(ABP) -- If preachers pass off other people’s work as their own, they automatically limit themselves to preaching about only eight commandments. “Thou shalt not steal” and “thou shalt not bear false witness” become off-limits.
But preachers can avoid plagiarism by beginning at the right place -- giving time and attention to the biblical text before reading or listening to other people’s sermons about the text, said Joel Gregory, professor of preaching at Baylor University’s Truett Theological Seminary.
“To be sure you’re not plagiarizing, do your own exegetical work,” Gregory said, echoing advice he gives to his students in classrooms and mentoring sessions....
Ran out of space before but I had wanted to post a link to an excellent message on Sermonaudio on this subject. I'm surprised it wasn't automatically linked.
To take this to a logical conclusion, all pastors everywhere are limited to not preaching anything because they have all broken all of the commandments at some point in life.
"If preachers pass off other people’s work as their own, they automatically limit themselves to preaching about only eight commandments. “Thou shalt not steal” and “thou shalt not bear false witness” become off-limits."
I think that statement, in isolation, is biblically questionable. The Bible teaches us to expect the not sincere and the hypocrite in the pulpit.
"Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice."
"Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
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Dr. Steven J. Lawson | 9/27/2010
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