The recent issue of World magazine had an interesting story in the April 30th issue (20:17, p. 30-31). Entitled: "Word for Word" it carried the subtitle: "Religion: More and more pastors lift entire sermons off the Internet--but is the practice always wrong?" Authored by Gene Edward Veith, questions were raised about the increasingly common practice of acquiring sermons from the internet (and by extension elsewhere) and then preaching them as their own.
The practice of "selling sermons" on the Internet has become a rather significant business. The article lists several web sites where sermon helps, outlines, illustrations and entire messages can be obtained, for a price. One site referred to was SermonCentral.com, which as the article notes, "charges $9.95 per month and claims to be used more than 170,000 times per week." Now of course the math on this is rather simple 170,000 paying $9.95 is nearly $1.7 million per month in revenue. Christianity Today has one subscription site that charges $49.95 per year and another site that distributes whole sermons for $4.95 a pop.
The question the article asks, but never really answers directly, is whether this practice is wrong. Veith states,
But is preaching a sermon written by someone else as serious an ethical lapse as academic plagiarism? Does a sermon really have to be original or are people overreacting to a common practice in the ministry?
In my course on research that I teach at The Master's Seminary, I have an entire section on "Ethics in Research" and we cover plagiarism in all of its forms as well as the other ethical issues related to the collection of material and its presentation. In this course I cover not only the written or "academic" end of the subject, but also specifically that of preaching. In my view not only is preaching someone else's material (either verbatim or copious amounts) without attribution "as serious an ethical lapse as academic plagiarism" it is infinitely more serious. The world of the academy is vastly inferior in terms of importance to the world of God's church.
The root sin in plagiarism is theft, it is stealing the work of another and claiming it as your own. In sermons this is done indirectly, there is a lack of attribution from the preacher, not a direct claim of personal origination. But that is no defense. When a man stands to preach his congregation believes, unless the are told otherwise, that what is being preached is the fruit of the pastors own research, study and prayer. The other sin that manifests itself in this affair is hypocrisy, the preacher is pretending to be someone (the originator of the sermon) that he is not. A pastor who stands before his congregation and preaches another's sermon without informing the congregation is doing nothing more or less than lying to his people. What is perhaps more fearful and more serious than the simple act is that he is engaged in this sin, and sin it is, standing behind what the Puritans called, "The Sacred Desk." In the presence of God, in the act of leading the congregation in the most significant act of worship in the service, the hearing and exposition of God's own Word, the preacher is committing a fraud!
The problem is that this practice has a long history and, in fact, little if anything can be done to stop it. Published sermons have been preached without attribution for centuries. Warren Wiersbe tells the story of a preacher who was preaching through a book of sermons, not knowing that a member of the congregation had the same book! At the end of the service the member said to his pastor, "Good sermon, pastor." The pastor thanked him, to which the member replied, "Next weeks is good too!" Most of us who have been in ministry for some time have listened to plagiarized sermons (I have on at least three occasions that I know of) or have even had their sermons plagiarized by someone else (that's happened to me as well). In the end our typical response of resignation is, "Oh well, as long as the Word is being preached." The fact that the practice is ubiquitous and trying to stop it is not worth the time or effort, so it continues.
The practice is widespread and it would be foolish to deny it. Unfortunately as something becomes more and more widespread, it slowly also moves into the area of general acceptance. The article quotes David Baly, pastor of Christ the Word Presbyterian Church in America, who offers a purely pragmatic test of right and wrong, when he says,
The question is whether this pastor is a faithful shepherd preaching and teaching the whole counsel of God. Specifically, is what he preaching true? Does it meet the need of his flock at the point in which it preached? Is it faithful to the Word? No honest pastor will be quick to criticize a fellow pastor for being helped at times by the works and words of another."Kent Edwards, the current president of the Evangelical Homiletics Society and professor at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, admits that the practice of sermon plagiarism is "deception" but also seems to excuse it. The articles states that he cites
"the pressure today's preachers face to be effective communicators" as the reason some get mired in plagiarism. Many pastors simply do not have the time and lack the homiletical skills necessary to produce high-quality and culturally relevant sermons, he said. "Thy have succumbed to the expectations of their churches to be omnicompetent and omnipresent."
The pragmatic excuse is no excuse at all. The fact that a message is "true" or "meets a need" is no reason for a pastor to allow his character to be sapped away by the sin of stealing and lying. Much could be said about the idea of pastors lacking the time and "homiletical skills to produce high-quality and culturally relevant sermons."
