Gossip is perhaps one of the deadliest problems in the Church of God today. We must learn how to battle this destructive sin.
After God miraculously revived him from a fatal heart attack in the late ’70s, Herbert W. Armstrong worked powerfully to put the Church of God back on track. Prior to his heart attack, liberal headquarters personnel and sympathetic field ministers attempted to move the Church away from the doctrines Jesus Christ had established. It was not a good time for the Church. Many ministers and members became caught up in a rumor, gossip and accusation grapevine. Instead of waiting for official news, many worked diligently to hear the latest from headquarters. In this fruitless process, many half-truths were spread. Reputations were permanently damaged. A constant undercurrent of upset was extant in many Church areas. God’s Church had fallen prey to the serious sins of gossip, rumor-spreading and accusation.
Mr. Armstrong took quick action. He set about to disconnect the grapevine. In one of his now-famous “back on track” articles, Mr. Armstrong dealt with this subject. He said, “Perhaps the No. 1 problem—yes, and even the No. 1 and most prevalent sin in God’s Church today is careless gossip and rumor spreading. Whether or not realized, it often becomes accusation and slander. …
“I fully realize that often this is mere carelessness—a sort of thinking through the mouth—with no deliberate intention to harm. But it does harm! And sometimes it is intended to harm! …
“This sort of thing must be stamped out of God’s Church. Our Leader and Head of the Church, Jesus Christ, is turning God’s Church around, though He uses His human servant in so doing.
“However, because 1) we have perhaps carelessly neglected emphatic teaching on this subject and 2) much of such gossip or rumor has probably been done carelessly without full realization of the seriousness of it, I have decided to hold off direct and definite punitive corrective action until this thing has been emphasized by the ministry, and in print, before the membership.
“I realize that even many of us, including myself, may have been guilty of this through carelessness, thoughtlessness or neglect. I have decided, therefore, that first we must put emphatic emphasis on this matter in teachings, sermons and articles.
“But this is to be followed up by direct action, seeking out the source—the one who started the rumor, false accusation or whatever, and then making an example of that person, if necessary, before the whole Church. I feel that this is Christ’s way of stamping out this evil from God’s Church and I act, therefore, in His name” (Good News, July 31, 1978).
Gossip Still Affects Us
True repentance demands that we face some uncomfortable truths about ourselves. unfortunately, from time to time, we are still guilty of gossip, rumor spreading, accusation and slander. As Mr. Armstrong stated, we must come to understand this problem and stamp it out!
Why do some of us gossip today? One reason is similar to the ’70s problem. Because of the Laodicean revolt, an intra-membership and now an inter-church grapevine has grown strong. When Pasadena began to stealthily change doctrine, in an honest effort to understand what was happening, underground information chains developed. For a brief time, this was one of the only ways information could be obtained.
But it did not take long for the information hotline to go haywire. In the early days of the Philadelphia Church of God, the ministry quickly learned that the underground information news sources were often wrong and seriously distorted. We realized that the only news about any doctrinal change reliable enough to pass on was only that put in print.
We also discovered that most of the information passed along the grapevine could be classified as character assassination. It is important for people to realize that the Philadelphia Church exists to expose doctrinal error, not people’s personal sins.
Today, the grapevines still exist. Let’s be honest. Too often, the grapevine is being used to discuss people’s personal faults and sins—not issues! Each one of us must be certain that we are not guilty of fueling the gossip hotline.
God Hates Gossip
How does God feel about gossip? “These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren” (Proverbs 6:16-19). God is discussing what He hates. He lists seven items. The issue of gossip is fully covered in principle. Four of the seven items God lists here deal with the Ninth Commandment, which governs the use of the human tongue.
It is easy for us to dislike the act of murder—“hands that shed innocent blood.” It is easy for us to dislike the situation of people quickly doing evil—“feet that be swift in running to mischief.” It is easy for us to dislike “a proud look.”
But it is harder for us to dislike “a lying tongue,” “an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations,” “a false witness that speaketh lies,” and “he that soweth discord among brethren.” Why? From time to time we fall short and become guilty of these things. If we fully understand gossip from God’s perspective, we will see that gossip is “a lying tongue”; that it comes from a “heart that deviseth wicked imaginations”; it generally is “a false witness that speaketh lies”; and gossip is the root cause of “discord among brethren.”
Ninth Commandment Stated
“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour” (Exodus 20:16). In other words, God says we must be lawful in what we say concerning other human beings. In Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus Christ said the Ten Commandments have two great divisions: The first four describe our responsibilities toward God; the last six outline our responsibility toward fellow human beings. But the operative word in keeping all the commandments is love. We obey the Ninth Commandment by showing love to our neighbors with our tongues.
