Who Gets the Credit?

The book of Proverbs is full of verses in which we see the contrast between the person who follows God and the one who does not. We find examples in this passage from chapter 10:
8 The wise in heart will receive commands, But a prating fool will fall.
9 He who walks with integrity walks securely, But he who perverts his ways will become known.
10 He who winks with the eye causes trouble, But a prating fool will fall.
11 The mouth of the righteous is a well of life, But violence covers the mouth of the wicked.

I want to key in on verses 9 and 10.  We should be people who are full of integrity - walking in honesty, telling the truth, not misrepresenting situations, devoting ourselves to speaking clearly. When we make an error, we can attempt to confess and repent, apologizing to those we have offended.  We should not, as verse 10 states, "wink" with the eye - in other words, we don't wink at sin by not taking it seriously and attempting to make amends. We should take our conduct seriously.

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God desires for us to use the words of our mouth and bring Him glory, recognizing that we can speak powerfully in the Spirit as God gives us understanding, as He makes His Word known to us - personally. Jeremiah 23 declares:
29 "Is not My word like a fire?" says the Lord, "And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?
30 "Therefore behold, I am against the prophets," says the Lord, "who steal My words every one from his neighbor.
31 Behold, I am against the prophets," says the Lord, "who use their tongues and say, 'He says.'

We can seek to communicate the message of what God has done and is doing in our lives.  Out of the abundance of the expression of His Spirit in us, we can share with the world the presence of the Lord.  

It's not the easiest thing to deliver news stories relative to church leadership, but an emerging story from the Southern Baptist Convention has attracted attention beyond the Christian space. And, perhaps from this very unusual series of events, we can consider some principles that will affect our lives.

The mainstream media certainly has an interest in what occurs in evangelical Christianity in America; and generally, it can be a negative tool to discredit the gospel.  I want to concentrate on some of the coverage from the Newsweek website, which reports on this situation I will be relating to you today; it states:

Pastor Ed Litton has removed dozens of videos from his church's YouTube channel after he was accused of plagiarizing sermons.

Newsweek found more than 140 videos were either unavailable or hidden across several playlists on the Redemption Church YouTube page as of Monday morning.

It comes after Alabama pastor Litton, who was recently elected as president of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), came under fire for using segments in 2020 from sermons delivered by Summit Church Pastor J.D. Greear in 2019.

Now, I will say, to be accused of plagiarism is a serious thing - to use material from a source without giving proper credit is a serious offense; it's an indiscretion that has brought down powerful people, including the current President of the United States during one of his Presidential runs.  And, when someone is entrusted to share God's Word, it should be done with personal integrity.  

Not only are there accusations of plagiarism, but the content of the message, presumably delivered by Greear originally and then delivered by Litton, with some exact phrases being used, according to video evidence, is questionable from a Biblical standpoint. Newsweek says: "The sermons focus on the New Testament book Romans, homosexuality and how the Bible merely 'whispers' about sexuality, and that as such, it is not the worst of all sins."  

First Baptist Dallas pastor Robert Jeffress, heard on Faith Radio, responded to radio host Todd Starnes by saying, " If this report is true, it is tremendously troubling. The article goes on to say that these two men talk about that homosexuality is not as serious of a sin as other sins in the Bible. Look, first of all, the comment is wrong when you go to Romans One. When Paul writes about the topic of homosexuality, he doesn’t use his whisper voice, he says, in fact, it is unlike any sin in in the universe, because it is not only the cause of God’s judgment, it is also the result of God’s judgment."

As Newsweek reported, both men have issued statements, with Greear contending he gave Litton permission to use the material and Litton apologizing for not giving proper citation.  The Christian Post quotes Greear as essentially saying his words were taken out of context about the severity of sexual sin. 

The Capstone Report earlier this week published a story that traced multiple instances in which Litton used material that was apparently taken from other speakers. 

