Tithing anecdote

I heard the following story about an old Baptist preacher named C. D. Arnold. (It happened long before my time, probably in the late 1930s or early 1940s.)

In the churches in the area where Brother Arnold lived, some new preachers introduced tithing – that church members must give 10% of their income to the church. This had never been taught in the churches before. It caused quite a stir of controversy. Brother Arnold was in the forefront opposing the innovation. He gave out that he would be preaching on tithing at a certain place and time. This announcement drew a large crowd, so large that all who came could not fit in the church house! When the preaching hour came Brother Arnold ascended the pulpit. After brief comments, he asked, “Are there any Levites here?” None responded. He proceeded, “I intended to teach on tithing tonight. Since there are no Levites present there is no point. I guess I’ll preach on something else.” Then he launched into a sermon that was enjoyed by most of the crowd. (Brother Arnold might have been a little “eccentric,” but he made his point.)

[Disclaimer: Though I put Elder Arnold’s words in quotes, this is simply his words as best I remember how the story was told, and should not be viewed as exact quotes. The story was told to me by either G. V. Hamilton or James Broome.]