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Would Your Church Accept $600,000 From a Lottery Winner?

Orginally published on Monday, August 18, 2008 at 7:01 AM
by Todd Rhoades

After Robert Powell hit the Florida Lottery jackpot last month and took home more than $6 million, he thought of his church. And he offered to drop his tithe, around $600,000, in the collection plate of First Baptist Orange Park. But the church and Pastor David Tarkington politely declined and told Powell they will not accept the lottery winnings. Pastor David Tarkington would not say exactly why the church refused the money, saying only he 'didn't want to talk about members' gifts'.

So... here's the question of the day... if someone in YOUR church won the lottery and wanted to tithe the money. Would you accept or deny the money. If you accept the money, why? And if you would deny the money, do you also check to see where your other tithes and offerings are coming from... you know... just to be safe? Please take a moment to leave your comment...

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  There are 70 Comments:

  • Posted by Peter Hamm

    I’d take it! I don’t encourage the lottery myself, but I’m willing to let that person start to be an example of gratuitous generosity, and might counsel him to give a great deal of the rest away!

  • Posted by

    Stop me if you’ve heard this one before:

    The only problem with “tainted” money is that there “taint” enough of it.

  • Posted by

    YESSSSSS!

  • Posted by Mark Simpson

    Did God speak to this pastor?  He certainly can, and does speak.  Sometimes this is maddening to us because it is obvious that God has dealt differently with His servants.  Case in point: George Muller was once given a large gift by an unconverted person and he turned it down due to convictions he had. His contemporary William Booth was given a large gift by a cigar-smoking agnostic.  When he accepted it he was asked why.  “Tonight we will lay the gift on the altar and allow the widow’s tears to wash it.” (something to that effect) Both men mightily used of God,with different convictions.  We don’t have answers for everything.

  • Posted by

    I would NOT take it.  How can we be the church if we take in tainted resources? 

    At MY church, we only accept perfectly clean money.  No funds from bartenders b/c of the alcohol thing.  Same with waiters, waitresses and folks who work in stores that sell alcohol (and, oh yeah...cigarettes).  We do take money from SOME attorneys, but not ones that work for the ACLU (evil) or represent cases or people we don’t agree with.  How could we take money from attorneys who represent criminals??  Doctors are ok as long as they have NEVER performed an abortion or offered birth control.  There are a few more people we don’t accept money from as well, but the list is kind of long.  Oh yeah, these people can’t serve either.

    We once had a former preacher try to join our church, but he didn’t baptize like we do.  So...you know.  (He didn’t have much money to give anyway.)

  • Posted by

    in a heartbeat - YES - Satan has had control of that money long enough

  • Posted by Ray Reavis

    Wow, this is a tough one.  I look at it this way, gambling in itself isn’t a sin, but the love of money and material things is a sin.  So if someone plays the lottery just for fun, just for the fun of buying a dollar ticket, without being consumed by dreams of striking it rich, is that sinful?  Maybe your intentions are upright, and you spend that $1 on a lottery ticket no differently than you would blow $1 in a Frogger video game (I know, I’m dating myself).  Maybe this guy’s intentions are that innocent.

    Especially if the guy shows that he is tithing of his winnings, it helps the case that he isn’t necessarily a “lover of money.” I suppose I’m inclined to give someone the benefit of the doubt.

    I also have to give the pastor the benefit of the doubt.  He probably sees the destructivenss of gambling.  He probably has counseled men and women who have put their families in financial jeopardy.  If this is the case, he probably thinks it is hypocritical to accept the winnings from something he feels is so bad.  If he earnestly sought God’s guidance in prayer, who am I to criticize him?

    On balance, I believe I would accept the money.  I believe much good could come from it.

    Peace,
    Ray

  • Posted by

    I would take the money and use it for the Kingdom.  While I do not agree with gambling on any given Sunday there is money going in the plate from liars, those who have stolen and the list goes on.  Let’s turn it around and make it useful.

  • Posted by

    I just had to laugh when I read bro. Silvermans response. Are you serious, How about the wealth of the wicked is laid up for the righteous. Or Duet, 8:18 It is the Lord your God that gives you power or (wisdom to get wealth, that His covenant may be established in the earth. I don’t play support or promote State Lotteries but How can you say that lottery money is tainted when it’s your tax dollars that help fund it. And Once it gets placed in the hands of God as an offering it becomes sanctified, cleansed and set appart for Kingdom use. Thi nk about the outreach opportuites and the souls trhat could be reached with a gift of that caliber. This kind of thinking from those trapped in a religous box is why most churches struggle and never get anything accomplished for God’s glory. God bless the brother who won the 6 mill.

  • Posted by

    Yep - I’d take it unless God very clearly told me not to.  We have a woman in our church living in extreme poverty.  She lives in a home with holes in the roof, and no utilities whatsoever - no running water, no electricity, no gas - nothing.  She uses kerosene for light and heat.  What a difference we could make in her life with that kind of money.

  • Posted by Paul J.

    Not only would I take it, I wouldn’t even blink.
    Oh, and Pastor Steve...I’m pretty sure that Sam was being ironic and humorous…

  • Posted by Gary Sweeten

    Any church that would not accept “tainted” money is not mature enough to spend it wisely so I think the Pastor and leaders acted with great wisdom.  For them to see that their theology and biblical understanding is so shallow that we would waste the funds takes real integrity and courage. So, I am here to bless and affirm this Pastor and to say that my theology and understanding of the Bible is mature enough to use those funds wisely.

  • Posted by

    Take it and use it for the glory of God!!!!!!!

  • Posted by

    I can tell I am among pastors!

