Plagerism in Speeches
In the news this week are accusations of
plagiarism. The presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton has accused Barack
Obama of using the material of another politician a speech without citation.
This set off a debate of what constitutes plagiarism in speeches. The
politician, Governor Deval Patrick, was not upset with the matter. But were
listeners misled into thinking he had originated the idea? Or do they
automatically discount this knowing that many politicians use speech
writers?
More
significantly, what are the ethics of using the words of another without
citation in the church?
If the world can place blame for using a
paragraph of a speech without citation, church leaders should be careful to not
present sermons or teaching to their congregation without giving credit where
credit is due. After all, God's servants must be beyond reproach (1 Timothy
3:10). Even when it comes to stealing God's word from others (Jeremiah
23:30).
Posted: Tue - February 19, 2008 at 12:26 PM