Reverse Tithing

In ancient Babylon, the standard tax was a simple one-tenth of one’s assets were reserved for the state. It was an easy code that anyone could understand and calculate. At a later time, this political idea of giving 10% to a worldly king was transferred to giving that same amount to God (or, more realistically, to those organizations that were viewed as representatives of God, such as the Jewish Temple or the Christian Church).

Reverse tithing is just what it sounds like: giving away 90% of your annual income and keeping just the remainder for living expenses. I first heard of this concept from Sir John Templeton, who customarily gives away 10 times to charity that he spends on himself.

Of course, this would be hard strategy to complete successfully on a salary of $50,000. Certainly, this is reserved for those with a high net worth and income. Yet, I do think this is a noble aspiration: to one day to share the majority of your abundance with family, friends, non-profits, religious organizations, scientific research, and other humanitarian causes to change the world.

Would you like to become a reverse tither too?