Please note: The following article was originally published on 12/4/2018. Under direction of my session, in response to pressure from outside ministers, I removed this page. Now that Dr. Thomas has been admonished by his presbytery for plagiarism, I am reposting this page, since the purpose for which it was posted has now been at least in part vindicated.

—Shane Anderson, 10/22/2019

The following was written anonymously and published it here by the author’s request out of a desire that the broader Reformed movement would promote integrity in its ranks.

A number of people have spoken to me concerning the recent plagiarism charges against Derek Thomas, which P&R have confirmed on their website (https://www.prpbooks.com/book/acts), though P&R uses the euphemistic phrase "unattributed content."

I did listen to Sinclair Ferguson on Acts 14 (as a test-case) and at the same time read Thomas's commentary on Acts 14. From what I could see, this just doesn't come across as note-taking gone wrong, but rather looks like the sermon was transcribed, and then the transcription appears to be used as the basis for the commentary. As one friend said, "The rhetorical forms and the word choices, not in a sentence or two but over pages and pages, are too close for it to be note-taking." It is almost miraculous how quickly and carefully someone could write down such exact notes from hearing a sermon.

For those who wish to see/hear for themselves, here's one example: http://tapesfromscotland.org/Audio3/3603.mp3 (start 5 mins in). The pictures are below for comparison.

I don't have the time to go over the other sections, but others have pointed out that chapters 1, 11, 14, 16, 19 provide more than enough evidence.

It seems to me a fuller explanation should be offered so that we do not think too evil or too lightly about what has happened with a public work that people have paid good money for. This is a public matter, not a private sin. As such, I expect RTS, his church, and even Ligonier will be involved as the facts become clearer.

Whatever the case, this is another example of how careful public teachers need to be when they write books for the church and receive remuneration for their work.