Matthew 6:3-4 records a statement of Jesus:

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

This passage has always made me very nervous. I don’t want anyone to know what I have done, especially when it comes to giving!

So, then, why would I write a post like the one I did last Saturday–Strategic giving? I mean, I got into some pretty fine details! Am I not in danger of disobeying this teaching of Christ? Read the rest of this entry »

The following is not exactly a rehash of what I covered in Tithing, Law, Grace and Teaching, a post I wrote nine months ago in direct response to a “challenge” laid down by our legacy planner at the time. But when I ran into this on Saturday, I realized I wanted–and needed–to re-post it, with slight modification, here. This was the first article that caught my eye on Saturday, but, if you saw my post yesterday, you will realize it is the second among my rediscoveries that I am posting.

(Originally posted, in slightly different form, at Tithing: replaced by grace?

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I was doing some maintenance on my personal blog on Saturday, when I bumped into a couple of old posts that would have properly belonged over here on Strategic Inheritance . . . if I had been writing Strategic Inheritance at the time!

So I thought I’d more or less copy them here. I think they deserve another look by another audience.

(Originally posted, in slightly different form, at Tithing and Sabbath as Freedoms?!?

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Last Monday I got to see a demonstration of software meant to make the administration of private foundations much easier. Among other things, the program offers compliance services, including a review of grants to ensure there is no self-dealing; a review of potential recipients of grants to ensure they are, in fact, 501(c)(3) organizations, and thus eligible to receive tax-deductible donations; and a constant vigil over total annual foundation disbursements to ensure that the foundation hits its five percent (5%) minimum distribution requirement.

It was this last service that caught my eye. Read the rest of this entry »

I read two articles today that both seemed to “teach” the same lesson: Be careful about “doing good” that actually does harm. Here are the prime illustrations the authors offered. Read the rest of this entry »

Every now and then I read self-congratulatory articles about how generous Americans are. This one from World magazine is relatively typical:

Americans are the most generous people on the planet, and they mostly don’t toot their own horns about it.

A new study by the Hudson Institute’s Center for Global Prosperity says that Americans account for 45 percent of all philanthropic giving worldwide. Not only is that significantly more than any other nation on earth, it’s also dramatically more on a per capita basis. One example: The average American gives 14 times more to charity than the average Italian. . . .

“Americans give at least twice as much as anyone else,” [Arthur C. Brooks, a fellow at the Hudson Institute and the author of Gross National Happiness] said. “And we’re giving now more than ever before.” Read the rest of this entry »

I got a copy of A Revolution in Generosity last week when I attended the Generosity Forum at Denver Seminary. Wesley K. Willmer, editor of the book, is also author of the first chapter, “Creating a Revolution in Generosity.” I was taken by what he had to say about a fundamental shift in perspective concerning charity that has taken place in the American culture at large but also–and much more–in the Christian church over the last 170 years or so. The shift, from stewardship to philanthropy, has devastated both donors and charitable organizations. Read the rest of this entry »

There is a common phrase among charities–at least among Christian charities–that donors should consider giving of their Time, their Talents, and their Treasure (i.e., time, skills, and money). The alliteration certainly makes the concept easy to remember. But does the phrase even make sense?

Last week, while I was at the Generosity Forum meeting, Gary Hoag challenged the concept. He said the phrase not only implies something that is impossible, it also encourages a wicked attitude on the part of those who “buy” its meaning. Specifically, he said, we can’t speak of owning (possessing, holding, having) time in the same way that we own (possess, hold, or have) talents and treasure. Time is not an asset in the same way that talents and treasure are.

He had two reasons for objecting.

First, Read the rest of this entry »