On Preaching One's Own Sermons

In a November 24 letter to the editor of The Wall Street Journal, Dan Heneghan of Monkton, Maryland, decries the defense of plagiarized sermons:

"The Rev. Steve Sjogren preaches that 'attribution is a waster of time,' a perspective not embraced by Christ as he was preoccupied with referencing the truth of the Word 'as it is written' in the Old Testament. And the Rev. Rick Warren's questioning of the merits of sermon attribution in his emailed view that preachers are 'not footnoting a term paper' suggests that his view of the truth is possibly more 'market-driven.' 

"Before contemporary 'preachers' without original ideas reach for their credit cards and complete Web site registrations to hijack another's inspired words, they might simply lead their congregations in a prayer for 'ears to hear' and 'eyes to see' the life-changing message of the Gospel. Or, like the Apostle Paul, the late Revs. Charles Spurgeon and Martin Lloyd-Jones, and the Rev. Alistair Begg, consider preaching 'just Christ, and Him crucified.' And please remember to thank God for that original thought."

And I expect that William Jones of Pasadena, California was being ironic when he wrote: "There is now a wonderful way for churches large and small to save some much needed cash while still enjoying high-quality preaching. I propose that each congregation entrust a group of respected congregants to find that week's sermon the Internet and then take turns reading it to the congregation. Cut out the middleman! . . . . This would also encourage people in the ministry who aren't capable of preparing sermons to find other lines of work for which they are presumably more qualified."