Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: plains!divine@uunet.uu.net (Kevin Divine) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: "Money: it's a gas. Grab that cash with both hands . . ." Message-ID: Date: 14 Apr 91 03:04:46 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND Lines: 16 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu Personnally, I think that the idea of "shaming" people into giving more is rude, crude, and socially unrefined. What I give to my church is between me and God, and i do not think that God is going to tell. Back at my home church, my father is the financial secretary-- meaning that he counts all money coming into the church, from whom (for tax purposes only), and to what special project the money may be designated for (building fund, certain missionaries, memorials etc.) meaning that he also has access to people's giving records, but ONLY him. The pastor doesn't even get to see these. Dad keeps these files on two Lotus spreadsheets that he keeps under lock and barrel-- my sisters and I are not evenallowed in the room when he is working on them. Really, I think that advertis- ing to the entire world the giving records of each congregation member is not a situation that i would want to be in. Subject line tells all...... kevin robert divine divine@plains.NoDak.edu [Our pastor has also requested not to be told. He doesn't want knowledge of who the big givers are to unconsciously bias the way he deals with people. --clh]