Not long ago, the preaching world was rocked by the story of two well-known pastors who preached a sermon virtually word-for-word that belonged to another pastor. Their sermons raised some serious questions and caused some much-needed soul-searching. Today, let’s answer the question, “When is someone else’s sermon just inspiration, and when does it become plagiarism?”
The truth is, there are no “new truths.” The Bible is the Bible; its truths are truths that have been here for thousands of years. If we’re preaching “new truth,” we’re probably preaching heresy. Therefore, if we are preaching truth, we are going to preach truths that have already been preached. This is not plagiarism.
In addition, we’ve all been influenced by other’s sermons—whether it’s a sermon we just heard a few weeks ago, a few years ago or one that was preached hundreds of years ago. These very sermons have influenced our own beliefs and the beliefs we preach. Those things in and of themselves are not wrong, nor are they plagiarism.
So, when does it become wrong? When does it become plagiarism?
- When we preach word-for-word (or almost word-for-word) another person’s sermon without giving direct credit to that person. This is probably the most obvious, but it happens (as referenced above). We’ve heard of authors and well-known teachers who have spoken at another church only to have a church member come up and ask why they preached their pastor’s sermon! We may chuckle at a story like that, but it may reveal a deeper problem in that pastor.
- When we use someone else’s illustrations as if it was our own, or as if we were there and experienced it. Apparently, at least one of the men above did just that. I know that many of us use illustration books and websites to find just the right illustration for our sermons. There’s nothing wrong with that in and of itself. But, when we use it as if we were there or as if we personally experienced it when we did not, we are being dishonest.
- When we do not give credit to the author of our borrowed thought, insight, illustration, or outline. If we’re going to borrow from others, then we must rightfully give them credit. Integrity means including in our sermon a reference to the one(s) who helped us. It might be as simple as, “I’m thankful for the insight from Chuck Swindoll, who said…” or “the outline for this series comes from J. Vernon McGee.” This is the right thing to do.
- When we have used a detailed outline and put little or no personal study into the message and preached it as if it’s our own. Using an outline might help guide us or lead us through a message, but even then, we must “flesh it out.” That means that we must take the time to study God’s Word, seeking Him and His truths in prayer. As He leads us and speaks to us with His Spirit, the message is formed. This is not as blatant as preaching someone else’s message word for word, but it is just as wrong.
- When we make our sermon simply a transfer of words from the commentary(ies) we read. Don’t misunderstand. We can and should use commentaries after we have spent time studying the Scripture text itself and wrestling with it in prayer. But, if we then simply transfer the thoughts and words from the commentary(ies) to our message, then we are wrong and are plagiarizing. The commentaries give us insight and check our thoughts and conclusions, but they should not replace our thoughts. We should no more transfer the words of a commentary over than a researcher would transfer the thoughts of a source to his paper without giving credit.
Some may be wondering what’s so wrong with preaching another person’s sermon or using someone else’s detailed outline to preach a message without giving them credit, especially if the pastor is pressed for time to prepare.
One, it is a sin. The Bible is clear that stealing is sin. The Bible is clear that deception and falsehood are sins (Exodus 20:15, Leviticus 19:11, Proverbs 6:16-19). When we preach another’s sermon or use illustrations as if they are ours when they are not, we are being deceptive and false.
Two, it robs the church. It robs the church of hearing what God has spoken to us as pastors for His flock. It robs the church of hearing a genuine, authentic, heartfelt message that God created in us to share with His flock. It also robs the church of a pastor who has been affected by the Word themself before they preach that Word to the church God gave them.
Three, it robs us as pastors. When we become “parrot pastors,” simply parroting back what we’ve heard from others, we deceive ourselves. It causes us to think we are someone and somewhere we are not. We begin to coast on others’ work rather than digging into the Word ourselves. This is a dangerous position for us to be in.
Finally, how do we avoid plagiarism beyond following the guidelines above? We study the Word for ourselves. We dig into the text and cry out before God that He would teach us with His Spirit. We follow a simple guide of:
- Observe—Here, we observe the context, keywords, and 5W’s of the passage (who, what, when, where, and why).
- Interpret—Using sound principles of interpretation, we seek to understand the passage. What is God saying here? This often takes time and much prayer (a good reason to begin early in the week, allowing God to speak over time to our hearts and minds). We allow Scripture to interpret Scripture. We pull truths FROM the Scripture rather than putting them ON the Scripture.
- Apply—Now that we know “what” the passage says, we want to know and share HOW we LIVE it out! Interpretation isn’t just for knowledge’s sake; it is to gain transforming truth that we can share with His flock. The whole book of James encourages us that truth is to be lived out!
If we follow these guidelines as pastors, our integrity will remain in the pulpit…and we’ll be transformed by the Word of God! Thank you for being faithful preachers of the Word.
