In recent years, more people are returning to the ancient practice of sharing creative work without expectation of payment. This trend is surely cause for celebration. With data, books, and articles proliferating at unprecedented rates, and with more creative minds able to easily and electronically share their work, the potential for producing high quality work is greater than ever before.

For many reasons, Christians should be especially eager to contribute their own works to the public. "It is better to give than to receive," was said by none other than Jesus himself (Acts 20:35). Yet there are obstacles to giving away one's own work freely. One hindrance is the fact that the current publication industry is based on a system wherein the customer first renders payment for a creative work, and only then it is received. Entire industries and economies are based on this model -- the idea of consumption without payment is a disruptive one.

However, it is instructive to study some thoughts of Paul on a closely related subject:

Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk?... If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more? Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel. But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting. For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship. What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel. (1 Corinthians 9)

One of the main themes in the book of First Corinthians is one of "rights." While people may have rights in various circumstances, it may be most noble to not exercise that right for the sake of another good. For example, Paul had earlier urged the believers at Corinth to accept wrongdoing if it meant avoiding litigious behavior within the church. "To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?" (1 Corinthians 6:7) While it remained within the rights of the Corinthian believers to engage in a lawsuit, for the sake of a more compelling good, Paul urges them to not exercise their rights. There are several other examples of this theme within the book. In the passage above, Paul first vehemently argues that as a worker in God's kingdom, he deserves to be compensated for his labor. Despite how strongly he argues this point, he immediately counters this by saying that he chooses not to exercise his rights so that he may gain a greater reward. The astonishing strength of the statement, "For I would rather die" (verse 15) is illustrative of how passionately Paul was committed to the idea of not asking for money, and instead giving his time and energy without expectation of repayment.

Fully aware that Christianity was not even present in most of the Roman Empire, it is remarkable that Paul would have allowed his prodigious intellect to be distracted with something so mundane as tent-making, his chosen occupation while traveling. For the sake of being able to offer the gospel without having to ask for money, Paul sought the kind of gainful employment that the common person knew well. He avoided succumbing to thoughts of, "My talents are best served elsewhere," "I deserve better," or "I need more rest" in order that he could assert that he gave without asking for return.

This idea of giving without requiring payment is as revolutionary now as ever before. When Linus Torvalds, Richard Stallman, and others decided to contribute their talent, time, and energy in form of high-quality software (the GNU software suite and Linux), they were dubbed anti-American, communist, and a host of other pejorative labels. Yet they have enriched the lives of thousands of people all over the world in many ways. Much of the Internet is based on the work of those who freely gave away their very best work (such as programs like bind, perl, sendmail, apache, etc.) and society is richer for it. The world's largest encyclopedia (wikipedia) is based on work freely done by volunteers. While they could have charged for their work, they chose not to. For the sake of causes they believed in, they made the choice to give. There is no doubt that the widespread success of these ventures is largely due to this willingness to freely share.

Christian authors, artists, publishers, and speakers have the same opportunity. They certainly have the right to charge for their work. But this right can only be exercised at the expense of something else. For the sake of a greater good, how many people would seize the opportunity of giving away their work?

Bulwer-Lytton's famous quote is appropriate here, "The pen is mightier than the sword." There can be no doubt that ideas are a currency of the modern world that travel with unprecedented facility, particularly given the expansion of electronic communication. Ideas, more so than weapons, wield greater power today than ever before.

There are notable reasons why free exchange of work is particularly urgent. First, it is striking that the quality of material on the Internet is generally lower than that found in traditional paper books. At the time of this writing, if given the choice of reading about Alexander the Great on the Internet or picking up several books or articles from a university library, a trip to the library would be the wiser choice for the serious scholar. However, it need not be this way and may not remain so for long. Certain communities are offering up their best material for free on the Internet (such as the Linux kernel development team, various groups in theoretical physics, PLOS journals). Yet which communities will first be able to persuade the public of the merits of its beliefs, by virtue of the quality of its free and accessible contributions? Will it be the church, academia, or social activist movements? (As a related question, will the frontier of the Internet and electronic media be advanced by those in pornographic or for-profit industries, or will the frontier be advanced by those who seek God's kingdom?)

There is yet a second reason for urgency. It is customary today for a person to begin any research project by first searching the Internet. Often the material that dominates is not only inferior to that found in libraries, but inflammatory and of questionable scholarship. Ironically, those with little to lose or with little knowledge are often those most vocal in the public exchange of ideas. Instead of excellent scholarship and rigor dominating discourse, the views of charlatans, those standing to reap financial reward, or well-intentioned but ignorant individuals dominate. Every work made freely available, or even intentionally withheld, affects this balance and exchange of ideas.

At a practical level, what can be done today? Releasing work under a license such as those provided by Creative Commons (www.creativecommons.org) is a good first step. Insisting that published works also be allowed to be freely distributed on the Internet is a good second step. Will these steps require hardship? Yes. It forces us to find new publishers and distributors, create new publishing models, and sometimes find other ways to support ourselves. It requires both courage and creativity.

"I would rather die," wrote Paul two millennia ago, than stop proclaiming the gospel free of charge. How many Christian authors, artists, and ministers dare utter those words today? Still more ancient words than Paul's have relevance to this subject:

"Come, everyone who thirsts,
    come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without price." - Isaiah 55:1

It will indeed be a day of celebration when Christian authors and artists decide to imitate what God has done for us.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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