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All Theologians are Thieves

By Jeremy Myers
34 Comments

All Theologians are Thieves

I read a book this past week (I’m not going to say which one) where the author (Author A) clearly, consistently, and blatantly plagiarized the ideas of another author (Author B) without giving due credit. I guess it wasn’t “blatant.” It was only obvious to me because I have read most of the books by Author B and was shocked to see so many of his ideas and insights being written about as if they belonged to Author A.

While over the course of 50 pages or so, Author A did included two footnotes to the works of Author B, I didn’t feel that this was nearly enough.

stealing your theology

When nearly 90% of your ideas are coming from someone else, I think more than 2 footnotes are required.

Ok… so it wasn’t exactly full-scale plagiarism. At least Author A reworded and summarized the ideas which are found in the books of Author B, but again, I feel that if most of an author’s ideas and content are being pulled from the ideas of authors in other books, it is only right and fair to give them more credit than two footnotes.

Part of the reason I am saying this is because it caused me to wonder about the origin of the rest of his book. If I was aware that the vast majority of his ideas in 50 pages of the book were simply the summaries of ideas from some other author, it made me wonder about the other 150 pages in his book. Where did those come from? Were they also “lifted” from others who didn’t get proper credit?

And now we get to the real point of this post …

… and this is going to sound quite arrogant … (Sorry about that) …

… There were two chapters of this man’s book which sounded shocking similar to several of the blog posts I wrote last year. As I was reading these chapters, the thought flow, argument structure, and illustrations were almost identical to what I had written on this blog in 2013. His book came out a couple months ago.

Needless to say, I didn’t get a single footnote in the book.

Can I be certain he read my posts and “borrowed” them for his book?

No. I cannot.

theologians are thievesI know for a fact that I was reading a lot of books at the time I was writing those posts in question which led me to the beliefs and ideas I wrote about on my blog. Maybe this other author was reading the same books and coming up with the same ideas. That’s possible.

Maybe the Holy Spirit is at work around the world to bring multiple authors and pastors and theologians to similar ideas about similar things all at once, and so when I read something in someone else’s book that sounds a lot like something I have written, but they don’t give me credit, it is not that they “borrowed” from me, but because both of us were listening to what the Spirit has been whispering to minds all over the world. The Spirit blows where He wills….

All this sounds arrogant, right?

I’m either saying,”He stole his ideas from me!” or “Both of us are so spiritual, we have gained the same truth from the Holy Spirit!”

I wasn’t going to write anything about this, but then I decided to do a bit of Google research on this author, and I discovered that very early this year, he did in fact briefly mention my posts on one of his social media accounts. So this tells me he was reading my posts …

So OK … reading is still not the same as plagiarizing, and even though his book came out a couple months ago and he apparently read my posts about 10 months ago, this still doesn’t mean he “borrowed” my content for his book. I mean … for all I know, he submitted his manuscript to the publisher before he ever even read my posts …

I’m guess I’m not really upset. I suppose if I had some influence on him, I am thrilled that those ideas are having a wider impact on the world through what he wrote, and hopefully in his church as he preaches on Sundays. I am just saying that if he did in fact rely on my posts for the content of these two chapters in his book, some footnotes would have been nice …

Look, I will fully admit it: As a theologian, I also am a thief.

There are very few ideas bumping around in my head which did not originate in some form or another with other theologians and authors. Even the ideas which I think are original with me owe a large debt to the foundational ideas and writings of other authors and teachers.

In other words, even if I come up with “Idea D” it is only because I learned Ideas A, B, and C from someone else. I could be wrong, but I think this is true of every theologian. This is why I say that all theologians are thieves.

But that’s okay. It’s expected and desired. It’s wanted, even.

sermon stealing

Theology is nothing if not the interplay of ideas and minds over some of the biggest questions about God in our day. Of course, the right thing to do when you steal an idea is to give credit to the people who taught it to you. It’s impossible to do this completely, but that is no excuse for not trying.

I honestly and truly try my absolute hardest to always reference and footnote and give credit to other authors, thinkers, writers, bloggers, and theologians when I know that what I am writing originated with them. It is not uncommon for me to spend hours trying to track down sources for where my ideas came from. I have re-read books, re-listened to podcasts, and spent hours scouring the internet, all in the attempt to remember where I read or heard something.

I am not going to call this author out. I don’t really care too much (Although maybe this post says I care more than I think? Ha!)

I honestly try to live by the principle that Harry Truman once said: “It is amazing what you can accomplish when you don’t care who gets the credit.”

I am glad that if people find my posts and books helpful, that they turn around and teach the ideas they contain to others.

However, I am always delighted and encouraged when a blogger mentions my ideas in a post or an author includes a footnote to one of my books. I try to my best to do this for others, as I hope you all do as well.

Are you and author, blogger, or writer?

Please, do your best to reference and footnote those to whom you owe a debt of ideas.

You will always miss a few (I know I do), but if you develop this discipline early, it will serve you well throughout your writing life. (In case you are curious, one invaluable tool I use to help me with this is Endnote Software. What a time saver in my writing!)

