = discharging the=20 trust committed to me."³²

Postmoderns understand the complex = nuances and=20 connotations of "trusteeship." Many are on the = Board of=20 Trustees of local organizations, including the = church.=20 Many themselves are "trustees" of estates. = Whereas=20 "stewardship" has been stripped of all legal = overtones=20 and fiduciary consequences, postmoderns = understand that=20 the trustees of anything are the legal guardians = of that=20 organization or estate. They do not "own" it. = But they=20 are legally accountable for its health and = well-being.=20 If the church is sued, it is not the pastor = who=92s going=20 to jail, nor the members of the congregation = who=92s money=20 is one the line. It=92s the trustees. Once = again, in the=20 words of Paul, "It is required that those who = have been=20 given a trust must prove faithful"=20 (1Cor.4:2).

The fundamental question of anyone who = is a=20 "trustee" of an estate is not "How much do I = give away=20 of what is mine?" but "How much of this estate = do I=20 receive for myself so that the estate might grow = and=20 prosper and do good?" The language of = "trusteeship" is=20 the language of "receiving" first, and only = after the=20 "receiving" question is settled does it become = the=20 language of giving.

***=20
"Give as you have received . . . " =
--Jesus=20 (Matt.10:8 Phillips)

***=20
The issue of receptivity was central = for Jesus=92=20 ministry. Jesus demonstrated a marvelous = capacity for=20 receiving: "I was hungry and you gave me food, I = was=20 thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I = was a=20 stranger and you welcomed me" (Matt.25:35). To = see this=20 theology of receiving at work in the life of = Jesus,=20 theologian Elizabeth Barnes turns us to the = story of the=20 hemorrhaging woman, which illustrates Jesus=92 = "reciprocal=20 giving and receiving of gifts."

Barnes contends that "Jesus felt the = exchange=20 between them precisely because she also gave = something=20 back to him. . . He has been the grateful = recipient=20 of her trust. Many, no doubt, had jostled = against=20 him in the press of the crowd. But she had = touched him=20 with intention and hopeful trust. So doing, she = has=20 given to him, as well, a precious gift, even as = he=20 returns a priceless gift to her. Something truly = human=20 and healing for them both has occurred in = this=20 exchange. . . she gives to Jesus--needful of = human=20 community as much as she--the incomparable gift = of=20 trust, confidence in him and all that he is and = his=20 healing power in relation to her."³³

Or consider the story of the woman at = the well=20 near Sychar. Jesus is exhausted and parched. = When a=20 Samaritan woman approaches the well, Jesus asks = her for=20 a drink (she is the one with the bucket). Maria = Teresa=20 Porcile of Uruguay retells the story of the = woman at the=20 well (John 4:1042) in this way:

In the shanty-town there was no water . = . .=20

It was evening, and the day had been = very hard. .=20 . .

And Jesus said: 'Give me a = drink.'

A woman passed that way, coming from = afar. She=20 was a stranger, someone they didn't know and she = carried=20 a bucket. She went up to the well where the = children=20 were sitting, and the old people and the men and = women,=20 looking at the water in the well--the water, so = near and=20 yet so far.

And Jesus said: 'Give me a = drink.'

And the woman answered: 'Why do you ask = me for a=20 drink? You are poor and I am rich. You are = thirsty but=20 the bucket is mine.'

And Jesus said: 'Woman, what of the = well? Whose=20 well is it?'

