All Pastors Plagiarize--Here's Why

It is fine and dandy to read a commentary or a book and use the idea in a sermon or a lesson. It is plagiarism to claim it is your own work. I actually cite things I intentionally use in my sermon notes (here is an example of what my notes look like). I want to give credit for what I say, and years later I want to be able to follow my own train of thought and see where I got things from. I don’t have to do this, but I’m a nerd, so I do.

It comes down to honesty. Nobody is denying we use other men’s works in ministry, but it is fundamentally dishonest to put a book in print without acknowledging this debt and attempting to pass off other’s work as your own.

Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.

In one sense, we are all a bit “semi-plagiarius.”

I am definitely going to use that!

Greg Wilson

[Greg Wilson]

In one sense, we are all a bit “semi-plagiarius.”

I am definitely going to use that!

With proper citation, no doubt… :)

Tyler, I REALLY like the way you lay out your sermon outlines. Just changed my method up last week, actually, and your layout is much better than mine is. Do you mind if I adapt your structure (not message!).

I read the article and came away profoundly unimpressed. To borrow an idea or preach on something from the Bible is hardly ‘plagiarism’, and it speaks volumes to me of the author’s ignorance of the subject that he would equate using someone’s general idea or concept and making it the equivalent of stealing a direct quote and taking it as your own. The idea that Driscoll’s plagiarism is the same as “using another person’s ideas” also demonstrates that he may not have been paying close attention to the interview. The fact that he has referred to Driscoll in a positive light several times on his blog (although the most current entry is five years ago) makes me wonder if he can be objective about Mark’s ‘ministry’.

Pastors, have integrity and cite your sources. This is not that hard.

"Our task today is to tell people — who no longer know what sin is...no longer see themselves as sinners, and no longer have room for these categories — that Christ died for sins of which they do not think they’re guilty." - David Wells

I got the impression the writer was attempting a half-hearted, lame defense of Driscoll. I thought it was pretty weak.

As far as the sermon notes go, I don’t think they’re that great, but they work for me. I wasn’t trying to showcase my silly sermon notes, but wanted to illustrate that plagiarism is easy to avoid. You don’t have to be a nerd like me and footnote your sermon notes, but it isn’t at all hard for a responsible person to document A BOOK he publishes!

Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.

It seems like a really good idea to cite on sermon notes as Tyler does and I had never thought about it. A couple of other possible advantages:

It allows those interested to study the material further-adds to the theological literacy of the congregation.

It allows the people to see that their pastor is indeed doing serious study to prepare messages-adds to the confidence of the congregation in their pastor.

Good idea!

[TylerR] I got the impression the writer was attempting a half-hearted, lame defense of Driscoll. I thought it was pretty weak.

Yeah, that was my impression too, and that’s why I came down on him hard at SharperIron. I also tweeted Janet Mefferd a link to his blogpost and she felt the same way.

Not to mention, when you are writing a book, you have reviewers and editors to CATCH those kinds of errors. It’s not like it’s a self-published sermon.

"Our task today is to tell people — who no longer know what sin is...no longer see themselves as sinners, and no longer have room for these categories — that Christ died for sins of which they do not think they’re guilty." - David Wells

A young man fresh out of seminary once said, “I will either be all original or I will be nothing!” And he was both. I got that story from Ken Endean, who got that story from so-and-so, who got that story from so-and-so, ad infinitum ad nauseam (got that from Plato). When I read four or five commentaries on a passage, it is amazing to me how much they freely borrow from each other without any footnotes. Mac’s commentaries are probably the worst when it comes to this. If you truly want to be genuinely original, you probably will be a heretic. We are to preach as the “logia theou”–the words of God. Got that from Peter (1 Peter 4:7—11) who got that from the Holy Spirit.

Pastor Mike Harding

Mike:

Regarding your comment that scholars slavishly borrow from one another … I am studying for a sermon on Gal 5:1-12. What I found after surveying a number of commentators on Gal 5:5-6 is hilarious:

  • James M. Boice (EBC) makes a comment that in Gal 5:5-6, Paul lays out the principle of “faith, hope and love” for the Christian life.
  • Thomas Constable says the exact same thing.
  • Timothy George (NAC) repeats the same thing
  • I may have found the source for all this! Lightfoot (1914) remarked in his commentary that faith, hope and love are the “triad” of Christian graces!

They do indeed all borrow from one another. This is one of the worst examples I’ve seen! That doesn’t make their points wrong, but it is funny.

Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.