My regular readers may have noticed that all but one of my October posts have disappeared. Sadly, a professor from my school asked me to take those posts down. It would seem that some of the material from my blog has turned up in the papers of other students at LBTS. Though unfortunate, there is little one who publishes material to the internet can do about such behavior.
One of the analogies that came to mind immediately is that of tithes and offerings being given to the church. If there is financial misconduct in the church it is hardly appropriate to place the blame for that misconduct on the congregants who faithfully gave their tithes and offerings to support the ministries of the church. Be that as it may, this recent incident has given me pause concerning the approach I have been taking towards my blogging activities. Perhaps this is naive on my part but it honestly never occurred to me that material from my modest little blog might be “borrowed”!
I assume that all reputable, accredited institutions of higher learning in the United States use software such as SafeAssign or Turnitin to monitor for such behavior. Liberty University most certainly does! Of course there are only so many ways something can be said about a given topic. That is where the wisdom and experience of university professors comes into play. Tools such as those mentioned are simply tools. The real work comes in using those tools and discerning the results they yield. As a student, I have found the best course to take when writing a paper is to be a thorough as possible and when in doubt, provide a citation!
While my approach may change somewhat, I do not intend to stop blogging. Quite the contrary, I fully intend to press on and possibly expand the topics upon which I write. Though certainly not anywhere near the busiest, the traffic my blog receives is evidence enough that there is an interest in conservative views on issues, people, and especially theology. I covet your prayers as I ponder the course my blog will take in the future.
Chris