And the woman's eyes were opened and = with her=20 bucket they began to draw water for the whole=20 district.³⁴

I am not the first to argue for a = trusteeship=20 ethic and its concomitant transition from giving = to=20 receiving, of course. Andrew Carnegie, who slept = all his=20 life on his poor-boy=92s metal cot, expressed = his wealth=20 ethic in precisely these terms of=20 "trusteeship:"

This, then is held to be the duty = of the man=20 of wealth: to set an example of modest,=20 unostentatious living, shunning display or=20 extravagance; to provide moderately for the=20 legitimate wants of those dependent upon = him; and=20 after doing so, to consider all surplus = revenues=20 which come to him simply as trust funds, = which he is=20 called upon to administer . . . to produce = the most=20 beneficial results for the community.³⁵

Albert Einstein orchestrated his life = from a=20 self-composed receiving ethic: "A hundred times = every=20 day I remind myself that my inner and outer life = depend=20 on the labors of other persons, living and dead, = and=20 that I must exert myself in order to give in the = same=20 measure as I have received and am still = receiving."³⁶

More recently, Harry Wendt, President = of=20 Crossways International (Minneapolis, MN), is = joining me=20 in arguing that the whole language of "giving" = needs to=20 be abandoned in favor of what he calls = "Christian=20 distribution."

When we place our so-called "gift" = on the=20 offering plate, we are not giving God = anything. . .=20 . [W]e are not giving God but God=92s = own! We=20 are merely getting our grubby little hands = off what=20 has always belonged to God. In short, we are = not=20 called to practice Christian giving, = but=20 Christian management and Christian=20 distribution, and this applies not = merely to=20 what we =91give=92 on Sundays, but to our = total use of=20 life as we manage this planet to the glory = of God=20 and for the good of all.³⁷

In a theology of receiving, the first = question is=20 not "How much to I give to God of what is mine?" = Rather=20 it is "How much of God=92s do I keep for = myself?" At=20 various times in my life, I may need to receive = from the=20 estate that has been entrusted to me almost = 100%. At=20 other times in my life, I may need to receive = for myself=20 from the estate less than 10%. But whatever = stage of my=20 life, one thing is clear: All that I have is a = trust=20 from God. I came into this world with nothing, = and I=20 leave this world with nothing. What Jesus told = the rich=20 young ruler, "You must give it all away," Jesus = says to=20 every one of us. None of us leave life without = having=20 given it all away--to someone, to=20 somewhere.
align=3D"CENTER">***

"Be forewarned: Man and money = cannot=20 remain together forever. Either the = money is=20 taken from the man, or the man is taken = from the=20 = money."

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov³⁸

***

Erma Bombeck was constantly asked if = she saves up=20 her best ideas for the next column, or how she = parcels=20 out and dribbles out her best ideas. Before = Bombeck died=20 she answered these queries in a column, "What's = Saved is=20 Often Lost."

"I don't save anything. My pockets = are empty=20 at the end of a week. So is my gas tank. So = is my=20 file of ideas. I trot out the best I've got, = and=20 come the next week, I bargain, whimper, make = promises, cower and throw myself on the = mercy of the=20 Almighty for just three more columns in = exchange for=20 cleaning my oven.

"I didn't get to this point = overnight. I came=20 from a family of savers who were sired by = poverty=20 and . . . worshiped at the altar of=20 self-denial.

"Throughout the years, I've seen a = fair=20 number of my family who have died leaving = candles=20 that have never been lit, appliances that = never got=20 out of the box . .

"It gets to be a habit.

"I have learned that silver = tarnishes when it=20 isn't used, perfume turns to alcohol, = candles melt=20 in the attic over the summer, and ideas that = are=20 saved for a dry week often become = dated.

"I always had a dream that when I = am asked to=20 give an accounting of my life to a higher = court, it=20 will be like this: 'So, empty your pockets. = What you=20 get left of your life? Any dreams that were=20 unfilled? Any unused talent that we gave you = when=20 you were born that you still have left? Any = unsaid=20 compliments or bits of love that you haven't = spread=20 around?'

"And, I will answer, 'I've nothing = to return.=20 I spent everything you gave me. I'm as naked = as the=20 day I was born."³⁹

As Jesus sent forth his disciples, he = said to=20 them: "Freely ye have received, freely give" = (KJB). It=20 is only by having been blessed by God=92s gifts = that it is=20 more blessed to give than to receive.