Moses wrote down God’s expanded explanation of the Ninth Commandment in Leviticus. “Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour: I am the Lord. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him. Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:16-18). Verse 16 reveals one of the Bible names for gossip—talebearing! The meaning of the Hebrew word here is very interesting. Strong’s defines the word as “a scandal-monger (as traveling about): slander, carry tales, talebearer.” God says we should not be carrying tales “up and down” among our people. The image God is creating here is of a messenger running with a message. Today we often communicate by telephone and social media. Telephone and the Internet can take gossip “up and down” much quicker and farther than any ancient messenger could.
These verses relate revenge and grudges to talebearing. Some people spread malicious gossip about another person because they are seeking revenge or because they are holding a grudge. God warns that we should not “stand against the blood of thy neighbor.” In other words, God equates gossip with murder. If we carry tales, then we show hatred toward our brothers and sisters in God’s Church. Once a life is taken away it cannot be restored. The same is true of a person’s reputation.
There are many scriptures about talebearing in the book of Proverbs (Proverbs 11:9, 13; 16:27; 18:8; 26:22). As Church members, we must realize that it is hypocritical to gossip. If we say we are Church members then we are saying that we are part of God’s Family. God’s Family stands for love. Gossiping does not show love.
Gossip Is Carnal
This world prides itself on gossip. If you don’t believe that, take an hour of your day and watch the “talk” shows on television. They are filled with juicy slander.
Here is how the Apostle Paul described our world: “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them” (Romans 1:28-32).
Adam and Eve cut the world off from God when they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When our first parents did this, as Mr. Armstrong taught, they rejected the knowledge or revelation of God. In these important verses from Romans, Paul describes what happens when men are cut off from God. We develop “reprobate” minds that do wicked things.
Paul specifically says that reprobate minds become “whisperers” and “backbiters.” These are two more biblical terms for gossip. The term “whisperer” is self explanatory. A backbiter is simply a person who spreads petty malice about someone when he or she is not present. Paul says those who commit such things are worthy of death.
Here is a memorable quote from a January 1982 Good News article titled, “Why God Hates Gossip!”: “The carnal mind always seeks its own way, its own aggrandizement. It wants to be right. Self-justification is one way to achieve that goal. Accusation is another. Both help shield our own mistakes. The carnal mind likes to be exalted. It will distort facts or twist statements to preserve its own presumed integrity.
“Do you realize that often, during conversations, you only hear what you want to hear, and not necessarily what was said? Likewise, when you repeat what you want to hear, you present the information in such a way that you end up appearing innocent of any errors.
“But God commands, ‘Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour’ (Exodus 20:16). Do you grasp the depth of this commandment? Bearing false witness against someone can not only involve lying, but also accusing, gossiping and spreading rumors.
“If you are truly a Christian, you should never take part in any of these activities. You should not accuse others, whether it be to defend yourself, to cover your mistakes or merely to make yourself look good in the eyes of others.”
Remember, to gossip is carnal—to keep our mouths shut is divine.
The Author of Gossip
Who is the real author of all rumor spreading, accusation and gossip? Let’s let the Bible tell us. Christ told the Jews in His time, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44). Satan is the real author of all lies, which include slander, accusation, rumor spreading and gossip.
Another Good News article (March-April 1988) said: “Now you know what gossip is, but do you know where it comes from?
“Whether you realize it or not, when you gossip you are involved in an encounter with the realm of evil spirits—an encounter with the longest and vilest tongue in the universe—that of Satan the serpent!” The point is, Satan started all gossip. Whom did he gossip about? God was his first victim. He discredited God to one third of the angels prior to the creation of man (Revelation 12:4). He slandered God to Eve (Genesis 3). Satan led Eve to believe that God was holding back true knowledge from her. Satan used human beings to sully Jesus Christ’s perfect reputation. The Jews said Christ was born of fornication (John 8:41).
Satan is still on the job today. He uses willing human beings to slander the brethren. “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night” (Revelation 12:9-10). We need to realize that if we start gossip, Satan started us. And if we feed the gossip grapevine, we’ve connected to Satan’s wavelength.
Main Cause of Discord
Violations against the Ninth Commandment are the main cause of discord in God’s Church. From time to time, some members will become upset with each other, a minister or with headquarters. Instead of dealing with the problem correctly, people often talk about the problem to someone not directly involved. As quoted above, generally this is done to shore up the self. In turn, usually others are also brought into the picture; and if not checked, an undercurrent or discord develops in our congregations. Gossip is the greatest threat to our unity!
