Clergyman Is Accused of Plagiarism
By DANNY HAKIM
Published: March 13, 2002
Journalists. Historians. Now the clergy?
The rector of Christ Church Cranbrook, a prominent church in this wealthy town near Detroit, has been suspended for 90 days while the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan investigates accusations that some of his sermons, as well as his writings in a church newsletter, were copied from Internet subscription services for clergymen and other sources on the Web.
The rector's defenders say that the use of such material is common among the clergy and that the accusations are merely a pretense by his opponents to oust him.
The rector, the Rev. Edward Mullins, declined to comment, as did his lawyer. Bishop Wendell N. Gibbs Jr., head of the diocese, has asked the rector and others involved not to discuss the situation.
Bloomfield Hills is a lush terrain of million-dollar homes. The church is an imposing Gothic structure with 1,100 member families and a parking lot that fills up with Lexuses, Mercedeses and Cadillacs.
In recent years, the church has had its share of trouble. In 1993, a rector was dismissed after he admitted to having affairs with parishioners. The church was without a permanent rector until Mr. Mullins took the job in 1996.
Last year, Mr. Mullins, who is 55, faced a revolt from about a dozen staff members. In a letter to him that found its way to the bishop, they accused Mr. Mullins of having a divisive management style, said he had mistreated the church's longtime verger and demanded that he seek counseling.
On Jan. 30, the problems escalated when a group of parishioners sent a letter to the diocese outlining 10 cases in which they said Mr. Mullins had committed plagiarism, including entire sermons and writings in the church's ''Good News'' bulletin, from several Web sites.
Some paid subscription services provide sermons, and Mr. Mullins used those services as well as other Internet sources, according to the letter, instead of writing his own.
''Along with other questionable actions he has taken during the past five years, the plagiarism of his spiritual messages causes us seriously to doubt his fitness for the ordained ministry,'' the letter said. ''How can a priest of the church lay claim to a defense of such dubious morality as 'everybody does it' and 'I paid to use those materials?' ''
Mr. Mullins appears to have strong support, both among parishioners and the vestry, a body akin to a board of directors.
''He's a great asset to Christ Church,'' said Dorothy Allhouse, a member of the church for six years. ''People come to church for his sermons, whether they're his, they're incorporated or however he does it. He puts the message forth that needs to be put forth.''
The Rev. Harry T. Cook, a friend of Mr. Mullins and the rector of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in nearby Clawson, said, ''He's had more than a year of unrelenting pressure, mostly generated, I'm told, by members of his staff and a very few members of the congregation who have made it a lifetime vocation to make his life miserable.''
''I don't hold any brief for Doris Kearns Goodwin, Joe Ellis or Stephen Ambrose,'' Mr. Cook added, referring to three prominent historians enmeshed in controversies about fabrications or plagiarism, ''but if plagiarism of the sort that Ed Mullins is accused of is punishable, there would be no one preaching on Sunday.''
In a letter to Mr. Mullins informing him of his suspension, Bishop Gibbs said he was investigating whether the rector had violated his ordination vows by plagiarizing. The bishop also wrote that he was investigating whether Mr. Mullins breached confidences during counseling sessions and refused to give communion to a parishioner. The suspension was first reported by The Detroit Free Press.
The Rev. Clayton Morris, liturgical officer of the Episcopal Church, said, ''I don't know of any policy in print'' against plagiarism. But Mr. Morris added, ''If you use somebody else's prose, you cite the source.''
There is ample leeway for borrowing in Christianity, considering that preachers have been returning to the same subjects for two millennia, said David Hein, a professor of religion and philosophy at Hood College in Frederick, Md. But citations would be expected in written material, Mr. Hein said, and some amount of original thought is a crucial part of a clergyman's role.
Indeed, churches have taken punitive action on plagiarism. In October, the pastor of Central Presbyterian Church in Clayton, Mo., was forced to resign after being accused of appropriating sermons by the Rev. Tim Keller, a Presbyterian pastor. Several years ago, an Episcopal clergyman was dismissed from a cathedral in San Francisco for plagiarism.
Phil Ware, a Texas preacher who co-edits Heartlight, an Internet magazine (www.heartlight.org), was among the sources Mr. Mullins is accused of using. Mr. Ware said he thought that his writings should be properly cited but that he did not want Mr. Mullins to lose his job.
''The joke used to be,'' Mr. Ware said, ''that 90 percent of all church bulletin articles used to be written by A. N. Onymous.''
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