We cannot give until we have first = received. We=20 cannot bless others until we first receive for = ourselves=20 God=92s blessing. And out of that receiving, we = give--most=20 importantly ourselves ("they first gave = themselves to=20 the Lord" [2Cor.8:5]), and then our trust. =

John Wesley, when he first became a = Christian,=20 had a salary of thirty pounds per year. He lived = on 28=20 pounds, and gave two to the church.

When Wesley=92s salary was increased to = 50 pounds=20 per year, he lived on 28, and gave 22 to the=20 church.

When Wesley=92s salary was increased to = 100 pounds=20 per year, he lived on 28, and gave 72 to the=20 church.

We are not called to give. We are = called to=20 invest what is God=92s in the work of God=92s = kingdom. God=20 did not call us to "have dominion" over the = earth. God=20 called us to be trustees of God=92s = estate.

***

"The=20 flowing out of God always demands a flowing=20 back."

--Jan Van Ruysbroeck = (1293-1381)

***

Whether the church=92s economic = deployments begin=20 with a theology of receiving or a theology of = giving is=20 important because where one begins alters the = spirit in=20 which the church=92s economic life takes place. = And spirit=20 matters. In a study for the Center on = Philanthropy,=20 Boston College sociologist Paul G. Schervish has = found=20 that charitable giving has very little to do = with income=20 or wealth. Rather, it has everything to do with = one's=20 associations, attitudes, abilities to identify = with the=20 needs of others, and faith.⁴⁰

Jesuit theologian John Haughey contends = that "It=20 is absolutely false to ever use the words 'my = wealth.'=20 It is radical fallacy to consider wealth as = mine. It is=20 not my wealth! This is a lie hot from hell! 'My' = does=20 not fit on the world 'wealth.' 'Nation's wealth' = is a=20 lie! 'Corporation's wealth' is a lie! Whatever = wealth I=20 have disposition over is not my wealth. It is = the wealth=20 of the Owner. If there is anything worth = hearing, it is=20 this statement: 'My' must never again be = attached to the=20 noun 'wealth.' It's NOT my wealth. Rather, it's = my=20 responsibility about the Master's wealth."⁴¹

Where the theological work needs to be = done with=20 our congregations is first in their theology of=20 receiving. How much should we take of what is=20 God=92s?

First, we should understand that our = God is an=20 extravagant God (Eph.3:20; Phil.4:19). God wants = to=20 lavish on you an incredible trust. Will you = receive=20 God=92s trust. Will you become God=92s trustee? = Will you=20 receive the estate God has in store for you? If = our=20 people really understand this, they may come to = feel=20 toward God like that person in junior high = school who=20 had a crush on you.

Second, God wants you to receive for = yourself an=20 abundance (John 10:10). In Luke 19:28-30 Jesus = promises=20 those who would abandon everything and follow = him that=20 they should receive "many times over" (RSV) with = respect=20 to their earthly needs and human friendships.=20

When we pray "Give us this day our = daily bread,"=20 St. Jerome contends, we are not praying for a = prison=20 diet of bread and water, but for an abundant = supply of=20 whatever it takes to make us good and faithful = trustees.=20 The word the Evangelists coined which we = translate=20 "daily" (epiousios) actually conveys = according to=20 Jerome the meaning of abundance=20 ("supersubstantialis"). We can take from = the=20 trust far beyond what we deserve or need for=20 subsistence.

The precise meaning of "abundance" is = illumined=20 in Proverbs 30:8, a key text in any theology of=20 receiving that relates finances to faith. "Give = me=20 neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food = that is=20 needful for me" (RSV). Or as another translation = puts=20 the last clause: "provide me with food = sufficient for my=20 needs" (AT). The ethical axis does not tilt = either=20 toward sparsity or superfluity. Its poles are at = one end=20 selfishness or at the other end obedience. Jesus = did not=20 call trustees to asceticism, or to affluence. = Jesus=20 called trustees to obedience.

