Pulpit Plagiarism

Pulpit plagiarism--or sermon borrowing, depending on whom you ask--is as old as the art of preaching itself. Now, in the age of the Internet, cribbing sermons is easier than ever. But so is getting caught.

A pastor at Clayton's Central Presbyterian Church near St. Louis, Mo., recently resigned his pulpit after confessing to his 1,800-member congregation that he had preached sermons that were not his own. The admission came after church staffers and members recognized some of his sermons as the work of the Rev. Tim Keller, a nationally renowned preacher at New York City's Redeemer Presbyterian Church.

Text and audio versions of Keller's sermons are among the scores of Protestant, Roman Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu sermons or teachings available online. Cregan Cooke, director of communications and media for Redeemer Presbyterian, said the unauthorized borrowing of sermons is "not an issue" for the New York church, because Keller--like many religious leaders who post sermons online--simply wants to spread his message. "All ministers borrow from each other. It's a very common thing," said Cooke. "The only issue is attribution."

Indeed, originality has never been paramount in a profession built around the exegesis of ancient texts and propagation of age-old doctrines. Theological accuracy, inspirational power and dynamic delivery matter more to most religious leaders. Many St. Louis area clerics say they often cull online sermon guides--as well as journals, tapes, CD-ROMs and books--to mold their own remarks.

Brian Larson, editor of Preachingtoday.com, an online portal for sermon materials, sees demand rising for Internet sermon services like his. Just 2 years old, the service had 12,512 subscribers in January 2001. Last week, he counted 17,790. Larson said he has no problem with preachers sharing materials, if the author gets credit and the church accepts the practice. "All preachers are preaching from God's word," said Larson, who is also editor of Preaching Today, a long-standing audio service. "It's not their idea."

The use of canned sermons has plenty of precedents. Some writers, including a few in St. Louis, make their living crafting sermons and sermon outlines for subscribers. Books and mimographed copies of sermons have long been big sellers at clergy conventions.

From Massachusetts to Texas, preachers have been caught delivering sermons verbatim--and without attribution--that they purchased from online and print sermon services. In one case reported by the Boston Globe, a minister lost his job after publishing cribbed sermons under his own name.

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