A video arose over the weekend accusing new Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) President and senior pastor of Redemption Church in Saraland, Alabama, Ed Litton of sounding a little too much like former SBC President J.D. Greear in a sermon he delivered on Romans back in January 2020.
The sermon, which Litton “borrowed” from Greear was originally heard at The Summit Church in January 2019.
The YouTube video shows clips from Greear’s sermon on Romans 1, then from Litton’s sermon on Romans 1 allowing viewers to witness how eerily similar the two SBC Presidents’ sermons sound.
Comparing Litton’s Sermon to Greear’s Sermon
The Romans’ sermon Litton gave was not word-for-word, but it followed the delivery of Greear’s 2019 sermon, even using the same type of opening and a similar mission-trip story. Below is the written comparison of the first released YouTube video:
Greear (2019): “Everybody turn right now to your neighbor. Look them in the eyes. If you know them put your hand on their shoulder and say, ‘This is going to be a really tough week for you. Okay. Tell them, say, ‘I’m praying for you to have the faith and humility to receive this word.’”
Litton (2020): “I want you to turn to your neighbor right now and I want you to say, ‘I know this sermon is going to be really tough for you, but I’m here praying that you will listen and obey whatever God says.’ Go ahead and do that right now.”
Greear (2019): “We believe that God’s Word is good, do we not…”
Litton (2020): “You see, we believe that God’s Word is good.”
Greear (2019): “In some of my travels overseas, I’ll go into these temples that are erected to a foreign god. I remember being in one of them a while ago…somewhere in Asia. I go into this temple, it was gigantic, I mean beautiful temple and right in the middle of it is about a 25-foot statue of a goddess who has multiple breasts and multiple arms. I watched these worshippers come in and they would prostrate themselves before the statue, and many of them were very emotional. Many had traveled a lot of miles to get to this. Very poor [were] some of them, and taking the little money they had and poured out an offering before this statue of this god. Later, finding myself just going back over that incident in my mind and feeling sorry for the people there and thanking God, in my heart, that I wasn’t like them. Then, in the middle of that thought it just occurred to me. I had a whole list of things in my heart that have taken God’s place just like that statue had.”
Litton (2020): “Paul David Tripp is a favorite pastor of mine to read. He’s a pastor in Philadelphia. He was on a mission trip to Nepal and he was taken by a missionary into a temple. And he said, I will not go into details, but he does explain it that there was an idol in the center of this temple. He said it was one of the most grotesque things he’s ever scene. But what really turned his stomach wasn’t the shape of the idol, it was how people were bowing down to it, kissing it, putting money on it. He met a family that had walked for four months to get to this idol. He walked out of that temple, saying ‘Thank God, I’m not like them’. Then the Spirit of God said, ‘Paul, you are exactly like them.’”
Greear (2019): “I compared it to, if the earth were to say to the sun, ‘I am sick and tired of you being in the middle of the solar system.’ The sun might just say to the earth, ‘Alright have it your way.’ The earth is 30,000 times smaller than the sun and would not have the ability to keep all the planets in orbit, and so the solar system would begin to unravel simply because the sun gave to the earth what it asked for. ”
Litton (2020): “If the earth were to ask the sun in our solar system, ‘I’m sick and tired of floating out here in nothingness, surrounding you constantly. I want to be the center of this solar system.’ Folks, our entire solar system would fall apart…Why?…because the earth doesn’t have the power of light and it doesn’t have the power of gravitational force to hold this solar system in existence.”
Greear (2019): “Sexual disorder, that was the first thing, verses 26-27, now we’ve got economic disorder. Social disorder, just think Facebook. Then you’ve got spiritual disorder…you can think of that as family disorder.”
Litton (2020): “There’s economic disorder, look at verse 29. He says there’s social disorder…that’s just on Facebook. There’s spiritual disorder…and there’s family disorder. They disobey their parents.”
Greear (2019): “You see, there are three ways I really see us going wrong with this in the church at large. Number one, we believe that God doesn’t really care about this. The Gospel message is not let the gay become straight, the Gospel message is let the dead become alive. Which leads me to the second way that I see us going wrong here. Number two, we think it’s the worst sin.”
