If Gossip is Wrong, Why Do Christians Do It?

The privacy of the Catholic confessional booth provides great symbolism into people's desire to keep their secret sins secret. No one wants to be embarrased by having his shortcomings and foolish decisions proclaimed publicly; BUT, people sure don't mind talking publicly about the sins of others!

Gossip is one of the most "trendy" sins among professing Christians. Gossip is an artform which can be camoflouged under the cover of a prayer request, the guise of a concern, or under the veil of a self-appointed victim. Gossip can be used to rally support, to defame individuals, or to tear apart churches. Gossip is fun, because it directs all of the attention and blame away from the one sharing it and refocuses attention in a different direction. Bottom line, it's a great strategy to keep people focused on others, so they can't get close enough to discover the real you.

From the number of believers who share gossip, it is obvious that they do not realize what the Bible says about it. Prov. 6:16-19 says, "These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him...a lying tongue...19A false witness that speaks lies, and HE that sows discord among brethren." Leviticus 19:16 -"Do not spread slanderous gossip among your people. "Do not try to get ahead at the cost of your neighbor's life." Proverbs 16:28 - "A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends." Proverbs 25:23 - "As surely as a wind from the north brings rain, so a gossiping tongue causes anger!" Proverbs 26:20 - "Fire goes out for lack of fuel, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops." Romans 1:29 - "Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, fighting, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip." Gossip is an abomination before God because it hurts His people and destroys His church!

There are many reasons why people gossip: 1) Jealousy - Speaking evil of others helps bring them down to our level. 2) Anger - Some people gossip to "let off steam" about an issue or person with whom they are upset. 3) Acceptance - People want to "fit into" a group. 4) Deference - Talking about others keeps people from focusing on the one sharing the gossip. 5) Self-promotion - The desire to advance or look good at the expense of others. 6) Finally (at least in this post), a major reason for gossip among Christians is failure to understand how serious it is and how it is used by the devil. A person who shares gossip is doing Satan's work for him!

So how should you handle a gossip? 1) Stop them - It is wrong to spread gossip, but it is also wrong to listen to it. 2) Arrange a meeting between you, the gossiper, and the ones being talked about. If the gossiper won't attend the meeting, you'll immediately know that what they were sharing was not true. 3) Once you have discovered the truth, you should go back and correct any misinformation in the minds of those with whom the gossip was shared. This will clear the innocent and remove shadows of doubt.

Gossip has no place in the life of a Christian. Gal. 5:19 NLT says, "When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results...hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group." Contrariwise, Gal. 5:22 NLT says, "When the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." From these passages in God's Word, I'll let you determine whether a gossiper is Spirit-filled or Satanically influenced.