Has this sort of thing ever happened to you? It happens more often than we think… If you have a story to tell, share it in the comment section below! (Try to refrain from naming names though!)

God is z Bible & Theology Topics: Blogging, Books by Jeremy Myers, Books I'm Reading, footnotes, Theology - General, writing

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You can help others with their Bible Questions in the Forum!

By Jeremy Myers
7 Comments

You can help others with their Bible Questions in the Forum!

bible and theology forum

Help others with their Bible and Theology questions!

Over the past several months, I have received dozens of Bible and theology questions using the contact form on the right sidebar, and due to time constraints, I have not been able to answer most of them.

So I am going to post them in the forum and let you provide answers to these Bible and theology questions if you want…. go check them out!

Here are a few examples:

Why is God so violent in Numbers 15:32-36? (Go suggest an answer)

Why did Paul re-baptize twelve men in Acts 19? (Go suggest an answer)

Do all Christians speak in tongues? (Go suggest an answer)

Why are there so many different beliefs among churches? (Go suggest an answer)

Is masturbation a sin? (Go suggest an answer … if you dare!)

Notes from Others

There have also been a couple interesting posts from others. Here is something Justin Wiles wrote:

Ever since I have … been able to share my story and struggles with the community the Holy Spirit’s power to fight sin in my life has abounded. It’s still a rough battle but I hold faith that I’m growing more and more.

So feel free to share a daily victory or a struggle so that we can come together in the spirit of truth and love and encourage everyone to keep fighting the good fight!

Have you found this to be true in your own life? Has community (online and in person) been helpful as you learn to follow Jesus and defeat temptation? I have! If you want to weigh in on Justin’s thread, you can do so here.

There have also been several new introductions from new members on the forum. Go and read them here, and introduce yourself as well!

James Johnson III wrote this:

I have no Seminary experience, but I consider myself autodidactic and my thirst for knowledge has lead me all over the gamut of belief systems in Christianity (I ended up a staunch Calvinist until recently). I consider myself in a state of cognitive dissonance, so I’m hoping to learn a lot and I have a plethora of questions.

Frank wrote this:

My profession is evaluating community development programs facilitated by Christian agencies. In more than 25 years of doing evaluations in Africa and Asia I have discovered that strong Christians often do not see the conflicts that there are between science worldview and Christian worldview.

I always find it fascinating to learn more about the people who read this blog, and I love it when you interact with each other as you so often do in the comment sections on the forums. Thank you for making this blog a place where people can gather online and discuss life, Scripture, and theology.

Join the Forum!

If you want to introduce yourself, or ask a Bible or theology question for others to answer, head on over to the forum and get started! See you there!

God is Redeeming Life, Redeeming Scripture, Redeeming Theology Bible & Theology Topics: Bible and Theology Questions, Bible questions, Blogging, forum, Theology - General, worldview

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Convictions of Marcus Borg

By Jeremy Myers
10 Comments

Convictions of Marcus Borg

convictions - Marcus borgBack in 1995 I was a 5-point hyper Calvinist. Over the course of the next 3 years, and through studying various passages and reading various books, I dropped belief in the third point of Calvinism: Limited Atonement. But I told myself that I would never drop the other 4 points.

At that time, I read some book by Clark Pinnock (I don’t remember the title) which recounted his exodus from Calvinism. He said that he too began by dropping Limited Atonement, and over the next several years, the other four points dropped out of his theology as well. He then went on to become a defender of inclusivism and open theism.

After reading that book, I wrote a paper called “The Pinnockio Path” in which I slammed Clark Pinnock for his theological conclusions. I basically called him a lying (Pinocchio … get it?) heretic. In the paper I said that while Pinnock had rightly dropped the third point of Calvinism, he should have stopped there (like me), for the rest of his theological journey led him into some strange lands and heretical conclusions.

Looking back now, I laugh at myself, for it appears I have traveled nearly the same road as Clark Pinnock. I don’t defend inclusivism or open theism (Yet???), but I no longer consider myself a Calvinist of any shape or size. (I call myself a 2 and 1/2 point Calvinist, because I believe in half of each point: depravity, election, atonement, grace, and the saints).

I have also learned, I hope, to be a little more gracious toward those who have studied longer and traveled further than I have, knowing that I might end up exactly where they are, if I keep studying and following where Jesus leads (to the best of my ability).

All this is an introduction to a book I just finished reading, titled Convictions, by Marcus Borg. It is sort of a theological autobiography, in which Borg recounts his theological journey into what he calls “Progressive” Christianity, and explains the central ideas and convictions (hence the name of the book) which led him to the central beliefs he now holds.

As I read, I found that strange sense of déjà vu from when I read Clark Pinnock so many years ago. I recognized that much of the early questions and studies that led Borg to where he now finds himself, are the same questions and studies that I am currently facing. Does that mean that just as I followed the “Pinnockio Path” I am now on the Path of the Borg so that “resistance is futile”? (You Star Trek fans will get that.)