Second, the ethical axis in a theology = of=20 receiving is one of necessities versus luxuries, = what I=20 need as opposed to what I want, and when in = doubt erring=20 on the kenotic side of self-limitation and=20 other-generosity because God tilts in the same=20 direction. Clement of Alexandria compared a = person's=20 possessions to a person's shoe size. Possessions = must=20 fit the person--they will be cumbersome and=20 uncomfortable if too large; painful if pinched. = Each=20 soul has a different size. That is why, as the = Parable=20 of the Talents teaches us (Matt. 25:14-30), = inequality=20 does not spell injustice. We all share as = equals, but we=20 are not all given equal shares. It is not wrong = for one=20 person to have more than another person because = each=20 person has many different needs, some of them = more=20 costly than others.

The soul can be an expensive thing to = grow. It=20 may need books, music, art, travel, and beauty. = Jesus=20 made all these things a part of daily bread that = we can=20 receive freely.

The most dramatic strike in American = history=20 broke out in Lawrence, Massachusetts in 1912, = when=20 25,000 unskilled immigrant workers under Wobbly=20 leadership fought for ten weeks an oppressive = industrial=20 system. Ray Stannard Baker called it "the first = strike I=20 ever saw which sang." One of the lines these = workers=20 sang was:

Hearts starve as well as = bodies
Give us=20 bread, but give us=20 roses.

Because God called the world good, the = Old=20 Testament scholar Walther Eichrodt explained, = the=20 Hebrews believed that all of creation was to be = enjoyed.=20 They reveled in "earthly possessions, many = children,=20 long life, friendship, and love, as well as = wisdom,=20 beauty, honor, and political freedom." When we = get a=20 taste of the new life in Christ, or what Paul = referred=20 to in Ephesians 3:8 as "the unfathomable riches = of=20 Christ" (NEB), there is an intensification, not = a=20 diminishment, of the colors of art, science, = culture and=20 nature. The gospel of Jesus Christ gives us eyes = to see=20 new beauties in earth, sea, sky and human = experience. In=20 the words of the old George Wade Robinson=20 hymn:

Heav'n above is softer = blue
Earth around=20 is sweeter green;
Something lives in = every=20 hue
Christless eyes have never=20 seen.

The postmodern church, then, is to be a = place=20 where rich and poor will reconceive themselves = in light=20 of each other. It will end up being a place of=20 abundance. Just as in the early church, = postmodern=20 churches should have no poor among them. Its = rich will=20 have learned to recite the trustees=92 prayer, = "God, help=20 me handle possessions with a light touch," and = to live a=20 life where, not "The one with the most toys = wins," but=20 "The one who bounces his/her last check wins."=20

The postmodern church will not be = afraid of=20 economics and will have learned the biblical = truth that=20 you cannot serve God and money, but sometimes = you can=20 serve God better with money than without it. The = church=92s theology of giving will not be based = on guilt,=20 or scorn for possessions, or some abstract = principle of=20 "unto the least" makes us increasingly = intolerant of=20 inequality. Rather, our theology of giving will = be based=20 on a spirit of compassion, love, and a = trustee=92s=20 accountability for creation and the common good, = which=20 has absolute pre-eminence over property and=20 class.

Jesus has invited us to come to his = table. We do=20 not come in a spirit of guilt or glee that we = have=20 received more than others. We do come in a = spirit of=20 gratitude for the abundance God has entrusted to = us, and=20 with grit and grim determination to see that we = invest=20 our estate wisely that others can share in the = abundance=20 God has promised for all. Let there be no poor = at God's=20 table because of our greed and = selfishness.

