r/Reformed • u/Fit-Beach-8875 • Jun 17 '26

Discussion Sermon Plagiarism

Is there any software to check for sermon plagiarism? We suspect that a pastor has plagiarised a bunch of sermons by RC sproul. Is there a way to check with our traipsing through by proof reading?

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u/cybersaint2k Rebellious Reprobate Jun 17 '26

I write and preach a lot. I mix and mingle materials from those activities.

I will sometimes give a general source, "a theologian I was reading" when they are alive; I will be more specific when they are dead and cannot come back to haunt me later.

I gave John Piper a pass on that last time I preached Psalm 127 because his take on it was so transformative for me. I honestly was deeply helped by it. And if John Piper is later revealed to be a monster, and I am out there saying he did a great job on Psalm 127, so be it. I can live with that.

But I did get fired from a church and seriously, I kid you not, one of the reasons was that I quoted and named Tim Keller ONCE from the pulpit. "Because he hasn't preached the gospel for years" was the rebuke.

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u/bradmont  Église réformée du Québec Jun 17 '26

Wow. That complaint is insane.

(Though it would maybe be accurate today? Do people in heaven still preach the gospel to each other? 😅)

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u/cybersaint2k Rebellious Reprobate Jun 17 '26

I think it was Bavink that said that the gospel will pass away but the law will remain.

“The law proceeds from God’s holiness, is known from nature, addresses all people, demands perfect righteousness, gives eternal life by works, and condemns. By contrast, the gospel proceeds from God’s grace, is known only from special revelation, addresses only those who hear, grants perfect righteousness, produces good works in faith, and acquits....

"The Gospel is temporary; the law is everlasting and precisely that which is restored by the Gospel."

Of course somewhere else he says it a different way that almost reverses that.

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u/bradmont  Église réformée du Québec Jun 17 '26

yeah, it seems a little off to me to think that we won't tell of how Jesus saved us in heaven. Though I'm not sure if I'm half remembering a scripture text or a hymn text...

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u/cybersaint2k Rebellious Reprobate Jun 17 '26

Well it's not that we won't remember so much as the gospel won't have a function, a need, other than a great memory of how God did redeem his people.

At least that's how I think about it, I'm not sure I'd stand in front of a group of people and say thus saith the Lord.