Welcome to the Christian advice column with an urban flavor. Move over, Ann Landers, Yo, Pastor! is in the house! (Please leave comments in the comment section, and your questions for Pastor in the contact form.)
Should I Avoid People Who Gossip?
Yo, Pastor!
I am fighting in the battle of gossip. Sometimes being asked your opinion leads to gossip. It’s a set up! When you are asked your opinion, the person who’s asking is already set to pull you into gossip. Your opinion sometimes opens the door to gossip and controversy. Should I just avoid those who I know will lead me into/open the door to gossip? Is avoiding them Christian-like, brotherly or loving? How can you avoid or eliminate those in your life who cause verbal harm and still be a Christian? You can witness but sometimes with these folks you have to put on your boxing gloves…literally.
No News is Good News
Psalm 15 1 Who may stay in God’s temple or live on the holy mountain of the Lord? 2 Only those who obey God and do as they should. They speak the truth 3 and don’t spread gossip; they treat others fairly and don’t say cruel things. (CEV)
Proverbs 259 When you and someone else can’t get along, don’t gossip about it. (CEV)
Proverbs 1628 Gossip is no good! It causes hard feelings and comes between friends. (CEV)
Romans 1617 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. (KJV)
Yo, No News:
Let me commend you on your Christ-like sensitivity! You’ve zeroed in on one of the biggest problems in the church of the communication age. It’s so easy in our time to reach people with information that there is greater temptation to abuse language today than there has ever been in the history of the church. You are right to want to avoid gossip, and those who do it. Scripture points out that gossip is a pernicious evil. It causes hard feelings and divides friends. So, Paul counsels the Romans to mark those who cause such divisions and avoid them. Scripture is very clear on this point. It is entirely Christian to avoid gossips. Evil communications corrupt good manners. There is absolutely nothing sinful about protecting your ears, and that is what you are doing when you stay away from gossip. Jesus counseled us to be careful about what we allow to enter our ears, because it determines what lodges in our heart, which in turn determines what comes out of our mouths, which in turn determines what we get in life. So, really gossip is a threat to your quality of life. Keep managing what you hear, even if you have to stay away from some folk to do it.