One underlying cause for persons leaving the pcg over the last several years has been this matter of gossip, slander and rumor spreading. This should not be the case!
What is most disturbing about this is that certain former members purposely stir up the strife and discontent. Solomon wrote, “A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends” (Proverbs 16:28). We live in very critical times. Satan wants to divide our families. Satan wants to divide friends. Satan wants to divide the pcg. The most effective tool he has at his disposal is gossip.
If we don’t control our tongues, we could be exposing a lack of Christian character. Very often the person who gets hurt the most from gossip is the person spreading it. “The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself” (Ecclesiastes 10:12). Once a person is caught in gossip, it is almost impossible to trust that individual again.
Latest From Headquarters
Some like to spread news from headquarters. Though innocent and sincere, often this kind of news spreading can also turn out badly. What if we come across some information about a minister, member or information from headquarters that is true? Should we discuss it in our local areas? Let me quote from another Good News article, June-July 1982: “Even when we convey a story correctly, we should be sure that passing the information on is appropriate …. We may sometimes become privy to information that may be true, but which should be conveyed only by someone in authority.
“For instance, we in God’s Church may somehow hear certain ‘news’ from headquarters in Pasadena; the ‘news’ may be the type of information our local pastor should announce. Even if it is good news, we should not upstage the minister whose responsibility it is to make formal announcements on certain subjects.
“We may not present the information in the proper context, or we may not have the proper background information. When the proper person makes a statement in the appropriate forum, the statement has the maximum chance of being complete and accurate.”
Some people have excitedly passed on some information they have learned at headquarters in Edmond. You would be surprised to hear how it has come back to headquarters. We all need to be careful in this area. Solomon wrote, “Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment; and a babbler is no better” (Ecclesiastes 10:11).
Official news from headquarters will either be announced at services in Edmond or written in the Pastor General’s Report, to be announced by local ministers. Let’s be sure we don’t allow ourselves to become headquarters news babblers.
Controlling Our Tongues
As Christians, we must learn to use our tongues lawfully. God has high praise for all of His Family members who can control their tongues. James wrote, “For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body” (James 3:2). If we control our tongues, we are considered “a perfect man.”
Before we can control our tongues, we must understand the power behind them. James also wrote, “Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:3-8).
The human tongue wields great power. It can be used for great good. Unfortunately, it is often used to produce incredible evil. We should not lose hope though. We can learn to control our tongues with God’s Spirit in us.
This is a subject that we should personally study—often! The field ministry must teach what the Bible says about gossip. Paul admonished Titus, “Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, to speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, showing all meekness unto all men. For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another” (Titus 3:1-3). Titus was a young minister reporting to Paul. Paul wanted him to remind the members about not speaking evil of any man. We all need to be reminded about gossip. As humans, it is too easy to slip in this area.
Rules to Stop Gossip
Here are four simple rules to help us stop gossiping, spreading rumors and slandering another.
First, before you repeat anything, ask yourself: Do I have all the facts? “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Often when we hear something about someone, we do not have all the facts. Before repeating any news or information about someone, be sure you have all the facts. Most information passed along a grapevine has either been embellished or has important points left out.
Second, before you repeat anything you hear, ask: Can I tell this thing in the presence of the person involved? Usually, it is embarrassing to repeat juicy half-truths or harsh judgments about an individual to his or her face. We should hide people’s faults, not expose them (James 5:20). Christ also said, “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7).
Next, after getting all the facts and being able to repeat the information to the person’s face, ask: Will it do any good, will it help, will it be beneficial? Most information passed along a grapevine does more harm than good. God expects us to use our tongues to edify and uplift individuals (1 Thessalonians 5:11). Strive to always focus on people’s strengths rather than their weaknesses (Philippians 4:8).
And finally, stop gossip by not giving an ear to the gossiper. Listening to it makes us equally as guilty as the one talking. “The north wind driveth away rain: so doth an angry countenance a backbiting tongue” (Proverbs 25:23). If someone calls us with a rumor, an accusation or a slander, the easiest way to stop it is to inform the person talking that you refuse to listen. This will stop gossip dead in its tracks.
Is this subject important to you? It should be. Do we realize that our eternal life could be in question if we continue to gossip? Here is what David wrote: “Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbitheth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour” (Psalm 15:1-3). God does not slander, spread rumors or gossip. If we want to be a part of His Family forever, we must be like our Father. Let’s make it our personal goal to stop rumors, accusations and gossip.
From the Archives: The Philadelphia News, July-August 1998