It could be. And if so, I accept it, because as I look at Borg’s convictions, I find myself almost there already.

Convictions - Marcus BorgAmong his convictions which Marcus Borg explains in his book is the idea that salvation is about way more than just going to heaven when we die. As I have argued for years, the Gospel is about all of life, not just what happens to us after death. Salvation is not just about how we will live in the hereafter, but also how we live in the here and now.

Another conviction Borg unfolds is the idea that Jesus is the lens by which we must read an interpret all of Scripture. This too is something I have been writing about for two years or more, and am always thrilled when I encounter other writers and scholars saying the same thing.

Then he has a chapter on how the Penal Substitutionary view of the atonement leads to some bad theology about God and our sin. Borg argues that the cross still matters and is central to Christianity, but the cross was not some sort of blood sacrifice as a payment for sin or a strange way of God dealing with His own anger by killing His Son.

There are other chapters as well, all of them good. There was an excellent chapter on Borg’s conviction about peace and non-violence.

The chapter that challenged me most was the chapter about how the Bible is true even though it isn’t literally true. I am really grappling with the doctrines of inspiration and inerrancy right now, and found much of what Borg said to be helpful as he explained how he reads and understand the Bible, even though he doesn’t believe the Bible is inerrant.

This is a great introduction to some of the central beliefs of Borg, and also to many of the central convictions of an ever-widening swath of Christians in the world today.

My only real complaint is that there were not more footnotes in the book. Since I would love to read up more on some of the ideas he presents, I would have liked to see more footnotes about where I can turn to study further, or at least a “Recommended Reading” list in the back.

Whether you agree with where Christianity is headed, or are fighting to hold back the tide, this book provides a good introduction to some of the convictions of progressive Christianity, and will both affirm and challenge many of your own theological convictions. I highly recommend it. You can get a copy of Convictions from Amazon.

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: books, Books I'm Reading, marcus borg, Theology - General

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Redoing My Theology

By Jeremy Myers
22 Comments

Redoing My Theology

I realized the other day why I am having such a struggle writing this book on the violence of God in the Old Testament.

The reason is because the process of grappling with this issue is requiring me to rethink, rewrite, and redo nearly all of my theology. I feel like I am starting all over from the very beginning.

redoing my theology

So far, my study of the violence of God has caused me to rethink these areas of theology:

  • Theology Proper – this one is a given. I am trying to write about God, after all.
  • Bibliology – I have had to raise questions about inspiration and inerrancy
  • Pneumatology – My study of inspiration led me to look deeper into the Spirit’s role in the world and throughout history, especially as a revealer of truth.
  • Christology – I have had to learn to refocus all my theology upon the cross of Jesus Christ, and have come to see Jesus as the center of God’s revelation, the lens by which Scripture is read, and truly the “image of the invisible God.”
  • Soteriology – If God is nonviolent, then what does this say about the violence within the penal substitutionary view of the atonement? Also, what about the eternal violence of hell? I am grappling with both these issues.
  • Ecclesiology – If God is not violent, then what does this mean for the church’s place in the world, especially regarding war and patriotism? Also, what does it mean to follow Jesus nonviolently?
  • Eschatology – Not only do I have to rethink hell (mentioned above), but all my beliefs about the End Times as well. If God is non violent, will the Second Coming of Jesus truly be with violence?
  • Anthropology – My study of nonviolence has required me to realize that if violence does not come at the command of God, then it must come from the heart of man. This raises serious questions about the condition of humanity in general.
  • Angelology – The study of violence has led into deep reading and thinking about the dominions, powers, and authorities of this world, and how these things are related to the destroyer, satan, and demons, and violence in general.

This is why I feel so overwhelmed all the time with this project! It often feels like the ground has opened up beneath me, like all my reading, study, and learning up to this point has been for nothing, and that I am beginning all over again.

your theology might be wrong

So thanks for being patient with me as I “think out loud” on this blog, and as my writing projects get posted in bits and pieces, and as some posts seem to contradict something I wrote earlier. We’re all thinking about this together, and I appreciate your input and you being willing to walk with me through these questions!

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Theology - General, violence of God, When God Pled Guilty

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Why C. S. Lewis was a master at theological writing

By Jeremy Myers
17 Comments

Why C. S. Lewis was a master at theological writing

Ever wonder why C. S. Lewis was so influential in his thinking and theological writing? It is because C. S. Lewis translated his theology into language that anybody could understand.

CS Lewis writing

This was not accidental, but intentional. Here is what C. S. Lewis said on the matter:

You must translate every bit of your theology into the vernacular. This is very troublesome, and it means you can say very little in half an hour, but it is essential.

It is also the greatest service to your own thought. I have come to the conviction that if you cannot translate your thoughts into uneducated language, then your thoughts were confused. Power to translate is the test of having really understood one’s own meaning.

This came from Alister McGrath’s excellent biography of C.S. Lewis (p. 208). If you haven’t read it yet, click the link above to get a copy from Amazon. It is the best biography on Lewis I have ever read.

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Books I'm Reading, CS Lewis, Discipleship, Theology - General, writing

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