...an excerpt from Britt's-Blog
As a young child I used to think halloween was a simple little holiday in which you dress up in costumes and enjoy large amounts of candy. At that time you might say I was OK with halloween. Once I became aware of the darker side of our culture’s celebration of that holiday my opinion changed dramatically and I could no longer participate in the season. I am not condemning those who do; I just knew I could no longer continue in that mindset.
For years I have made "convenience" copies of CDs, facilitation duplicates of teaching materials, CD burns of shared files because I saw no real harm in the process. I already supported the producer in buying one copy or I was giving these materials away so I was not profiting from the sharing. I never made a dime copying something for someone. It was a gift so no one was hurt. At that time you might say I was OK with copying. I have had my eyes opened to the reality of how this does harm the content producer and my opinion has changed dramatically.
I have drawn a line in the sand with regard to duplication of materials in any form unless we have written permission from the program producer or copyright holder. Again, I am not condemning those who do; I just know I can no longer continue in that mindset.
I am convinced it would be wrong for me to walk into my local Christian Supply store and "grab" an extra copy of the latest Toby Mac CD so I could share it with my friend, even if I already had purchased a copy a week ago. Burning a disc from shared files has become a thing of the past in my home and we are now buying downloads by the song or album. This allows us to support the artist and avoid stealing music.
In the same light, if we own a copy of teaching materials and we’d like to have 10 in home Bible studies on the same night, it would be equally inappropriate to walk into my local Christian Supply store and "grab" an extra 10 copies to facilitate those 10 home Bible Studies. So am I against Bible study? ... Of course not, but I’m certain the producers of those materials has an opinion on whether or not their work should be copied, and I am committed to honoring their wishes.
This decision has been born out of much prayer and a desire to honor the producers of excellent music and teaching resources. It has not been a popular decision. You need to know that this is just one of the logs in my own eye that I’m trying to deal with in a way that is God-honoring. There are many more areas in life that I’m sure need work, but this one affects many of us in this technological world. Just because we have the ability to copy something does not mean that we should. I’d be happy to speak with anyone in more detail if you’d like.
Yours, In HIS Media Service,
Britt Dillard
Minister of Media