Challenging #Sermongate Ontology: A Critical Rhetorical Analysis of Plagiarism in Sermonic Discourse.

This article critically examines the contested ontology and ethics of plagiarism within Protestant evangelical sermonic discourse, focusing on the 2021 #Sermongate scandal involving Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) President Ed Litton. It situates sermonic plagiarism within a historical and cultural context, highlighting tensions between communal traditions of shared religious knowledge and modern notions of individual intellectual ownership. The authors explore rhetorical intertextuality and imitation as frameworks to understand how pastors engage with sources, advocating for the development of universal, integrity-based plagiarism guidelines tailored to the unique demands of preaching. They also discuss broader implications, including pressures of sermon-centric worship culture and emerging challenges posed by AI tools like ChatGPT, emphasizing the need for holistic, adaptable ethical standards that balance creativity, attribution, and communal trust in religious communication.