Articles by Kevin Baird

To engage politics biblically one must understand and appreciate the nature of the arena to which you have been called. Politics and government is exactly like every other mission field on the planet. It holds no special status of uniqueness or absolution from the corruption and dysfunction of sin to which the entire world has been stained. It is no different than the marketplace, public education, the news media, the entertainment business, professional sports, or our family units. To grant it a special space is to begin with a wrong premise. The presupposition of political or public policy engagement is that selfishness (sin) is at work and redemption is the only answer. This isn’t negative, harsh, or disrespectful. It is theology 101.

For years I have taught that the civic government arena (political sphere) is populated by the same people who live in every sphere of life. I have divided them up into 5 demographics which are the primary and perhaps exclusive concern of the Christian.

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After 6 years, I recently stepped out of a role in an activist organization as the “director of church engagement”. The general job description was to help the evangelical church at large cross the bridge of separation and engage civic government as a mission field in a biblically authentic way. This experience, along with an additional 20 years of intentionally soliciting pastors towards greater engagement AS a senior pastor, at least gives me some qualification to speak to how that engagement and/or ministry might look. I think I am old enough now (66 years old) to recognize that mission strategy in any sphere of life may have some legitimate differences of engagement, yet can still qualify as biblical. Gospel work is not always one size fits all. That said, the Church’s call to spread the Gospel into every arena of life is not rooted in raw pragmatism and personal preference either. There are ecclesiological concerns. As the old saying goes, “The road to Hell is filled with good intentions”.

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As I conclude this series of posts I have found it fascinating to read several rebuttals to what I have written. I understand there are warm-hearted, born-again believers who will land in the “anti-tithe” square primarily due to the idea that “we are no longer under the Law”. This, of course, is both true and false. There is much “law” quoted in the New Testament which obviously reaffirms its relevance. At the same time, we understand that Christ fulfilled much of the law through the finality of His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. While it is true we no longer practice the Old Testament sacrificial requirements to be at peace with God (atonement), it is equally as true that the moral force of obedience to the 10 commandments is still expected under a New Covenant. The question arises as to what stays relevant under the New Covenant? Again, tithing gets caught in the crossfire of these discussions.

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When I began my tithing journey 48+ years ago I found that, like many believers, what I didn’t understand about the principle, I simply “made up”.  Instead of studying, praying, and seeking for the truth, I sort of filled in the blanks with personal pragmatism. I defined concepts using my own thoughts and definitions instead of Bible concepts, principles, and precepts.

For example, many people use the word “tithe” as a synonym for “giving”. As one man said to me years ago, “I tithe and I figured it up that last year my tithe is around 7 percent of my income”. Another person said (whom everyone was well aware their income was a solid 6 figure), “I tithe $100 monthly.” Again, one can affirm any amount of generosity and be grateful for it. But as sensitive as some people are over the concept of “replacement theology”, there is also an active “replacement stewardship” at work in the Body of Christ at large. We “replace” and “redefine” concepts which have no small degree of clarity in the Scriptures. 

Principle 6 and 7 are closely related and will splash over on each other and address some of the pragmatism which has cemented itself in many believer’s minds. Principle 6 is “Where do we tithe?”, and the next post (principle 7) is “Do we direct the tithe?” I will prepare you, this concept was revelatory for me and not everyone will agree, but as the title of these posts declare, this is what has made a difference in MY life.

The short answer to “Where do I tithe?”, is simply…the storehouse. (See Malachi 3:8-12)

The proceeding question now becomes, “What or Who is the storehouse?”

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Sorry for the tardiness in posting. We’ve been on the road ministering and preaching and even now I am catching up in a hotel room to get these posts out. Please be sure to catch up on the previous 4 posts.

Principle #5 is prefaced by stating that the devil’s job description is to “steal, kill, and destroy”. The adversary is quite pleased when you struggle, face lack, and live impoverished. He is pleased when your finances are depleted and seem to evaporate before the next payday. In much the same way the Lord has the ability to stretch the purchasing power of a dollar, the enemy can also shrink your finances creating scenarios where you are constantly trying to figure out how you can make more money. Haggai 1:6 states, “You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, Earns wages to put into a bag with holes.” This is where principle 5 is derived:

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