The controversy may not die down anytime soon, and I have not seen where there is a concrete mechanism in place for the SBC to remove or replace one of its leaders.  The Executive Committee, headed by Ronnie Floyd, is charged with the day-to-day operation, but it has come under fire as of late for its handling of sexual abuse cases in the denomination, and the new President - Litton - has been charged with appointing a committee to investigate. 

In response to a Texas pastor's tweet related to the plagiarism situation, EC President Rolland Slade, tweeted this out:

My understanding is that the SBC Executive Committee is not the SBC nor does it run the SBC. 

GOD is the head, JESUS is our Lord and the HOLY SPIRIT our guide. 

The EC serves to carry out the will and wishes of the messengers.

The messengers spoke in Nashville and elected its new officers; that seems to be the message. 

A Southern Baptist seminary President, Jason Allen of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, weighed in on Twitter, stating:

Re re-preaching other’s sermons, I believe:

One *ought* not preach another’s serm (w/ rare exceptions) even w/ permission & attribution. 

One *must* not preach another’s serm w/out permission & attribution. 

If this appears to happen, the church’s elders should review & resolve.

It does seem he understands that the acceptance of plagiarism by high-profile preachers could set a bad example for the students who attend his seminary. 

And, we can be reminded that the Convention is a collective of autonomous church bodies.

So, how do we respond to this situation? Certainly with prayer, and perhaps looking at how we communicate if we have been placed in a leadership role.  Ruth Graham, who has an understanding of religious matters and apparently writes now for the New York Times, in a front-page article, writes:

...a great sermon is also laborious to produce. It can include deep analysis of biblical texts, historical research, compelling anecdotes, a dose of humor and a stirring call to action. Now imagine producing at least one such message every week, year after year, all based on the same collection of texts and delivered to the same audience.

Some full-time pastors report spending up to 30 hours a week on the task; more common is devoting two full work days to it.

For many churchgoers, a sermon is not just a clever speech but proof of the pastor’s deep spiritual life. “A sermon is a person studying the Bible, encountering God in their own life and history, and then spewing it all out on Sunday morning for the good of the people of God,” said Scot McKnight, a professor of the New Testament at Northern Seminary in Lisle, Ill. “It’s a personal encounter.”

As a Christian communicator, I have come up with a few principles that describe how I approach the subject:

1) The Bible says "thou shalt not steal."  Delivering material that was not given to you and not saying that it is not originally yours is problematic.

2) Plagiarism involves taking material that belongs to someone else and communicating it as your own. I attempt to make an intentional effort to give citations of material that is not my own - as it should be.

 
3) When you plagiarize material, you are in essence telling people that you are smarter or more creative than you actually are.

4) Don't let the plagiarism scandal distract you from another big point - the material that was preached was not Biblical. The Bible certainly DOES NOT whisper about sexuality. And, homosexuality is condemned explicitly in multiple places in Scripture and implicitly in other passages.  When you read about sexual immorality, you can assume that means of ALL kinds.

We can also ask further questions:

5) Who is holding your leaders accountable?  And, personalize it - who is holding YOU accountable for your actions?

6) Repentance is more than saying, "I'm sorry - I didn't mean to," or, "I'm sorry I got caught." It is a heartfelt admittance of wrongdoing and a pledge to not do it again.

7) It never pays to cover up your sin. There has been some confusion over sermons being removed from the Internet. Signs point to a coverup.

8) We should always be checking ourselves to make sure we are walking in integrity.  That we are telling the truth about our actions and motives, that we are representing ourselves and the Christ within us in the most transparent, truthful way possible.  

You may disagree with some of my contentions here; you may even say they do not apply to the current situation. These are my personal convictions, which I believe are governed by Scripture. But, we have to think about our own convictions and allow Christ to develop them by His Word - if our consciences are not directed properly, we become vulnerable to wrong decisions.  But, always make sure that your beliefs are governed by the Word of God.