When I read Ben Godar’s article about Bill Gates’s contribution to charity, I was disappointed to see that he knows nothing about how tithing in the church works.

When tithing, the general idea is to give up 10 percent of your INCOME, not 10 percent of your net worth.

Bill Gates did not make $40 billion in 1998, nor has he ever made $40 billion.

According to Forbes magazine, Gates’ net worth at the end of 1998 is roughly $51 billion, an increase of roughly $14.6 billion from 1997.

Anyone who can do simple arithmetic can see that his contribution of $3 billion is well over 10 percent of his income.

It’s a little over 20 percent of his income.

Matthew Fienhold

Sophomore

Management information systems