Page 278 - Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible Christianity. Based on the King James Bible

GOSSIP

cursed of God (Ga. 1:6-11). [See Adam, Abel, Adoption, try to hurt the pastor by spreading things around the
Atonement, Believe, Blood, Born Again, Cain, Convert, church membership or community. We must also use
Eternal Security, Forgive, Grace, Holy, Hope, Impute, wisdom about such matters. For example, it is not
Jesus Christ, Justification, Mercy, Mercy Seat, Pardon, usually wise and proper to question a pastor publicly
Peace, Propitiation, Purge, Reconcile, Redemption, about some perceived error or problem. It is best
Repentance, Righteousness, Salvation, Sanctification, handled in private, at least at first. That being said, the
Seventh-day Adventism, Sin, Tabernacle.] bottom line is that it is not wrong to question a pastor’s
GOSSIP. Though the word “gossip” does not appear teaching. Acts 17:11; 1 Th. 5:21; and 1 Co. 14:29 settle
in the Bible, the concept does. Gossip is described by the that. Pastors have much authority, but they are not
biblical words “backbiting,” “busybody,” “evil speaking,” popes and they are not to be followed blindly. Their
“slander,” “talebearer,” and “tattler.” God’s people must authority is the Word of God, and if they veer from that
guard themselves vigilantly against these sins. Gossip is they have no authority whatsoever and should be
extremely damaging. In fact, gossip can destroy a corrected. And yet many godly Christians have been
preacher’s effectiveness and can ruin an entire church. branded as gossips and troublemakers when they have
What Gossip Is Not attempted to question something the preacher taught.
It is very important not to confuse gossip with All too many pastors have wrongly defined “gossip” in
order to manipulate the church members and to make
legitimate Christian endeavors. them fear to question anything he does. This is not right
Speaking truth to proper parties for a godly purpose is and does not create a wholesome New Testament
not gossip. It is not wrong to share truthful things with church atmosphere. The pastor must remember that he
those who have a right to such information. For not to lord it over God’s people. “Neither as being lords
example, it was not gossip for the household of Chloe to over Gods heritage, but being ensamples to the flock” (1
tell Paul about the problems in the church at Corinth (1 Peter 5:3). According to this passage, the pastor needs
Co. 1:11). As the founder of that church, Paul had a to be more concerned about providing a godly example
right to know about those problems. It is not talebearing to the flock than lording it over them. This does not
to talk to a pastor or Sunday School teacher or deacon mean, of course, that the pastor does not have more
about matters in church members’ lives that they should authority than others in church. He does have authority
know about. It is not talebearing to talk to a father or (He. 13:7, 17). What we are referring to here is the
mother about matters affecting their children. abuse of that authority. Even the Apostle Paul, who had
It was not gossip or slander for Paul to remind greater authority than any pastor today, said, “Not for
Timothy that the Cretians had a poor national character that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers
which he described in such harsh-sounding terms as of your joy: for by faith ye stand” (2 Co. 1:24).
“liars, evil beasts, slow bellies” (Titus 1:12). What Paul Warning of sin and error is not gossip. Marking false
said about the Cretians (quoting one of their own poets) teachers and warning about compromisers is not gossip
was true, and his motive was not to hurt them but to or slander. Paul warned of false teachers and
help them (“that they may be sound in the faith” verse compromisers by name no less than ten times in 1 and 2
13) and to further the work of Christ in Crete. It is not Timothy alone. If a church leader publicly teaches error
gossip or slander to speak the truth in love, regardless of or commits a serious sin that would disqualify him or
how harsh the truth might sound. otherwise does something that people should be warned
It is not wrong for a Christian to warn another about, it is not gossip or slander for men of God to
person about a serious problem in a church or describe the problem publicly. I have often been charged
organization, so long as the information is true and the with being a slanderer or a busybody when I have
motive is not to hurt but to help and warn. Oftentimes I named men such as Billy Graham or Jerry Falwell or
have warned people about serious problems with James Dobson and have warned about their errors. This
certain churches that I have known about. That is not is not slander, though. I have the right and responsibility
gossip and it is not slander. Speaking the truth in love is as a preacher to mark those who depart from the Word
not gossip. of God. I do not have to get their permission to do so,
Questioning a preacher’s teaching is not gossip. It is and I do not have to approach them first. If their error is
also not wrong to question a pastor in a humble and public and persistent, my responsibility is to warn of
godly manner and to test his teaching by the Scriptures. them publicly, just as Paul did in regard to Hymenaeus
In fact, we have a responsibility before God to do that. and Alexander (1 Ti. 1:20), Phygellus and Hermogenes
That is not gossip and it is not wrong. Of course, we (2 Ti. 1:15), Hymenaeus and Philetus (2 Ti. 2:17),
always must guard our spirits that we don’t become Demas (2 Ti. 4:10), and Alexander the coppersmith (2
bitter and that we don’t develop a bad attitude and then

278 Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible & Christianity