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I'm totally aware a contemporary Christian culture that believes that God is highly pleased with the gift of our corrupt hearts. A fine gift for our Lord!

I see your answer is no, well that's a rather wordy reply for such a simple question but, if you feel you must elaborate your responses in such a matter. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/shrug.gif" alt="" />

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Do you have any NT references? Are we mandated to support a Levitical priesthood as well?

<img src="/forum/images/graemlins/jawdrop.gif" alt="" /> Hmmm and Baptists get called dispensational. Well here is some for you.
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Hebrews 7:6-9 but he whose genealogy is not counted from them has taken tithes of Abraham, and has blessed him who has the promises. But without any dispute the less is blessed by the better. Here people who die receive tithes, but there one receives tithes of whom it is testified that he lives. So to say, through Abraham even Levi, who receives tithes, has paid tithes,emphasis mine

Now here's a question for you Speratus since Christ is a priest on the order of Melchizedek, and since Abraham gave tithes to Melchizedek,(Gen. 14:18-20) should we who have inherited the blessings promised to Abraham (see Gal. 3:14-18)not do the same?

OBTW lest I forget no the Levitical priesthood is done away with but does that mean the Melchizedek priesthood doesn't get tithes?

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The law of mandated tithes only condemns us. The only thing we can truly give God is our sins.

Well I'm not saying that we don't give to God our sins but do you think just once you could come up with something besides opinion? How about some verses, or even something by Luther?

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I have never been associated with a Lutheran church that required tithing. The only justification I can think of for the optional offering envelopes is that documentation is required by the IRS. Even that is questionable. If we are rewarded by the government for our giving, what reward have we of the Father? And what about our fellow church members who do the accounting of our contributions? What sort of reward are we expecting from them? As much as possible, we should not let our left hand know what our right hand does.

Well good thing we're not basing everything upon your experiences then are we? I recall many times in the ELCA church which my father and mother attended where there would be a little box of offerings and tithes envelopes with our family's name upon it. If I recall it was for either a whole month or a whole year, its been too long ago to remember clearly how many times the box appeared. But it did appear.

Peter

If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don't like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself. Augustine of Hippo