Megachurch Pastor Accused of Plagiarizing an Apology
Josh Howerton is the senior pastor at Lakepointe Church, a megachurch in the Dallas area. He is well known for making jokes while preaching. However, one of those jokes has angered at least some of his congregation.
Back in February, he told a joke regarding what a woman should do on her wedding night. However, the joke was widely seen as misogynistic, resulting in pushback from both members of the church and members of the public. The joke also went viral online, garnering local media attention.
Earlier this month, Howerton took to the stage and apologized for the joke. However, that apology did not go over well. Not only did he fail to mention that he had told the same joke and had been confronted about it three years prior, but the apology was seen as weak and insincere.
Things then got even worse for Howerton. Julie Roys at The Roys Report realized that Howerton’s apology closely mirrored one given by Joby Martin, the lead pastor of The Church of Elleven22, in 2022.
The two apologies are nearly identical, with much of the verbiage being identical and referencing the same Bible passages. Roys posted a video comparing the two apologies to her X/Twitter account, highlighting the similarities.
Unfortunately for Howerton, not only was this not his first run-in with this joke, but it was also not his first run-in with plagiarism.
In September 2022, author Sheila Gregoire called out Howerton over allegations that he plagiarized from other evangelical pastors. Howerton defended himself against the allegations not by denying the copying but by saying that he had permission from the other pastors to use their work.
He added, “It’s only a lie if a preacher *actually lies* and specifically takes credit for something he knows he didn’t create.”
Howerton, on Facebook, has made a similar argument with the most recent allegations, saying that Martin permitted him and even encouraged him to use the language. He also referenced his response to the 2022 allegations.
However, that’s not likely to smooth things over with the angry church members. In fact, it appears that Howerton is failing to understand why this particular plagiarism is so problematic.
Plagiarism and Apologies
As I discussed last month, the intersection of plagiarism and religion is challenging to navigate. Different religions, different sects and even different churches within the same sect often have differing views on the topic.
Some would broadly agree with Howerton, saying that, as he put it, “If the bullet fits the gun, shoot it.” Others want clear citations from their religious leaders. Others expect everything to be made up on the spot, not even allowing notes.
However, that is not what happened here.
While this was part of a sermon, the plagiarized section was intended to be an apology. An apology, by its very nature, is an expression of personal regret for causing harm to others. By using someone else’s words for his apology, he makes it clear that he wasn’t speaking from his heart.
We discussed something similar in October 2020. Several universities were caught plagiarizing letters sent to students on difficult subjects such as racial equality, cuts to sporting programs and pandemic-related measures.
On one hand, it’s easy to sympathize with the plagiarists. These are difficult issues, and finding the right message is important. However, these messages also need to be personal and heartfelt. So copying and pasting them from elsewhere demeans and diminishes the letters.
That, in turn, is Howerton’s problem here. Between having told the joke before, the plagiarized apology and the lackluster nature of the apology, there’s little reason to believe that Howerton is sorry at all.
A point excellently made by X/Twitter user @RKCastonguay.
In short, the message that his congregation gets from this is that he wasn’t sorry enough not to retell the joke, he wasn’t sorry enough to give a meaningful apology, and he wasn’t even sorry enough to write his own flawed apology, he just copied it from someone else.
It’s easy to see why those he offended are still offended, and that isn’t likely to change any time soon.
Fixing the Problem for Real
My March article dealt with a church congregant who learned that her pastor had been committing widespread plagiarism. However, they only learned of the issue after he retired, leaving few options for remediation.
There, I encouraged the church to look forward, not backward. If the congregation agrees that the plagiarism was inappropriate, they should set clear standards and rules around citation that their leaders must follow.
That, in turn, is what I would advise Lakepointe Church to do here.
I would draft clear guidelines on what is and is not acceptable reuse of outside content in sermons and other church performances/publications. I won’t say what those guidelines should be; it is up to the church.
Those guidelines can be as permissive or restrictive about reuse as they want. The main thing is to craft a clear standard so pastors and congregants know what is expected of them.
Right now, it’s clear that there are some differing expectations. While the church can’t change how outsiders view the reuse, they can set the expectations within their own halls.
That simple act can go a long way to preventing future plagiarism controversies.
Bottom Line
Regarding Howerton’s plagiarism defense, I agree that he has some points. Preaching is not academia; the standards of citation are different. He’s also right that many, including congregants and religious leaders, are permissive about such reuse.
However, an apology is meant to be personal. It’s a message from you to the people that you harmed or feel that you harmed. In that regard, it’s more similar to a personal story or narrative.
When looking at Howerton’s defense, he and I agree on this. He says, “Don’t tell stories that didn’t happen to you as if they happened to you, obviously.” In short, he understands that telling something as a personal story when it isn’t is wrong.
An apology is equally as personal. If it’s not, then it’s not meaningful. An apology has to come from your heart and your own desire to make things right. Copying it from elsewhere defeats that purpose.
Moving forward, I think it would be wise for the church to figure out its citation and reuse policy. Even if it’s a very open policy, it is crucial to have it in writing and ensure everyone is on the same page.
It’s a difficult subject to talk about. However, these stories highlight why it is important to do so.
Want to Reuse or Republish this Content?
If you want to feature this article in your site, classroom or elsewhere, just let us know! We usually grant permission within 24 hours.