Sermon stealing

In the April 17, 2007 issue of The Christian Century there is an interesting article by Thomas Long called "Stolen Goods".  The article talks about the growing practice of pastors "stealing" sermons off the Internet and preaching them as their own.  Long shares some stories of disappointed people when they found out that a sermon their pastor preached was not their own.  I personally write all my own sermons but there are some that would call that arrogant.  Steven Sjogren from Cincinnati Vineyard Community Church is quoted as saying, "Don't be original -- be effective!  In my mind there is a tremendous amount of pride (let's call it what it is) when we insist on being completely original as communicators...The guys I draw encouragement from -- the best communicators in the United States...get 70 percent of their material from someone else.  Remember, Solomon wrote that 'there is nothing new under the sun.'"

What do you think of that?  Are preachers that insist on writing a new sermon each week arrogant?  Should I be using sermons from pastors who are considered "the best"?  What are your thoughts on this?  Consider this quote, as well, from the article, "Some pastors have picked up a theological version of this open source argument.  Sermon words are gifts from God, they say, and thus fair game for any and all who wish to appropriate them.  How dare preachers do anything but sing the doxology, they ask, when their sermons show up in the mounths of other pastors?"

I wish I could show you the whole article, so I encourage you to get a copy of this issue of The Christian Century and check it out.  Let me know what you think.  I would love to have a discussion about this.

Comments

[Joy]

I certainly don't think that writing your own sermons is "arrogant". I think getting ideas from different sources is fine, but if pastors are taking entire sermons from elsewhere - and not prefacing their talk by saying that the sermon is not their own - I think that's terribly misleading, and could really damage the pastor/congregation relationship if discovered. If sermons are gifts from God, why would you even want to "steal" them from others? God will give pastors the right words for the right time.

[Eric]

Thank you, Joy, for the comment. I have continued the conversation above in my post for today. God bless.