In many native American cultures, the=20 "potlatch" or giveaway was at the heart = of their=20 economic system. One gathered wealth, not to = accumulate=20 for oneself, but to give it away and invest it = in the=20 community. The richest person in the community = is the=20 one who gives the most away.⁴² Only a = theology of=20 receiving can get the postmodern church beyond a = tithing=20 system=92s ten percent tip to God (which isn=92t = even=20 adequate in restaurants anymore) toward a = potlatch=20 discipleship.

ENDNOTES

1. = Douglas W.=20 Johnson, Finance In Your Church = (Nashville:=20 Abingdon, 1986), 15.

2. See = e.g. Susan=20 Brigden, "Tithe Controversy in Reformation = London,"=20 The Journal of Ecclesiastical History, 32 = (July=20 1981): 285-301; Giles Constable, "Resistance to = Tithes=20 in the Middle Ages, The Journal of = Ecclesiastical=20 History, 13 (October 1962): 172-85; Lawrence = P. Buck=20 "Opposition to Tithes in the Peasants' Revolt: A = Case=20 Study of Nuremberg in 1524," The Sixteenth = Century=20 Journal, 4 (October 1973), 11-22; Salim = Rashid,=20 "Anglican Clergymen and the Tithe Question in = the Early=20 Nineteenth Century," The Journal of Religious = History, 11 (June 1980): 64-76; William = Reginald=20 Ward, "The Tithe Question in England in the = Early=20 Nineteenth Century," The Journal of = Ecclesiastical=20 History, 16 (April 1965), 67-81. By the = beginning of=20 the 19th century, the tithe was no longer much = of an=20 irritant in English society. It did not become = an issue=20 in American religious life until the = 1880's.

3. Luther = P. Powell,=20 Money and the Church (New York: = Association=20 Press, 1962), 151.

4. Censorinus, = De Die=20 Natali, 1.9-11, as quoted and translated by = Kathryn=20 Argetsinger, "Birthday Rituals: Friends and = Patrons in=20 Roman Poetry and Cult," Classical = Antiquity, 11=20 (October 1992), 177.

5. Tobit=20 1:7-8

6. Gen.=20 14:18-20

7. = Leviticus=20 27:30-33

8. = Nehemiah=20 10:38-39

9. = Deuteronomy=20 14:22ff.

10. In = their book=20 Partners with God: Bible Truths about = Giving,=20 Bobby L. Eklund & Terry Austin (Nashville:=20 Convention Press, 1994) argue that the notion = that there=20 were three separate tithes, which they say "has = been=20 circulated among commentators for a long time," = is less=20 "true to Scripture" than "the traditions of = biblical=20 interpreters" (65).

11. = Maaserot 1:1.=20 Martin S. Jaffee, Mishnah's Theology of = Tithing: A=20 Study of Tractate Maaserot (Chico, Calif.: = Scholars=20 Press, 1981), 25-61.

12. = Giles Constable,=20 Monastic Tithes, From the Origins to the = Twelfth=20 Century (Cambridge: University Press, 1964), = 2.

13. Luke = 11:42, 46;=20 18:12

14. = Matthew=20 17:27

15. = Matthew 23:23=20 NEB

16. = Douglas W.=20 Johnson, The Tithe: Challenge or = Legalism?=20 (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1984), = 18.

17. = Clement of=20 Alexandria, The Stromata, or Miscellanies 2.18 = in=20 Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, eds., = Fathers=20 of the Second Century, vol. 2 of The = Ante-Nicene=20 Fathers (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, = 1971),=20 366.

18. John = &=20 Sylvia Ronsvalle, The Hidden Billions: The = Potential=20 of the Church in the USA (Champaign, Ill.: = C-4=20 Resources, 1984).

19. = George=20 Whitehead, A Brief Treatise on The Truths = Behalf in=20 Discovery of Falsehoods... (London: Printed = for=20 Thomas Simmons, 1658), 9.

20. A = good example=20 of this argument can be found in S. Beam's "New=20 Testament Giving Versus Old Testament Tithing,"=20 Reformed Church Review, 5 (April 1901),=20 204-20.

