Is pulpit plagiarism on the rise? Some blame the Internet

[hrmjustin]

Sarah Pulliam Bailey

RNS) Thou shalt not steal another pastor’s sermon?

Recent cases of high-profile pastors who have been accused of lifting others’ material are raising questions about whether pulpit plagiarism is on the rise — and whether it has become a more forgivable sin.

Seattle megachurch pastor Mark Driscoll was accused last year of plagiarism in material he wrote with Tyndale House Publishers and InterVarsity Press. “Mistakes were made that I am grieved by and apologize for,” Driscoll said in a statement. Most recently, popular Oklahoma City-based megachurch pastor Craig Groeschel has been accused of plagiarizing the work of writer and comedian Danny Murphy.

Groeschel is the pastor of Lifechurch.tv, a tech-savvy megachurch founded in 1996 that has quickly grown to one of the nation’s largest churches, with 80 weekly “worship experiences” across 19 campuses in five states.

http://www.religionnews.com/2014/06/04/pastoral-plagiarism-rise-cite-digital-ease/

[okasha]

1. Don't know about other churches,

but I'm assuming the Episcopal Church still has available a book of approved sermons for each Sunday lectionary entry. They can be used when the priest is in a time crunch or a lay reader leads Morning Prayer in the rector's absence.

But I'm sure not surprised that it's megachurch CEO's--I refuse to call them pastors--who have been accused of heisting other people's words. It would be entirely in character of these con artists.

"Worship experiences" my aunt!

[AtheistCrusader]

2. Headline and content don't match.

"Is pulpit plagiarism on the rise? Some blame the Internet"

Headline links a rise in plagiarism and the internet.


"The ease of the Internet could be a double-edged sword for some pastors looking for material. With sermons and books so easily searchable online, watchdogs have better means of cataloging, searching and reporting offenses. And it’s much easier to learn about and report offenses of plagiarism than ever before."

Actual content of the article links not the rise of plagiarism, but the rise in people getting caught plagiarizing.

[hrmjustin]

3. Its the headline they gave me.

[AtheistCrusader]

4. No, I understand.

I didn't mean you altered it or anything.
I've been frustrated with journalism over things like this lately. Ok, I understand, headlines need to be 'grabby' because eyeballs is advertising money, but accuracy is still important.

[hrmjustin]

5. Usually they post good stuff but they do have their moments.

[okasha]

6. I'm just happy when the headline

is the only thing an editor changes without consultation.

[stone space]

7. If I say something wise, please feel free to plagerize it.

I'm not holding my breath, though.