Should the Church’s Copyright Practices Matter?

Certainly, if it affects the perishing or the needy within the global church.

For many, copyright law is an obscure and unfamiliar area that is rarely considered. Most authors seldom consider the ethical issues or responsibilities related to copyright. They create a work that people might want and then try to sell it, hoping someone will pay them for their effort. Although the chances are slim for most of us, hope remains that they will produce a bestseller and receive some financial reward. Authors often approach commercial publishers, who are experienced in this field and whose primary goal is to generate profit. However, it is essential to understand that this modern secular worldview has influenced the church's efforts in fulfilling its Great Commission.

While copyright law isn’t new to many in today’s digital world, it often surprises Christians how deeply it is ingrained in the Western church. Ninety-nine percent of the Bibles and Biblical discipleship tools in English are distributed using a closed, all-rights-reserved model, controlling translations into other languages and their distribution. And the world says it’s entirely legal.

This has caused a major imbalance in discipleship resources between the English-speaking church and the global church. There are more resources available in English than in all other languages in the world. Combined. That's over 7,000 languages. The global church needs Bibles and discipleship tools to foster spiritual growth and reach the lost. So why are these resources restricted? Fifty years ago, Richard Foster wrote, “If our goods are not available to the community when it is clearly right and good, then they are stolen goods.” [Celebration of Discipline.]

Should this be more widely discussed?

It’s fair to question whether the practice of all-rights-reserved even needs to be addressed. In Western culture, religious leaders might say, "Perhaps not." Consumers may respond differently. The minority language global church certainly would. Donors might also argue that the ethics of restricting access to content created with their donations deserve greater discussion.

Meanwhile, the rest of the world waits, hoping for unrestricted content from their brothers. How successful has the exploitation of copyrighted content been for Western church leaders? They are doing well. The health of the church and surrounding communities? Not so much. By adopting copyrights’ secular premise, religious leaders seem little different from the rest of the world or to the rest of the world.

Since copyright law doesn’t specify what an author must do with their works, a copyright owner alone decides which moral, ethical, or Biblical principles apply. Unique ethical standards and societal obligations drive Christians, and a person’s core beliefs will always influence how they manage possessions. It’s time for a discussion about copyright altruism and the social conscience of sharing within our church and ministry boardrooms. How an author, church, or organization exercises these rights always reflects their worldview on managing resources and possessions.

These restrictions are not an issue when writing a novel, a math book, a cookbook, or an instruction manual. The greater challenge arises when the writing is meant to serve the public good — or, even more directly, when sharing spiritual lessons we believe God wants us to communicate. If He truly wants us to share, then why are our works restricted? Are we writing or creating for our benefit or theirs? Does our work aim to serve a greater public good, or is it just for information or entertainment?

Copyright’s set of values

Copyright law has modern secular origins, so it’s no surprise that creating or defining a biblical apologetic for copyright is difficult at best. The roots of copyright law trace back to 17th-century conflicts over monetary control of secular writings; it was never rooted in theological debate or precedent. The purpose of copyright is to incentivize authors by giving them the chance to profit from their works, and government intervention has largely achieved this goal. But Christians rarely need money as motivation to produce Bibles, Bible studies, and discipleship tools.

Attempting to apply the secular concept of copyright in a biblical setting turns out to be a messy and fruitless endeavor. After all, if copyright (and the idea of all-rights-reserved) is biblical, then the principles should be relevant and followed throughout history from Genesis onward.

The Bible’s set of values

While the Bible may not explicitly address copyright, it does speak to the human heart and Godly practices. Isaiah looked forward to a future when both Jews and Gentiles would follow God’s ways. “He will teach us His ways, so that we may walk in His paths.” [Isa 2:3 niv] At that time, Isaiah predicted the Lord's word would go out, and I don’t think it will be prefaced with 'all-rights-reserved,' except by God Himself. No human author will get to claim credit for that. God's ways are notably different from those of man.

The widespread adoption of the all-rights-reserved licensing approach reveals a lot about the culture within the Western church. Modern secular copyright law and its licensing practices have never been part of historic, orthodox church doctrines or creeds, but the spiritual needs of the world have. Ironically (or tragically), no treatise exists by any religious leader or publisher claiming a biblical precedent for restricting discipleship tools. Why is that?

