[Vision2020] Fondly my foolish heart essays

[Captain Kirker]

Visionheads:

 

In 1991, the Wolfman wrote a provocative essay called “Wrestling With Wesley,” which he later published in a book called Greyfriars Covenant. In the article Wilson indicted the eighteenth-century evangelist John Wesley for three of his lesser-known, albeit egregious sins: misrepresentation, plagiarism, and slander.

 

Now the ironies here are legion, but I shall limit myself to one. Regarding Wesley’s plagiarism, the Wolfman wrote:

“The problem with [A Calm Address to Our American Colonies] was that Wesley did not write substantial portions of it. In the course of approximately ten pages, Wesley used numerous sections taken verbatim from Samuel Johnson’s Taxation No Tyranny. In the first edition of Calm Address, Wesley did not indicate in any way that he had borrowed text from Johnson—Wesley represented the work as his own. This laid him open to the just charge of plagiarism, and those charges were not long in coming. In a preface to the second edition, Wesley acknowledged his indebtedness to the other pamphlet, but this was too late. A plagiarist does not cease to be a plagiarist because he admits the obvious after he has been caught. . . . He stole the words of another and did not acknowledge that he had done so. As mentioned above, he acknowledged his debt to Samuel Johnson in the second edition, but even then he did not acknowledge that he had done any wrong in the silence of the first edition.” (T!
 he
 Wolfman, Greyfriars Covenant: Essays on Evangelism & Apologetics [Moscow, ID: Greyfriars Hall Press, 2001] 171, 172)

But after the Wolfman got caught plagiarizing, he posted this on his web splotch:

“I have pasted below a couple of quotations. The first is from a footnote in the revised edition [Southern Slavery As It Was], which is forthcoming. . . From the footnote: ‘In fact, we would like to publicly thank Dr. [Blank], a gracious Christian scholar (who differs with us enthusiastically), for alerting us to some grotesque mistakes in the footnoting of our first edition.’” (The Wolfman, Splotch & Maysplotch, August 4, 2004).

I called it ironic because this confirms that John Wesley and the Wolfman share at least one thing in common: they both wrote “revised” editions of their plagiarized screeds in which neither of them admitted that “he had done any wrong in the silence of the first edition.”

 

Finally, what does the Wolfman say about ministers who plagiarize? He wrote:

“When the world recently learned that Martin Luther King, Jr. was a plagiarist, those who had a vested interest in keeping him up on his pedestal immediately began talking about feet of clay, the human condition, and we all struggle, do we not? In other words, Dr. King was a scoundrel, but we will admit no evidence that supports the claim and treat as a scoundrel anyone who dares to present the evidence. When confronted, against our will, with indisputable evidence that our hero was not foremost among the saints, the automatic response is to interpret it as evidence that King had a ‘weakness’ or a ‘failing.’ But never is it called by its Biblical name—sin.

       “Such an option is not open to us. As Christians, we have to take into account what God’s Word requires of us. The qualifications for fellowship are different than those of leadership. In Titus 1, and First Timothy 3, God’s requirements for leadership are strict—and clear. According to those requirements, John Wesley was not qualified to be a leader of God’s people; he was not ‘blameless’ in the text’s sense.” (The Wolfman, Greyfriars Covenant [Moscow, ID: Greyfriars Hall Press, 2001] 171, 172)

 

Memo to the Wolfman:

The judgment you have meted out has been measured back to you. God’s requirements for leadership are strict and clear. According to those requirements, you are not qualified to be a leader of God’s people; you are not “blameless” in the text’s sense. Resign from the ministry at once and sing with the Captain:

 

Whate’er I fondly counted mine,

To thee, my Lord, I here restore;

Gladly I all for thee resign;

Give me thyself, I ask no more.

 

Attention kirkers: you can examine the Wolfman’s plagiarism at this link:

http://www.tomandrodna.com/notonthepalouse/Plagiarism.htm

 

And you can read his entire essay on Wesley at this link:

http://www.reformed.org/webfiles/antithesis/v2n1/ant_v2n1_Wesley.html

		
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