Reformed Baptist theologian Wesley Huff has returned his online accounts and content to public view after briefly taking them offline amid plagiarism allegations.
Huff, who was born in Pakistan to missionary parents and now lives in Toronto, has become a prominent Christian apologist in recent years. He has more than a million YouTube subscribers and has appeared on programs including “The Joe Rogan Experience,” “The Shawn Ryan Show,” “Flagrant” and “Piers Morgan Uncensored.”
The allegations were raised Sunday by American biblical scholar Dan McClellan, who examined a paper Huff submitted while earning a master’s degree in theological studies at Tyndale University. Huff is now a PhD student at the University of Toronto’s Wycliffe College.
McClellan said the paper, titled “Christological Claims: A Textual Consideration of John’s Gospel,” seemed uneven in its arguments. Some sections, he said, showed considerably more care and insight than others—a pattern he described as a warning sign when evaluating student work.
McClellan later pointed to similarities between Huff’s paper and a 2011 paper by Brian J. Wright, senior pastor of Redeemer Community Church in Pensacola, Florida. Huff’s paper did not cite Wright’s work.
In his video, McClellan argued that Huff had taken elements of Wright’s argument, quotations and bibliographic details, at times reproducing them word for word. He also said one attempt to rephrase material resulted in an ungrammatical sentence. McClellan’s conclusion was that the paper had been plagiarized.
By Friday morning, nearly all of Huff’s YouTube videos had disappeared, his website was private and his posts on X were protected. Public access to all three was restored before 3 p.m.
In a video response, Huff said the work reflected his performance at age 24, not his best or current scholarship. He acknowledged that it was poor work and said he accepted responsibility for having his name attached to it.
Huff also shared remarks from Wright, who praised his humility and integrity in getting in touch. Wright said he hoped his writing would be used by the church and bring glory to Christ, adding that someone using his work was not, by itself, a major concern.
Wright said he takes academic integrity seriously and does not condone plagiarism. He also said that, as a Christian, he believes in forgiveness and grace, while stressing that forgiveness does not remove accountability. Personal forgiveness, he said, is separate from addressing possible academic misconduct.
In a response video Friday, McClellan called Huff a “serial spreader of misinformation” and accused him of deleting posts and videos.
Shortly after 3 p.m. Friday, Huff wrote on X that he would pause further public comment while the Apologetics Canada board carried out a review. Huff is the organization’s vice president.
He said he takes the plagiarism concerns seriously, adding that failing to properly credit others falls short of the standards of honesty and integrity he values. He said he was committed to accountability and was working through the matter with his pastor, church elders and the Apologetics Canada board.
Tyndale University and Apologetics Canada had not immediately responded to requests for comment.
