Do People Think Leaving a Bible Verse Instead of a Tip is Ministry?

Last Updated on February 5, 2022

A North Carolina waitress said she was outraged when she received a Bible verse instead of a tip after serving Christian women.

There are plenty of times I can imagine Jesus Christ doing a facepalm at some of the things Christians do in His name.

The case of a gay server who apparently-Christian customers refused to tip is a perfect example of such a moment.

The situation unfolded last week in Charlotte at a pizza restaurant where a group of women stiffed her on the tip, choosing instead to leave a Bible verse — Leviticus 20:13 — in the blank where people would normally indicate the gratuity.

Across the bottom of the receipt, she said, the woman wrote, “Praying for you.” Other accounts of the story indicate that the women were rude and “barely spoke” during their visit to the restaurant.

Let’s assume, just for the sake of argument, that everything the waitress has said about the encounter, including the message on the receipts, are 100% true. Because what really matters is the message that’s received by this kind of behavior.

Servers have reminded the rest of us any time such an incident happens — whether it has anything to do with homosexuality or not — that they rely on tips to make ends meet. Gratuities are, unfortunately, an expectation in our society. It’s the polite thing to do.

Not leaving a tip is generally considered impolite.

Are Christians supposed to be impolite? Are Christians supposed to be rude?

These ladies, if they were so concerned about the woman’s future, could have left the tip they should have left, then scribbled their pointed little message across the bottom of the receipt, placing the Bible reference alongside the “praying for you” message.

And by the way, when you use the phrase “praying for you” as a way to “slam” someone, does that sound genuine, honest or compassionate to you? It sure doesn’t to me.

Are Christians supposed to be fake, dishonest or uncaring?

Then consider the result, in terms of the woman’s own response to the message:

“I don’t care what anyone says, this is the most disrespectful thing you can do,” she wrote about the incident on Facebook. “Don’t pray for me darling, I have everything I could possibly want and need in my life.”

From the Bible-thumper’s perspective, it might be suggested that the message on the receipt only served to make this woman more “defiant,” to prompt her to “dig her heels in deeper.” It could be said, therefore, that this effort on the part of so-called Christians may have pushed her “further away” from God, not provided the “conviction” we Christians love to talk about.

Are Christians supposed to push people away from God?

There comes a point at which Christians who don’t know how to communicate God’s love, compassion and grace should just sit down, shut up and learn how before they attempt to go be “ambassadors” for Christ.

Common sense ought to smack this kind of person upside the head and remind them that they should be praying for themselves first. Maybe then they’ll learn how to treat people with the kind of love God has for them.

It’s a shame this isn’t more obvious.