3. The point is, if we all paid God's tax, the tithe, we could create God's government: churches, schools, hospitals, relief agencies for the poor, and more. We can provide for godly arts and we can create Christian arbitration courts, and so on. This was done once, and it can be done again.
a. According to Rushdooney - Example of Plymouth Massechusetts - early 1800's, 2000 to 40,000 met at the boat. There were English classes, work for the men, cooking classes for the women, schools for the children. All were involved in church.
b. Rushdooney, Institute - The modern social order strips virtually every area of life from God's jurisdiction, from God's ordained government and care. This happened through the neglect of the tithe.
1) Within a generation of the abolition of the legally required tithe in the U.S., the state-supported and controlled schools came into existence.
2) As revivalism and antinomianism led to the decline of the tithe (which was denounced as legalism or bondage to the law [aren't we quick to find excuses not to tithe?]), by the beginning of the 20th century welfare or poor relief came to be a state function.
[Antinomian: a person who maintains that Christians are freed from the moral law by virtue of grace as set forth in the gospel.]
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