There is no amount of "homiletical skill" that can substitute for a Holy Spirit empowered sermon where the Word of God is faithfully expounded. However, it seems that both features are needed as Stephen Olford demonstrates so clearly in his work Anointed Expository Preaching (Broadman and Holman, 1998). To get the meaning of the text and accurately present it is obviously of first importance, but the deception of plagiarism can only serve to rob the pastor of the empowering ministry of the Holy Spirit which is paramount to a sermon that blesses the congregation and whose messenger is blessed by God. In his classic work The Reformed PastorRichard Baxter warned preachers against such sins, "lest you unsay with your lives, what you say with your tongues; and be the greatest hinderers of the success of your own labors."
All of the excuses made by and for those guilty of the sin of plagiarism are simply that, excuses. All pastors are tried, all are tempted, all are concerned with cares more abundant than most men, and yet by the power of God in their lives they are faithful and do not fall into a pattern of sin. Writing about the character of a man who would preach, John MacArthur stated, "Although the ma of God may undergo severe trials, severe anguish, and severe difficulty, he neither waivers nor compromises. He continually trusts God, no matter what the circumstances" (Rediscovering Expository Preaching, p. 96). He also notes, "There is no greater privilege than to be a man of God and preach His Word. But along with that privilege comes a fearful responsibility. James warned that teachers face a stricter judgment (James 3:1)" (ibid., p. 100).
That fact that web sites like DesperatePreacher.com exist is no more a reason for a pastor to use such a site than it is for him to visit Playboy.com because it exists. The article quotes Craig Larson, the editor of Preaching Resources and PreachingToday.com that he is concerned that their material could be "abused" but they keep selling subscriptions, but with a warning label that, "credit for the sermons should always be given." The exact parallel I can think of in this regard is someone who is hooked on drugs, perhaps prescription or "over the counter" drugs, it may have started for a seemingly good reason, but quickly gets out of control. Frankly, my experience in seeing plagiarism in the classroom and pulpit is that done once, it is increasingly easier to do it again and again. Like all sin, this one takes root, develops rationalizations and destroys character.
Certainly there is helpful material on the Internet that the serious pastor can make use of for his personal benefit and the benefit of the congregation. The Internet, books, tapes, CD's, DVD's, conferences and all such resources are simply that, resources. They are to be used like the tools they are and they are to be used properly. I have books of sermons in my personal library and we have hundreds of them in the seminary library, but they are tools and cannot be allowed to become the end product.
Church members should expect that their pastor is one who "labors in the Word and prayer" and presents an exposition of Scripture each Lord's Day that is God's word to them as the centerpiece of worship. If other things are distracting he must declare as the apostles did, "we must give ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word." Church members should expect the elders and deacons of their church to guard the pastor and his time so that central ministry remains sacred and unsullied by plagiarism.
Posted by Narnia3 at April 28, 2005 7:09 PM | TrackBackLet me say first that I agree with you. Where I'm confused, however, is where the line is on pulpit plagiarism. Perhaps you can help.
My preaching is mostly expository in nature and my sermon outlines tend to be pretty generalized. For instance, a sermon from John 1:1 might look like this:
1. In the beginning was the Word, - beneath this I have notes explaining this portion of the text.
2. and the Word was with God, - beneath this I have notes explaining this portion of the text.
3. and the Word was God. - beneath this I have notes explaining this portion of the text.
With preaching like that, it would be hard to plagiarize. I don't often use a fancy rhymed or alliterated outline. However, every once in a while in my studies I run across an outline from a text and am tempted to use it.
Let me give some examples:
In the _Treasury of David_, at the end of each Psalm, Spurgeon includes a section called *Hints for Preachers* which contains sermon ideas and outlines for each verse or several verses at a time or even the whole Psalm. If I use an outline from this resource, am I plagiarizing?
What if I take an outline from a sermon that the Prince of Preachers, or some other stalwart from the past, actually preached and use it, but say I modify it a bit to fit the needs of my congregation. Have I plagiarized?
I have in my library a book entitled _Maclaren's Sermon Outlines_. If I were to preach from a text and use one of those outlines, would I need to let the congregation know that the text was originally outlined by the Prince of Expository Preachers?
As I said, I agree with your article, I'm just hoping for clearer lines. Thank-you in advance and God bless.
Question: How should a preacher treat getting definitions from dictionaries, exegetical dictionaries like Cleon Rogers, Jr. and III? I recently read significant portions about Augustine's life from a book by John Piper--and told the congregation I was doing so. But after reading World's article and this posting, I would like to know more about how to handle the definitions.