When establishing a guiding principle for managing our copyrighted works, believers must seek God’s ways. A biblical foundation is the only reliable source for setting standards for using our property rights, including copyright. The approach must be rooted in His ways rather than human tradition (Col 2:8). Developing a biblical ethic for our copyrighted works involves discerning what is acceptable to the Lord (Psa 19:14), what is pleasing in His sight (Eph 5:10), and responding in a manner worthy of the Lord (Col 1:10).

God speaks to our practices

Possessions – Copyright law states that you own your writing if it’s considered “original.” But Scripture says, “Both riches and honor come from You, and You are the ruler over all!” [1 Chr 29:12 bsb] It begins with God, not with us. Ecclesiastes explains that there is nothing new under the sun. [Ecc 1:9] We are not the self-made creative geniuses we often think we are, but rather products of a Creator who acts according to His will, not ours. The Lord explained through Haggai that “The silver is mine and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of Hosts.” [Hag 2:8] We should approach ownership (including “our” copyrights) with an attitude that recognizes it isn’t truly ours anyway.

Finances – This is a simple reminder of the lessons most of us have learned from Scripture. Being rich toward God is more important than storing up treasure for ourselves, Luke 12:21. As Moses points out, money can distort our thinking. “Do not take a bribe, for bribes blind the eyes of the wise and distort the words of the righteous.” [Deu 16:19 net] Our actions can cause us to stray from His ways if we’re not paying attention. Not heeding His word comes with consequences. “A faithful man will abound with blessings, but one who is eager to be rich will not go unpunished.” [Pro 28:20 bsb]

Materialism – No one will argue in favor of materialism, but there's no denying that the church today struggles with it among its members and even its leaders. James warned that “Your gold and your silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you…” [Jam 5:3 nrsv]. The challenge of materialism is as old as history itself. The book of Ecclesiastes highlights a common flaw in the human heart that drives today’s market-driven economy. “The eye is not satisfied with seeing, or the ear filled with hearing.” [Ecc 1:8 nrsv] Both media and business empires are built on the idea that we never have enough. Social media and corporate marketing departments are well aware of this.

Conformity – This is challenging because we live in a secular world. The struggle to conform to worldly values has existed since the fall, and the Lord often addressed this issue. When confronted by the religious leaders of His time, the Scribes and Pharisees, Jesus called them hypocrites because they introduced secular practices into sacred ones. In Mark 7:7, He said Isaiah specifically prophesied about them, “They worship me in vain, their teachings are merely human rules.” [niv] With money as its primary focus, secular copyright law must be navigated carefully.

Sharing is a vital part of the Christian faith, as emphasized in teachings from the Old Testament, by John the Baptist, Jesus, and His apostles. John emphasizes that Jesus’ life demonstrated this. Our response should mirror His example. “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?” [1 Joh 3:17 niv] It’s why John the Baptist told those seeking baptism of repentance, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.” [Luk 3:11 nlt] This principle of sharing has led to the establishment of many notable parachurch organizations over the past century.

Caring – In Scripture, the principle of caring for our brothers, the poor, the needy, and foreigners is comprehensive but not overwhelming. Jesus emphasized that it’s about others – “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” [Joh 15:13 bsb] Paul emphasizes that caring should extend to everyone, not just our brothers. “So then, whenever we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who belong to the family of the faith.” [Gal 6:10 net] One of the last directives of Jesus to Peter was, “Feed (take care of) my sheep.” [Joh 21:16]

Should our practices matter?

In 1948, A.W. Tozer wrote, “The world is perishing for the lack of the knowledge of God.” [The Pursuit of God] Does anyone really care how the Church handles copyright law? Certainly, if it affects the perishing or the needy within the global church. Does the global church have the right to access and translate the Scriptures without the West’s preapproval? We need to be careful that secular thinking doesn’t cloud our biblical worldview. Perhaps it’s time to rethink the whole concept of all-rights-reserved as we go into all the world to make disciples.

Bruce Erickson 2025

A PDF copy of this post is available at https://www.academia.edu/143522585/Should_the_Church_s_Copyright_Practices_Matter