Christians Are Some of the Most Generous People, But Not for Reason You'd Think

A new study reveals that evangelical Christians are some of the most generous tippers in the country, generally tipping at about 20 percent. 

While many people tip according to how well they're served, researchers at the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), discovered that evangelical leaders view tipping as a display of God's love regardless of how poor or excellent the service is. 

"Tipping is an opportunity to minister," said Jim Tolle, pastor of El Camino Metro Church in Los Angeles. "It has nothing to do with service. Since life is difficult for so many — especially in the food service industry — I try to be as generous as I am able to be."

Some even say they are especially generous when the service is bad. 

 "When service is poor I often tip more. My heart goes out to servers struggling with life issues that bubble over at work. I want to help," said Leith Anderson, president of NAE.

While evangelic Christians tend to be very generous, a Barna Group study found that there is disagreement in the church over what generosity means exactly. 

Pastors view generosity as an attitude (38%) and a response to Christ's own love for humanity (47%). Meanwhile, church parishioners are five times more likely to view generosity as dependent on spontaneity and individual circumstances. 

When it comes to the issue of tithing, pastors and parishioners are most divided over whether volunteering can be a substitute for the biblical command to tithe.

Almost 5 out of 10 Christians say tithing can be replaced by volunteering, while only 9% of pastors says volunteering is a substitute for tithing.