Dr Paul Allen

Gossip of this kind is synonymous with slander. In other cases, such as the story of Doeg, gossip is passing on information to people who have no need to know it. In other cases, gossip is betraying the confidence of another, as Proverbs 11:13 says: “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret” (NIV). The dictionary definition of gossip only takes us so far in our quest to uncover its dominion over us. The definition—“Idle talk, not always true, about other people and their affairs”—only raises adolescent questions of “How far is too far?” William Penn’s aphorism continues to be one of the best by which to judge whether communication is gossip or not: “Never report what may hurt another unless it be a greater hurt to conceal it.” Just let that sit for a moment. Why is the sin of gossip so attractive to us? In the cases I’ve mentioned, someone had a desire for attention and power. “Knowledge is power if you know about the right person,” E. W. Mumford said.

This Soviet war poster conveys the message: "Don't chatter! Gossiping borders on treason" (1941). (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Gossip is a serious problem. It is a problem in the home, in the workplace, in the local church and in broader evangelicalism. It is a problem in the blogosphere, in social media, and beyond. In his book Resisting Gossip , Matthew Mitchell defines gossip as “bearing bad news behind someone’s back out of a bad heart” and shows that when the book of Proverbs uses the word “gossip,” it does so in the noun form, not the verb form. In other words, the Bible is concerned less with the words that are spoken and more with the heart and mouth that generate such destruction. Words matter, but they are simply the overflow of the heart. As always, the heart is the heart of the matter. Here, drawn from Mitchell’s book, is a gallery of gossips , five different gossiping people you will meet in life. Gossip #1: The Spy The first kind of gossip, and I kno