Litton (2020): I’ll tell you three ways I think we’ve gone wrong. First one, is we don’t think God cares about this issue. The Gospel message is not let the gay get straight, the Gospel message is let the dead come to life. Here’s the second thing I think we do…we go wrong…and that is thinking homosexuality is the worst of all sins.”
Greear (2019): “Jen Wilkin, who’s one of our favorite Bible teachers here and who’s actually leading our women’s conference, she said we ought to whisper about what the Bible whispers about and we ought to shout about what it shouts about. And the Bible appears more to whisper when it comes to sexual sin compared to its shouts about materialism and religious pride.”
Litton (2020): “In the Bible, sexual sin is whispered, compared to the shout God makes about greed and judgmentalism.”
Greear (2019): “Throughout Jesus’ ministry in his life, we see him demonstrating great, just incredible sympathy, for those caught in sexual sin and great animosity toward the religiously proud. In fact, Jesus not one time ever say that it was difficult for the same-sex attracted to go to heaven. He did say it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle then it was for a religiously proud or materialistically successful person to enter the Kingdom of God.”
Litton (2020): “Jesus forgave prostitutes, but he was harsh with religious materialists. Matter of fact, he said it will be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one of these.”
Greear (2019): “Only when we grasp this truth will we become ministers of the gospel, when we understand like Paul did that we are the worst sinner that we know. Only when you understand that will you understand that if Jesus came to die for you that there is nobody he didn’t die for.”
Litton (2020): “We can’t grasp this Gospel till we confess with Paul these words. In 1 Timothy 1:15, he says this is a trustworthy saying deserving full acceptance, that Christ has come into the world to save sinners of whom I am the foremost.”
Greear (2019): “Here’s the third way we go wrong. Number three, assuming it’s hard for LGBTQ people to get to heaven. Homosexuality does not send you to hell. You know how I know that? Cause heterosexuality does not send you to heaven.”
Litton (2020): “Thirdly we go wrong thinking LGBT people can’t go to heaven. Homosexuality does not send people to hell. How do I know that? Cause heterosexuality doesn’t send people to heaven.”
Greear (2019): “Rosaria Butterfield, whose story I’ve shared with you before here. She was a practicing lesbian, very outspoken, professor of literature and women’s studies at Syracuse University. A culture warrior on the far left. She said it was Romans 1 that brought her to faith in Christ…’Homosexuality is not the core of our rebellion against God; a desire to be God is. A desire to be the one who get to declare good and evil, play judge rather than be judged. A desire to use God’s creation for our own gratification rather than with pleasure, for his glory.’ ”
Litton (2020): “She [Rosaria Butterfield] was a practicing lesbian in a committed relationship…and then she said, and I quote, ‘Homosexuality is not the core of our rebellion against God; a desire to be God is. A desire to be the one who get to declare good and evil, play judge rather than be judged. A desire to use God’s creation for our own gratification rather than with pleasure, for his glory.’,”
Litton Apologizes for Not Giving Greear Credit
Litton released a statement on Redemption Church’s website addressing the concerns regarding the similarities to Greear’s sermon on Romans 1.
“In preparation for our series on Romans, I used several resources to help me think through how to structure the series and how best to communicate the profound truths we encounter in these passages,” he said. Explaining his church uses a preaching team approach that includes eight men from their staff and congregation, Litton mentioned in their sermon prep process they listen to “strong communicators.” One of those communicators happened to be his friend J.D. Greear and his sermons on Romans. Litton said that he “discovered what he had recently preached resonated with the direction God was leading me and our preaching team. We often consulted his manuscripts along with other resources as we prepared.”
“I found that J.D. Greear’s message on Romans 1 was insightful; particularly his three points of application,” Litton said. Then revealed that he was granted permission by Greear to borrow “some of his insights and those three closing points.” Paul David Tripp’s story about idol worship in India that was used in Litton’s sermon was from Tripp’s devotional book, New Morning Mercies.