    We brought this subject up this week at a men’s meeting. Initially, I said, why not? Upon further reflection and listening to the men in my church, I came away with a different view.

    It really goes back to the meat offered to idols dilemma. If someone offers you meat that has been offered to idols, go ahead and eat it. However, if the server tells you it has been offered to idols, we don’t eat it, not because we don’t have liberty, but because of another man’s conscience.

    With respect to the lottery, it is almost certain (as was this case) that the donation will be reported to the media. Then the media communicates the message: Christians are ethical...except when money is involved. Twist it anyway you like, the reputation of the church will ultimately not be worth much. Hate to say it, because I am as greedy as the rest of you (lol) but in the end, will God receive the glory? Will God be blessed? That is a tough one.

  • Posted by Brian L.

    I’m not a fan of the lottery in any form.

    But I would accept the money - it can now be used redemptively for Kingdom purposes, including the helping of the poor and needy.

    For an alternative view, however, read John Piper’s response to this issue (sorry - don’t have the link for you - you’ll have to google it or go to his website) after a guy had won a few hundred million and tried to give a bunch to the Salvation Army, which turned it down.

    Brian L.

  • Posted by

    Definitely would.....the devil’s had it long enough.

  • Posted by

    A friend related to me about a “Christian” Daycare they were involved with that had been offered money from a fundraiser that they declined. It seems that some of the mom’s who used the daycare services worked at a local strip club. So being appreciative of the care their children were receiving they organized a carwash fundraiser, albeit a bikini carwash! While laughing at the absurdity of the situation the daycare found themselves in, I also wondered what kind of message the mom’s received in being denied the opportunity to give back to the place that gave them so much. When we offer God our gifts they really are worthless in comparison with his Glorious Gift of Life. Yet he accepts our gifts with all the love and grace that we can handle.

  • Posted by

    Todd,

    Absolutely take the money! There is no reason not too.  There are probably a lot of people in my church and others that give money they got in unethical and wrong ways. Why not take the money and use it for good to be sure it’s not used for any other purposes.

    Matt

  • Posted by

    Finding money that isn’t “tainted” will be pretty tough since every donation is from a sinner ... ooops, scripture says we’re all sinners and at the same time tells us to give money.

    And I don’t have time to look for it right now, but there is a scripture verse that says “take the money” from sinful sources and use it for God’s work. [Is that “gambler” donor more of a sinner than the liar in the next pew, the luster among the deacons, the curser who greets people at the front door, the smoker, drinker, porno viewing members?]

    I believe I could get on a rant about this !!!

    Rober Powell ... call me if you’re having difficulty donating this money to a church. We can work something out !!!

  • Posted by

    I’d suggest the donor give at least 20% to “clean up” the lottery money!

  • Posted by Matt

    I would take money from Satan himself if there were no strings attached!

  • Posted by

    I was approached by a member with a question like this between services one Sunday. Before I could answer one or our senior adults responded for me. She said “Billy Sunday said one time that this money has been in Satan’s hands long enough. Let’s take it away and see what God can do with it.”

    I can’t verify the Billy Sunday quote, just that she stated it with great confidence. We were in the midst of raising $1.5 mil for a land purchase. To my knowledge, no one ever won so we never had a chance to try it out. We did raise the money and bought the 20 acres.

    On another occassion someone placed two new lottery tickets in the offering plate. I scratched them that week and announced to the church the next Sunday that we had not won and then encouraged them in the future to put the price of the ticket in the offering plate instead and warned against the desire to get rich quick.

  • Posted by Brian L.

    I heard of a Christian school who kicked out the young elementary aged girl because mom was a stripper (and yes - she paid with her tips).

    I can understand the quandary of not wanting to appear to support the mom’s vocation, but the bigger question is this: did anyone think of befriending this single mom and helping her find Christ (and a different job as God allowed), being honestly concerned about HER and HER CHILD instead of where the money came from?

    I can’t agree enough with those who have said that the money has belonged to the enemy long enough.  Accept it and be grateful to God for the unusual method of His bringing it to them!

  • Posted by

    BrianL that happened in my town at a church I a very familiar with.  They not only offered to befriend, they offered her other jobs, tried to help with employment and were very Christ like.  She refused. 

    That said, I don’t think money was ever given anywhere that wasn’t given by a sinner… Except for Jesus of course.

  • Posted by

    I know this is a touchy subject for some. However we as pastors and such, have a mandate from Christ Himself. Jesus ate and associated with the dregs of society. Jesus and his disciples had to eat and live on the road, as it were. Where did they get the money to survive the three years that Jesus was training them? (Hint, it must have been from those filthy sinners and tax collectors, and prostitutes, don’t you think?)

    My ministry is in the inner city. A lot of our people live in squalor and hopelessness. The State of California has been a lotto state for many years. Our people, in spite of being members, or just attendee’s of our little church, will buy a lotto ticket, even when they know they should not be wasting their money on such. If one of them was to come to me and told me they had won a large lotto, and wanted to help the church out, I would counsel him/her to take care of their family first, and of course tithe the rest. (Not greedy, just grateful to God for the excess of His bounty.)

    Also, I have married those who were living in sin, after counseling them, as Jesus said, to go and sin no more. (What? You would have them continue in rebellion against God’s marriage plans)? I have Baptized the most horrible of sinners, and welcomed them into our fellowship. (By the way what were you, ((Or Me for that matter)), before we came to a saving relationship with Christ)?

    I guess what I am getting at, is that God has the ability to surprise us and provide from various and diverse directions.

    Lord Bless you, and all of your givers.

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