21. Fred = Smith, "The=20 4 Faces of Stewardship," Leadership, 5 = (Spring=20 1984): 114.

22.. See the = John D.=20 Rockefeller pamphlet on tithing that was widely=20 distributed.

23.. There are = some=20 notable exceptions. In the Church of the = Nazarene, none=20 of the District Superintendents give less than = 10%; 44%=20 give 15% or more; 37% give 20% or = more.

24.. As cited = in Tim=20 Riter, Deep Down (Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale = House,=20 1995), 123.

25.. = Wired, August=20 1996, 137.

26.. James = Gleick, "Cash=20 is Dying," New York Times Magazine, 16 = June=20 1996.

27.. Doug Manchester has captured the = lingering=20 appeal of cash in his observation that "Handing = cash and=20 coin back and forth and counting it at any time = and in=20 any place has a certain comfort for us. Even = though we=20 have learned to adapt to the invisible = machinations of=20 electronic devices, such as the VCR and PC, we = still=20 have an inherent need, albeit suppressed, to = understand=20 what is happening behind the scenes." See his = "Smart=20 Cards: Key to Cashless Economy?" The = Futurist, 31=20 (January-February 1997), 31.

28. Marvin E. Tate, "Tithing: Legalism = or=20 Benchmark?" Review and Expositor, 70 = (Spring=20 1973):161. This is the best single treatment of = the=20 issue I have encountered.

29. Thomas Merton, The Wisdom of the = Desert (New York: New Directions, 1960),=20 70..

30. Here is an alternative translation: = "But who=20 am I, and who are my people, that we should be = able to=20 give as generously as this? Everything comes = from you,=20 and we have given you only what comes from your = hand."=20 Quote this from Today's English Version as = well.
See=20 also these following = texts:
    `All=20 the earth is mine,=92 Exodus = 19:5.
   =20 `The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says = the Lord=20 of hosts,=92 Haggai 2:8.
    = `Know that=20 the Lord is God! It is He that hath made us, and = we are=20 His; . . .=92 Psalm 100:3

31. See the interview with Lynn = Margulis in=20 Jonathan White's Talking On the Water: = Conversations=20 About Nature and Creativity (San Francisco: = Sierra=20 Club Books, 1994), 76.

32. For other examples see Matt. 20:8; = Luke=20 12:42-43; 16:1-2, etc.

33. Elizabeth Barnes, The Story of=20 Discipleship (Nashville: Abingdon, 1995),=20 53-55.

34. As quoted by John S. McClure in = The=20 Round-table Pulpit (Nashville: Abingdon, = 1995),=20 106.

35. Andrew Carnegie, Gospel of = Wealth=20 (Bedford, MA: Applewood Books, = 1998).

36. Albert Einstein, The World As I = See It=20 (NY: Philosophical Library, 1949),=20 1.

37. Harry N. Wendt, "Second = Presentation, June=20 14, 1997," to the Chicago Synod Assembly, ELCA, = 7-13.=20 See also H. N Wendt, The Divine Drama=20 (Indianapolis, Indiana: Shekinah Foundation, = 1983),=20 293-303, 301-302.

38. The Empty Chair: Finding Hope = and Joy=20 (Woodstock, Vermont: Jewish Lights Publishing, = 1994),=20 22.

39. As quoted by John M. Buchanan, = ""Give It=20 All," Fourth Presbyterian Church, Chicago, = Illinois, 23=20 October 1994, 1.

40. See the working document = Wherewithal and=20 Beneficence: Charitable Giving by Income and = Wealth=20 (from Indiana University Center on Philanthropy, = 317-274-4200).

41. Father John Haughey, S.J., as = quoted in=20 Ministry of Money newsletter, Number 98 = (October=20 1995), 5.

42. Of course, even potlatch's can be = (and were)=20 used to lord it over others and to arrogate to = oneself=20 power and social=20 = standing.