Also, if your outline or a comment is simply influenced by what you've read in a commentary, what should be done?
Posted by: JR at May 3, 2005 10:25 AMthis subject envokes thought for me-
Rick Warren invites anyone and everyone to "use his stuff" -- it seems that we are in an era of 'business' and time seems to be a great comodity that none of us seem to manage well--- .. plagiarism was something that Jesus asks us to do regarding His truths-- if we can extrapalate truth from other provocotive authors/writers etc. truth never changes, however personal time in the Word never can be beat!
Plagerism of a sermon is ethical wrong and in some cases ileagal as many sermon are copywrited. They Bible tells us in
Comming from a church where the pastor plagerized for seven years. Believe me the hurt it did to both the pastor and the congrigation is long lasting. The lying became so comon place it spread to everything and everyone.
In the end days many will not want to hear from God and the famine for God word will occuor. Plagerism of message just helps it happen faster.
Posted by: Stephen Roth at November 17, 2005 6:08 PMPlagerism of a sermon is ethical wrong and in some cases ileagal as many sermon are copywrited. They Bible tells us in Ezeikle 13 and Jermiah
Comming from a church where the pastor plagerized for seven years. Believe me the hurt it did to both the pastor and the congrigation is long lasting. The lying became so comon place it spread to everything and everyone.
In the end days many will not want to hear from God and the famine for God word will occuor. Plagerism of message just helps it happen faster.
Posted by: Stephen Roth at November 17, 2005 6:10 PMSorry I forgot Jermiah 23 and I Peter 1 10-12 in the many discussion on plagerism many pastor seem to let out or think the Bible is silent on Stealing or plagerizing another mans sermon. It is not silent. It was not acceptible for he prophets of old nor is it acceptible for men who are to be prophet speakers today.
Posted by: Stephen Roth at November 17, 2005 6:15 PMI just recently discovered my pastor is plagiarizing almost all of his sermons and has been since before I started attending this church four years ago. I am completely devastated by this discovery and really don't know what to do.
I have wondered why in the sixteen years of his ministry this church had not grown more than 20 people. Now I understand.
I feel plagiarizing is a sin. It is simply stealing and leads to lying.
Thankfully, I am rooted in God's word enough to keep this from pulling me away from God entirely. But there are those in our congregation who are not. My prayer is that they will not judge all Christianity on this one man and as the Bible says work out their own salvation with fear and trembling.
Posted by: Karla at April 18, 2006 9:09 AMFirst let me thank you for this article! I have enjoyed reading it and I have also shared it with MANY!
Second... what advice to you have for people who have found out that their Pastor is doing this?
Thanks!
Kelly
So according to this logic we should also condemn Sunday School teachers for using curriculum. Preaching is to take the Bible truths and apply them to people's live so that they grow, commit and change. If your pastor preaches anothers sermon word for word and even makes personal illustrations his own then that is plagiarizing. If he finds a useful outline from a book or an illustration from sermoncentral.com that is fine. I have used sermons from pastors.com, creativepastors.com and others altered them as needed. The Japanese didn't invent many of their products - they took an invention and made it better. Because there are so many resources there should be no excuse for a bad sermon. I am a church planter that has to get people to come to our new church instead of the local mega-church and don't have time to sit around in my office for 20-30 hours a week writing 1 sermon. After 250 sermons I know where to find the best resources that are out there. Actually I think the pastor that says his sermon is all original is a liar. Karls, if your going to pull away from God because your pastor is getting some help for his sermons you have deeper issues. Stephen, let''s see you prepare a message each week. And Narnia3, hope your not lifting any thoughts from the MacArthur Study Bible or other works for your class at Masters Sem. I will try to see if you have been 100% original. No wonder thousands of churches are closing their doors evey year - a young preacher steps up to the plate to serve God in ministry and the Pharisee's persecute him for sermon helps. There is more to being a pastor than the sermon, too.
Posted by: Chip at June 10, 2006 9:59 AMThe problem as I see it is this: We have Pastors because of their higher calling. As a Shepard instead of a sheep, pastors are called to be more accountable to God for the tending and feeding of His sheep. That means that they are also called to a closer study of God's word not to mention a much closer relationship with and dependence on God in doing God's will for the flock. When someone simply "lifts" a good message from someone else (probably a TRUE Shepard) they are completely by-passing that relationship and dependence on God to provide His particular message for THAT flock.
