President Barack Obama has spoken numerous times in the past about the importance of being his "brother's keeper," so exactly how much did the commander in chief donate to charity this year?
According to his and the first lady's tax returns released by the White House, the Obamas gave 12.3 percent of their gross income to 32 different organizations in 2013, totaling $59,251.00.
Of this overall charitable giving, the Obamas donated $1,500 to St. John’s Church, an Episcopalian church close to the White House.
A screen shot from the Obama family's 2013 tax filing. (Image source: White House)
This was the family's sole donation to a house of worship last year, meaning the Obamas tithed 0.3 percent of their total gross income of $481,098.00 in 2013, as the Daily Caller noted.
Past research from the Barna Group, a polling firm, indicated that only 5 percent of Americans tithe 10 percent of their income, which is widely considered the biblical norm.
The Obamas have at least loose ties to the Rev. Luis Leon, the pastor of St. John's Church, as he was selected to give the benediction at Obama's second inauguration.
Leon replaced Pastor Louie Giglio, an Atlanta-based preacher originally chosen for the honor, when he dropped out following furor over past remarks he made about homosexuality.
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama walk to the White House after arriving on the South Lawn, on Saturday, April 12, 2014, in Washington. (AP/ Evan Vucci)
The Obamas occasionally attend St. John's, which has come to be known "the church of the presidents" for its proximity to the White House and its numerous presidential parishioners.
During an Easter sermon last year for which the Obamas were in attendance, Leon made contentious remarks about the "religious right."
"It drives me crazy when the captains of the religious right are always calling us back…for blacks to be back in the back of the bus…for women to be back in the kitchen…for immigrants to be back on their side of the border," he said, according to the White House press pool report at the time.
See Obama's tax return documentation here.
(H/T: Deseret News)
