Pastor Fired For Plagerizing Sermons

[rufus]

Originally posted by Major B:

Pastor admits to stealing sermons
What do ya'll say?

My,my, What a day? Have any of you pastors ever taken another preacher's sermon, reworked it, and preached it?

 

[steveo]

I think thats the key, reworking it.
Many times I see an outline and change it or revamp it and add scripture, illusts, etc..
I would never want to just use somebody elses whole sermon because it would deprive me of studying and learning and letting the Holy Spirit teach me.

 

[j_barner2000]

I preached the same passage twice today... Listened to the tape and the messages were very unique and met the situations that each church found itself in... Same passage... same outline... God used the work (including reading other men's sermons on the passage) to deliver what each of the congregations needed to hear. I preach and save only my outlines. It is amazing what God can deliver when we open ourselves to His leading as we stand up to exposit His word.

I will never plagurize another man. God gives me plenty of fresh insight into His word.

 

[USN2Pulpit]

j_b, it's good to hear from you! Let us know how you've been!

 

[Dr. Bob]

"All originality and no plagiarism makes a dull sermon." ~~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon

 

[amen_corner]

Preaching has been defined as "truth through personality." Plagerism negates that defintion. Someone else has said that one source is plagerism, but two sources are research. While there is nothing new under the sun, you can't preach someone else's sermon and then sell it or broadcast it as your own.

 

[Hardsheller]

Originally posted by HappyG:
The only thing worse than preaching a "plagarized" sermon is preaching a boring one!!!

AMEN!

There are far too many "BORING" preachers in Baptist Pulpits.

I'd rather watch a video of a Great Preacher than listen to a Boring Preacher anyday.

My Church is thinking about calling a DVD Player as their next Preacher!!!!!

 

[Optamill]

Spelling:

Plagiarize
Plagiarism
Plagiarist

 

[TomVols]

Proper citation is still the only honest way to go if one is using someone else's outline or even entire sermon. If properly citing one's sources is the expectation in secular academia, why should we tolerate any less within the church?

Amen and amen.

 

[El_Guero]

I must ask what defines Plagiarism?

When you preach a scripture text, do you preach the Word of God as if it only came from your lips? Or, do you quote the source?

What defines Preaching?

What defines the Word of God?

 

[gb93433]

Originally posted by Hardsheller:


My Church is thinking about calling a DVD Player as their next Preacher!!!!!

There are some churches that have been started that way.

 

[GODzThunder]

What pastor has not taken from another sermon or quoted from another commentary? Aren't we all just repeating what God originally said??? Don't we all just quote and repeat His Word?

 

[Plain Old Bill]

How many sermons have been preached since the beginning of time? How much Bible is quoted in sermons?Is there anything new under the sun?
I preach from the Bible. Once I was asked what I thought about something. My reply was and is "it does'nt matter what I think, it matters what God thinks".
Preach Christ centered, God centered sermons that call sinners to repentance. Preach sermons that disciple.Preach sermons that tell people how to live,love God and each other.But most of all preach from the Bible.
Read books,commentaries,sermons, sermon outlines.Use study aids and helps. Then go back to the Bible.Quote and give credit where credit is due.
After all of this I doubt you will come up with an idea that is all of your own and so it should be. The message is from God filtered through your lips, heart ,and soul after much study and prayer.
By then you have plagerized everybody and every idea worth plagerizeing.
Take the message that God gives and deliver it no matter where it comes from, it is never your own anyhow.

 

[gb93433]

Originally posted by GODzThunder:
What pastor has not taken from another sermon or quoted from another commentary? Aren't we all just repeating what God originally said??? Don't we all just quote and repeat His Word?

That's fine is you give credit. Some seminary professors have taught classes and a student has taken the professor's work and compiled it and sold the material later under his own name.

Always give credit where credit is due. Plagiarism is stealing another's work and calling it your own. It is wrong to steal.

 

[Hardsheller]

What is preaching your own old sermons called?

a. Laziness
b. Recycling
c. Well Organized
d. Quoting from an expert

If I ever said anything good in a sermon, you can bet I'm going to say it again!

 

[Mark Osgatharp]

I am constantly amazed at the degree to which many, if not most, preachers struggle to "find something to preach."

Actually, preaching is a very simple task. It is purely a matter of taking some Scriptures, finding out what they mean and then telling other people about it. When you do this, plagarism will be a moot issue.

Fellows, if you will study the word of God and pray, your problem will not be finding something to preach but figuring out how you will ever get it all preached!

Mark Osgatharp

P.S. I quite suspect that "finding something to preach" is not so much the problem as "finding something safe to preach." When you start just expounding the Scriptures as they stand, you will automatically start to get into some big time trouble!

I dare every single one of you to give an exposition of I Corinthians chapter 5 next Sunday morning and then I Corninthians 14:34-38 coupled with I Timothy 2:9-15 on Sunday night.

 

[MTA]

If the man of God has nothing to say, then he should say nothing. If a man prays for the message God would have him deliver, don't you believe the Lord will supply that need? And, if for whatever reason the Lord has not given the preacher a message, he would be better off to simply say that he has nothing, rather than to use someone elses work and pass if off as his own.

Certainly, we need to study and be as well-read as possible, and in the course of study many things from different sources might be incorporated into our own thoughts for future sermons. However, I find it amusing to think that any would consider that God would call some into the ministry to deliver/read other men's sermons, no matter how good the sermons might have been when first delivered or how good they still might read!

You can study and have good sermons prepared till judgement day, but unless the Holy Spirit is impressing you to preach it you better simply leave it in the arsenal until God impresses you to deliver it.

 

[Mark Osgatharp]

MTA,

You said,

You can study and have good sermons prepared till judgement day, but unless the Holy Spirit is impressing you to preach it you better simply leave it in the arsenal until God impresses you to deliver it.

I would agree, but would add that every time I study the Bible with earnest prayers I get "impressed" with one sermon right after another.

Mark Osgatharp

 

[blackbird]

Mark---I'm with ya all the way, Bro!! Sometimes when I'm doing "Exposition"(which is all the time)---I'm up preaching---and am thinking and praying as I preach along---"Lord Jesus! I don't know how the folks listening are gonna receive this truth-----but-----here goes!!!"

Blackbird

 

[scubablt]

About preaching others sermons: Some pastors, like Ric Warren, have given an open invitation to anyone who wants to preach his sermons and/or use his material. He also encourages it, as he wants to help pastors any way he can. Is this any different? It seems to me that pastors still need to modify the material in some way, make it applicalbe to his church,and also give credit where credit is due, right? Beyond that, is it OK to use some other material when the author says it is OK? What do you think?

BLT