A pastor’s stock in trade is a closer walk with God; a scholar's knowledge of God's word; and the ability to do accurate theological research. If these are not all exercised frequently the pastor runs the risk of losing their "edge" and risks becoming just one of the sheep who stands up in front of the church on Sunday mornings to enviously blather on about a good message that God gave one of His CHOSEN pastors. See Jeremiah 23:30-32
A good analogy is that of the professional athlete. An athlete's stock in trade are their unique skills and the physical ability to perform those skills. If the athlete decided to short cut the process and only concentrates on shooting the ball for example and forgets the physical training part, how long before that highly tuned athlete becomes an overweight, out-of-breath drain on the team. Instead of running stairs and wind sprints, pastors exercise by prayer time and biblical study on the topics God tells them to teach on.
I am noticing that there are several by products of a pastor who short cuts the relationship with God and time in scriptural study by simply downloading a good work that someone else created with God's help. The first: Is it any wonder that the Pastor who wrote the original work from God leads a mega church while the pastor that takes the short cut just doesn't seem to be able to get their church "off the ground"? Think about it.
Secondly, the short cut pastor suffers from terrible anxiety, feeling like an imposter which severely affects their ability do the "other things" that a pastor does besides preaching. I have witnessed a pastor that is very uncomfortable with the flock in the foyer before and after the services- now I know why- he has shortcut God's process and perhaps his relationship with God by resorting to simply regurgitating the good works of other pastors who are the "real deal". He feels like a fraud because he has allowed himself to become one. Third, when one finds it OK to cross the line of ethics in a small way it becomes much easier to cross the line in larger ways. A pastor must be beyond moral reproach- yes that's a hard thing to do but if one becomes a pastor because they are looking for easy things to do, they have made a serious lapse in judgment.
Finally and perhaps most important, it builds a wall between God and the shortcutting pastor so that the works of the pastor will not be blessed and grow wings. Blessings such as the right people for the right job (staffing) will not come.
This is an epidemic and the long range effects on the church could be devastating. We need to see if for what it is and stop playing with fire.
I have recently discovered that my pastor is using sermons by Adrian Rogers as the basis and at times up to 70% of his sermons. He changes the examples and may give a little more exogesis but if you track the comments and the words used most of it is the same. I believe it is wrong to do this without acknowledging that it is the work of another man. If it is wrong it must be sin. If it is sin it must be repented of. If it is repented of it should not be repeated. However, after reading various things on the net. I see there is some honest difference of opinion and I don't know what to do about it.
Posted by: at August 23, 2006 6:03 AMSorry I haven't been able to respond to all the comments, but here is a try to make up for it.
With relation to outliners, I don't think that using an outline is going to qualify as plagiarism. There are only so many ways a passage can be outlined (generally only one proper way) and there are only so many words that can be used to describe the outline. What I am against is the wholesale usage of the material without admitting to your hearers that this is what you are doing.
When preaching, you obviously cannot "footnote a sermon," that is it can be distracting if you give name, book, and page number for everyone you might quote. The issue is to make sure you congregation knows when you are quoting and when you are not. Something like, "one writer has said," or "Spurgeon remkared..." is really all the attribution that is needed in a sermon. But if someone asks you where the quote came from or who actually said it, you better be able to produce the information.
Chip had the mosted pointed criticism of my position. However, I think his points were misguided at best. Obviously Sunday School material is actually designed and produced to be handed out and used in classes. Fees are paid, and no one think the teacher actually produced the material. No one is being fooled here. If a pastor wanted to get up and say every week that this sermon came from another person, etc., he then would not be committing plagiarism, but I doubt his church would long put up with that. His point that he thinks that any preacher who says his sermon is original is a "liar" is simply silly. His challenges are nothing more than the old "you too fallacy." There is more to pastoring than the preaching; but the preaching is the most important thing he does, because the preaching leads people in worship and he instructs the congregation as to what the Word of God says and what it means by what it says. Church Planters have a lot on their plate, but they need to center on making sure that there is something God-honoring for their people to listen to each Sunday. The sermon needs to first go through the pastor and change his life and then it can be delivered in power.
The key issues that has come up is how to we deal or confront a pastor who is doing this? The best way is always the direct approach. Kindly, patiently and with humility show your pastor that you know what he is doing and that you are concerned about the long term implications to his character and the manifestation of God's blessing in your church. You may have to share you concerns with the church board. But undser no circumstance should you spread the information about this problem around to others who do not need to know.
Posted by: Dennis Swanson at September 3, 2006 6:26 PM