The dean of St John’s Cathedral must curb plagiarism by its preachers by setting up strict guidelines and a committee to investigate the practice, a Baptist University academic says.
The call from Chan Sze-chi, a senior lecturer in the school’s religion and philosophy department, comes amid new evidence of plagiarism by several senior priests at the Anglican cathedral and its affiliate, Emmanuel Church, in Pok Fu Lam.
Reverend John Chynchen delivered a sermon at St John’s Cathedral in August that was written by an American pastor in 2004 and published on a website called Sermons That Work.
Read it all and for those interested the website for the Cathedral in Hong Kong is there.
How strange – I understand that at one time clergy were required to recite the Homilies exactly as written and opened themselves to censure for any departure from them. See also Article XXXV.
Funny old world.
The First Homily is well worth considering with a sober and earnest demeanor:
[blockquote]WHERE there appeareth at these dayes great slackenesse and negligence of a great sort of people, in resorting to the Church, there to serue GOD their heauenly Father, according to their most bounden duety, as also much vncomely and vnreuerent behauiour of many persons in the same when they be there assembled, and therby may iust feare arise of the wrath of GOD, and his dreadful plagues hanging ouer our heads for our grieuous offences in this behalfe, amongst other many and great sinnes which wee dayly and hourely commit before the Lord. Therefore for the discharge of all our consciences, and for the auoyding of the common perill and plague hanging ouer vs, let vs consider what may be sayd out of GODS holy booke concerning this matter….[/blockquote]
My concern is that the message preached is scripturally and theologically sound and helpful to the congregation listening. I really don’t care who wrote the material so long as the preacher sees to those criteria. He ought not to pretend it’s original if it’s not. Most preachers, I think, don’t mention the matter.