A persistent plague among Christ-professing people …

Gossip has been an ugly stain, a deadly plague, among people professing to be followers of Christ for a very long time, and little has changed in the 21st century.

Too many Christians engage in gossip with reckless abandon and grossly ignorant of the damage caused by such behavior. But gossip always causes damage, a harm described as follows in a little story from Hooray for Yiddish:

If you don’t say it, they can’t repeat it. Yiddish folklore offers a telling tale about gossip-makers. One such man had told so many malicious untruths about the local rabbi that, overcome by remorse, he begged the rabbi to forgive him.

“And, Rabbi, tell me how I can make amends.”

The rabbi sighed, “Take two pillows, go to the public square and there cut the pillows open. Wave them in the air. Then come back.”

The rumormonger quickly went home, got two pillows and a knife, hastened to the square, cut the pillows open, waved them in the air and hastened back to the rabbi’s chambers.

“I did just what you said, Rabbi!”

“Good.” The rabbi smiled. “Now, to realize how much harm is done by gossip, go back to the square…”

“And?”

“And collect all your feathers.”

We justify our gossip as two Christians sit over coffee rationalizing they’re just sharing “concerns” about someone else, but that “someone else’s” reputation will not fare well from such an exchange of concerns. And on numerous occasions, I’ve witnessed pastors who, instead of going to a specific person to find out what is going on in their life, will make inquiry from others instead of speaking directly to the person they claim concern about.

Such behavior is like a powerful figure on Wall Street who fell in love with an actress. For many months he was always seen escorting her about in the fashionable circles of town. Deciding to marry her, he first put a private detective to the job of looking into her former dealings and friends in order to guard himself against any rash mistake. At last he received his agent’s report. “Miss Blank enjoys an excellent reputation. Her past is spotless. Her associates have been above reproach. The only breath of scandal is that, in recent months, she has been much seen in the company of a business man of doubtful reputation.”

No matter how we try to camouflage the behavior, gossip is gossip, and insidious in every expression. The Bible has no tolerance or any good word for anything giving the appearance of gossip …

“Do not spread slanderous gossip among your people. Do not stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is threatened. I am the Lord,” Leviticus 19:16.

“There are six things the Lord hates — no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family,” Proverbs 6:16-19.

“A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence,” Proverbs 11:13.

“A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends,” Proverbs 16:28.

“A gossip goes around telling secrets, so don’t hang around with chatterers,” Proverbs 20:19.

“Fire goes out without wood, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops,” Proverbs 26:20.

“Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them,” Ephesians 4:29.

“They must not slander anyone and must avoid quarreling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone,” Titus 3:2.

“If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless,” James 1:26.

“Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you. God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?” James 4:11-12.

These are just a few of the many scriptures that discourage gossip and direct us away from such attitudes and actions. All of us know there are times where we need to discuss something that involves other people, but we also know the difference between such conversations and gossip. If the character and reputation of another is worsened by inclusion in a conversation, it’s usually gossip, and something to be avoided at all costs! Before speaking about another person, ask yourself the following questions from the “THINK” acrostic shown at the right …

Scotty