No rap treatment for plagiarism?

Exhibit A: a group of obscure pastors(?) participating in a panel discussion disparage Christian rap. A flurry of blog posts appear from the leading lights of the evangelical world (E-world) criticizing the panelists & defending (reformed) rap.

Exhibit B: a prominent pastor is credibly charged with plagiarism. A dearth of blog posts emerge as the story (even now) continues to unfold. In fact, the leading lights of E-world are all but silent on the matter.

Granting that the circumstances surrounding exhibits A & B correspond as much as apples to oranges, I can’t help thinking that perspective is lost in all of this. Shouldn’t we care far less that a pastor would be guilty of shallow thinking on rap than that a pastor would be guilty of theft and deceit?

This isn’t to suggest that what we know from the blogosphere is everything there is to know. Maybe mitigating facts will come to light that exonerate the pastor. Conversely, the plagiarism charge may be addressed behind closed doors with public repentance, restitution, & reconciliation to follow.

Judging between the two I’d say a single, discredited pastor poses a greater threat to the church and her gospel than a panel of pastors who denigrate a style of music.

Author: Jonathan P. Merritt

Happily married father of six. Lead pastor at Edgewood Baptist Church (Columbus, GA). Good-natured contrarian, theological Luddite, and long-suffering Atlanta Falcons fan. A student of one book.

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