I must admit that I was saddened and maddened (if that’s a word) when I saw this video on Timmy Brister’s blog. With a little research, I found this video attnended to in much more detail here. I’ll not go into great detail in this article, but will simply assert that this is a problem that must be remedied. Phillips Brooks famously defined preaching as “truth through personality.” In the instance illustrated above, whomever is responsible for copying the other’s sermon is guilty of having no truth or personality in this supposed sermon.
If Brooks’s definition holds weight, then this is not a sermon (or at least a sermon illustration) at all. Pastors, you have a responsibility before God and before your people to be men of integrity. I affirm that the technology age has given us a great blessing by allowing us to share ministry resources. Stealing the sermons of others without citation (verbal or otherwise), however, is wrong. We must demand integrity in the pulpit (and in blogs, and all other areas of ministry) and this video clip shows how easy it is to stray.
