Groeschel told his disciples - Do not use my materials unless you give due credit.
I also have permission to use Groeschel's sermons and graphics, free of charge. I could even use his introductory videos and other materials - no charge, no lawsuit. I signed the contract.
However, permission to use material does not give anyone a license to offer sermons, graphics, videos, fill-in-the-blank bulletin inserts as original work from the scam artist. Groeschel has warned his robotic disciples to be honest about the materials they use.
As a WELS pastor, Glende was trained by Groeschel, Stanley, and Driscoll events (to name but a few). As a WELS pastor, according to his member's written statement, Glende lied about plagiarizing Groeschel. When confronted by the circuit pastor about plagiarism, Glende had the circuit pastor fired - thanks to Deputy Doug Englebrecht.
Glende has violated his contract. He has a written call, a legal contract, where he promised to perform certain duties as a pastor.
More importantly, he lives in constant defiance of the Scriptures and the Confessions.
This is a long-standing problem in WELS, thanks to the poor training in the system. The Bethany Appleton pastor also plagiarized - but he was caught. I question whether any WELS pastors has an incentive to stop plagiarizing. They see SP Schroeder and the Conference of Pussycats rewarding and funding Mark Jeske, who is also channeling all the garbage he gets from all the New Age conferences he loves so dearly.
The head of WELS technology was a Hybels-intoxicated mission pastor at one time. His sermons were memorized from Hybels tapes, including the same voice inflections and dramatic flourishes. WELS actually let him go (while hiring him to run WELS technology).
Tim - "You paved the way, Spriggs.
Now we are Legion."
