Why I Stopped Paying Church Tithes—Toke Makinwa

<h4>Why I Stopped Paying Church Tithes&&num;8212&semi;Toke Makinwa<&sol;h4>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><strong><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;openlife&period;ng&sol;">OpenLife Nigeria<&sol;a><&sol;strong> reports that media personality Toke Makinwa has ignited a fierce debate online after revealing she no longer pays tithes&comma; citing the growing wealth and comfort of many churches as the reason&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Speaking candidly on the hit talk show WithChude&comma; Makinwa shared how her understanding of giving has shifted over time&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>She questioned the traditional expectation of tithing after noticing the financial muscle and expansion projects within several ministries she’s familiar with&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Every church is building&period; Every Sunday&comma; there’s a building fund envelope&period; You guys have so much money and it’s not taxed&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>It’s a business&comma; if we are going to be real&period; Because if that pastor dies today&comma; either his wife or his child becomes the next pastor&comma;” she stated bluntly&comma; sending shockwaves through social media&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>She criticized the constant push for funds for ambitious church projects&comma; pointing out that despite appearing financially secure&comma; congregations are continually soliciting contributions&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Instead of following the traditional path&comma; Makinwa said she now directs her resources toward what she calls &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;actual needs&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>This includes helping people pay rent&comma; assisting widows&comma; and covering medical or maternity bills for struggling families&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Her stance has polarized Nigerians&colon; while some praise her honesty and boldness&comma; others accuse her of undermining a sacred practice&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Yet&comma; Makinwa insists her approach is a personal choice shaped by observation and experience&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>She emphasizes she’s not discouraging others from tithing but explaining why her giving has evolved&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>In a country where churches wield massive social and economic influence&comma; Makinwa’s revelations have reignited debates about transparency&comma; accountability&comma; and the real purpose of charitable giving&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Some argue that tithing is a sacred duty rooted in faith&comma; while others support her view that contributions should target tangible impact in society&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;