Litton also stated that they had Greear’s full permission to use “chapter and verse” breakdown of Greear’s Romans’ sermon series. “Out of a commitment to full transparency,” Litton said, “I have gone back through all the 46 sermons in this series. I have located in some places similar illustrations, quotes or points of application. One shares the same title, and one has a similar outline.”
He shared that pastors rely on scholars and other pastors for help communicating to their congregations the truth of the scriptures. “But I am sorry for not mentioning J.D.’s generosity and ownership of these points. I should have given him credit as I shared these insights.”
Litton said he “felt it important to address this in order to provide the truth and to take responsibility for places where I should have been more careful.” He reassured those in his congregation and churches within the SBC that he is “committed to being a man of integrity and humility. I will not waver from that as I lead Redemption Church to be Christ followers and the SBC to unite around her mission.”
J.D. Greear Confirms Statement
Greear released a statement later the same day, confirming he gave Litton permission to use some of the content for his Romans series. “Whatever bullets of mine worked in his gun, to use them,” Greear said he told his friend. “My own take on these kinds of things is usually shaped by the input of many godly men and women. Ed and I have been friends for many years and we have talked often about these matters, and I was honored that he found my presentation helpful.”
Greear’s own message didn’t cite Paul David Tripp as the author of the story he used, and he addressed that, saying, “The story was inspired by a similar one I read from Paul Tripp, sharing his observations as he had visited a Temple in Northern India. But as a former missionary to SE Asia, I had had the same experience. In fact, almost every missionary I know has had this same moment of revelation.”
Greear scolded pastors who attempted “to trap me in my words” from things he said about homosexuality in his Romans 1 sermon two years ago. “We owe one another better in the body of Christ,” he said. “Failures in communication are always the fault of the communicator, a burden I and every pastor in America carry into the pulpit each weekend. And so, for any confusion that my clumsy wording may have caused, or for anyone who believes I muddled what the Bible makes clear, I do apologize!”
A Second and Third Video Accuses Litton of Plagiarism
Just a few days after the first video was released, a second and third video comparing different Romans sermons Greear previously gave shows Litton again using almost exact, and at times word-for-word, phrasing for his sermon at Redemption Church.
In the comparison videos, Litton uses the same prayer, sermon points, sub-points, and even analogies.
Justin Peters Finds Quote From This Past Sunday
Evangelist Justin Peters also released a video detailing something he found while listening to Litton’s sermon from this past Sunday. Peters said an analogy used by Litton is in a book written by Nancy Hicks. “Dear friends, plagiarism is serious,” Peters said. “It is theft. It is dishonoring to the people to whom you are preaching. It is ultimately dishonoring to God.”
Litton Removes Sermons From YouTube
In an article Newsweek published on Monday June 28, 2021, the publication said it discovered over 140 videos were either removed or hidden on Redemption Church’s YouTube channel.
Pastor Gabriel Hughes posted on Twitter, showing an image of multiple deleted sermons from Redemption Church’s YouTube channel and a quote from Litton’s statement: “Out of a commitment to full transparency, I have gone back through all the 46 sermons in this series…” Hughes said, “Redemption Church has now deleted, hidden, or privatized over 100 videos on YouTube, much of them sermons…That’s full transparency?”
Redemption Church Elders Remove Sermons
Baptist Press shared a statement released by the Redemption Church elders regarding why they removed sermons from the church website and YouTube channel.
Redemption Church’s elders stated that it is their “highest priority” to shepherd and care for the church. “By the action of the leadership at Redemption Church, we have taken down sermon series prior to 2020 because people were going through sermons in an attempt to discredit and malign our pastor,” the statement said.
Litton Jokes About Lying About Sermon Prep Time
Grace To You’s Executive Director Phil Johnson retweeted a clip posted by @ForGloryOrg with the caption “Yikes” of Litton laughing during a 202 interview while he admitted he lied to others about his sermon prep time. “To be very honest, I used to lie,” Litton said. “I used to tell people 24 hours a sermon. [Laughing] you can spend too much time; you’re dorking around doing something else with your head…When you’re younger it’s going to take longer. The older you get [it’s easier]. It’s not that your pulling up old stuff. There is a resource of material and there’s connectivity there that will come…But I would say 8-10 hours average.”