Fear-Based Giving At Good News Chapel
4 min read
Some pastors today use fear tactics to pressure believers into giving, warning that their possessions will break or be cursed if they don't tithe. But is this biblical? In this post, we unpack the misuse of Malachi 3, contrast it with New Testament teaching, and help you recognize spiritual manipulation.
Below is a video excerpt from a service at Good News Chapel in Montreal, Quebec. In this video, a pastor can be heard threatening and scaring people into giving their money, or else the "devourer" will go after their belongings, causing their cars and appliances to break down.
Threatening people with financial or material loss unless they give money — is not a sound or biblical approach to teaching about giving. It's a manipulation tactic, and it's far from the heart of what Scripture teaches.
Is the "devourer" biblical?
The concept of the "devourer" mentioned by the pastor comes from Malachi 3:10-11.
The pastor quoted this verse out of context. Malachi 3:10-11 was spoken to Israel under the Old Covenant. God promised to protect Israel's crops if they were faithful in giving — not as a threat, but as part of a covenantal blessing.
The pastor calls the "devourer" the demonic challenger. However, the "devourer" of Malachi referred to locusts or grasshoppers, not demons. Therefore, the pastor is twisting scripture to make it sound like it's applicable today. But it's not.
The problem is that we are not Israel, we don't have the crops that Israel had, and we are not under the Old Covenant anymore. Applying these verses to the church today is wrong.
What does the New Testament teach about giving?
No one attending a church should be threatened or coerced with the "devourer" today. This misuse of Scripture causes spiritual and financial abuse.
In the New Testament, we are no longer under the Old Covenant law of tithing, and giving is practiced in a very different way. Giving is voluntary, not coerced. Giving is done out of love for others, not fear. There are no threats of punishment for not giving.
Nowhere in the New Testament does it say that our belongings will be cursed or ruined if we don't give. Teaching this is spiritual manipulation and is not biblical.
Give more to prosper more?
In the video, the pastor says that "when we go above and beyond, and give more than the 10 percent tithe, it's for our prosperity."
This is wrong because it promotes the wrong idea that God will bless you financially if you give more money. It comes from the false Prosperity Gospel. The truth is that God is not a vending machine — giving is not a guarantee of financial return.
Saying that you must give "more than 10%" to unlock "prosperity" implies that if you don't give more, you won't prosper. It causes pressure and guilt. Your blessings are never conditional on your financial contributions. God cannot be bought. That is not grace. It's spiritual coercion.
Red flags in a church
If a pastor uses fear to control people, and teaches that giving equals protection from curses, then it's a sign of a spiritually abusive church. They are using the false Prosperity Gospel to enrich themselves as you fearfully hand over your money. This is not biblical leadership.
What should you do?
If you're hearing these types of messages at Good News Chapter or elsewhere:
- Test everything against Scripture (Acts 17:11).
- Don't stay silent. Tell other mature, biblically-grounded believers.
- Don't give them your money — your relationship with God is not a transaction.
If the pressure persists, find a non-abusive church that teaches grace-based, Christ-centered truth.
For more information, consult What does it mean to rebuke the devourer in Malachi 3:11? from Got Questions.