Articles
Coping with Life 30 – Gossip and Slander
Coping with Life 30 – Gossip and Slander
Mike Willis
The Bible has many Scriptures that warn about gossip, slander, and evil speaking against one another. Here are a few of them:
“You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD” (Lev. 19:16).
“Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered” (Prov. 11:13).
“A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends” (Prov. 16:28).
“The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body” (Prov. 18:8).
Paul warned Timothy about idle women who were “going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not” (1 Tim. 5:13).
Slander and gossip are tools used effectively by political campaigns that are so committed to winning the election (gaining power and privilege) that they are willing to repeat any tale that they hear about the political opponent without verifying whether or not it is true (think of the Steele Dossier which Durham’s report exposed). It is enough to say “it has been reported . . .” to justify repeating what amounts to slander and gossip. Gossip and slander happens at work and, unfortunately, yes also in the church (see 1 Tim. 5:13).
James spoke about the evils of a sinful tongue: “And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. . . .but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so” (James 3:6, 8-10).
Gossip, slander and evil speaking “separate close friends” (Prov. 16:28) and destroy family relationships. Sometimes close kinfolks refuse to be in the same room with each other because of the lying words that were said about and by one or the other. And, once the words are spoken, it is extremely difficult to undo the damage that they have caused.
So what can one do? First of all, remember that the slandering tongues requires a hearing ear for it to inflict its damage. When you become aware that someone is a gossip, slanderer, and one who speaks evil about others, make up your mind to quit listening to him. You may politely say, “If you don’t have concrete proof that what you are saying is true and that you have a legitimate reason for why I need to know about this, I would rather that you not tell me what you are about to say!” After saying this a few times when the gossip tries to tell you the latest tidbit, the gossip will get the point and turn to a more receptive hearer.
