What Plagiarism and "World War Z" Taught Me About Accountability

In the film "World War Z," there is only one region in the entire world which is ready for the zombie apocalypse- Israel.  When Brad Pitt's character goes to Jerusalem to find out why this city is uniquely prepared for the unlikely event of a zombie apocalypse, the man in charge gives a telling and chilling account: They have a rule of 10.  There are 10 people in leadership who look at every piece of intelligence.  If the first nine people read it and come to the same conclusion, it is the duty of the tenth to disagree and operate as though the opposite is true.  So when a report came across the desk with the word, "zombie," nine people thought it was silly.  One man prepared for it to be true.  And so Jerusalem staved off the zombie invasion.

Recently, the Christian publishing world was rocked by allegations (seemingly true) about plagiarism from a prominent Christian pastor.  Given that I have theological issues with this pastor, I am not going to name him in this post (although you can easily find out).  This is not a diatribe about one man.  It is a diatribe about a system.  The fact is that multiple books passed directly through a filter of editorial scrutiny and no one said "no."  I know a few people in publishing, and editors are appropriately ruthless in examining texts for errors, unclear sentences and citation errors.  And so how is it possible that four books could pass through the system without anyone saying "Wait, why is this copied from a popular theological encyclopedia?"

Prominence comes with privilege, and privilege comes with power, and power comes with a distinct lack of accountability.  If books are going to sell well, in an age where Christian publishing is in trouble, then who is going to stand against the tide?  Every Christian leader should take pause in the wake of the scandal and wonder "who holds me accountable?"  I am grateful for leaders in church and denomination who are willing to say "no," although I have to watch myself to make sure I value their accountability and welcome it.  While I am not ready to set up a system like "World War Z," it isn't a terrible idea. 

Christians, particularly leaders, often view conflict as inherently bad.  It means that someone is right, someone is wrong; or, someone is on God's side, someone is not.  But if the Church can see conflict as a way to grow and lean into God, accountability becomes the nutrient-rich soil for personal and corporate growth. 

Events like published plagiarism are avoidable.  Accountability, while painful, can be healing.  Let's hope we can all learn and grow from this instance and move forward as publishers, pastors, leaders, professors, and Church.