The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Town gossip! We have developed other names for it. It is called the grapevine, the rumour mill. A lot of news and information is circulated in this unofficial manner. Wherever people gather there will be talk. It may be in the coffee shop, on the street or at a social. Nothing comes easier and just about everyone likes to do it. Have you ever noticed just how powerfully you are drawn to a juicy story about a mutual acquaintance, especially if it has to do with a moral failure. Everyone strains to hear every word and can hardly wait to tell someone else. Town gossip - it spreads like wildfire, but is it poison or medicine? I have to say that all too often, gossip is harmful and destructive. The stories passed around may be half true, exaggerated, distorted, without foundation and may be a total fabrication. There is always the danger that it includes the malice and antagonism of the tale-bearer. Thus it can be very dangerous! The Bible does not hesitate to denounce the speaking ill of another person. Proverbs 11:9 states, "A hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbourÑÑ "and James 1:26 says, "If any man among you seems to be religious, and does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is vain." Suggested rules to govern town gossip: 1. If it is malicious - beware it may not be true. 2. If it is juicy- watch out - you may want it to be true. 3. If it is either of the above - refuse to pass it on. Would it not be fair to go to the person whose character is being assassinated and tell him the things that are being circulated in order to get the facts straight? It is far better to be up front and honest than to harbour secret rumours about him. The people who became Christians in Jerusalem in the early days soon found themselves persecuted by a sort of a tyrant by the name of Saul of Tarsus. He pursued his activity with such vigour that many of the Christians escaped the city and were scattered. But the Scriptures say, "those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word." They were not ordained preachers; they were ordinary people who had a message of good news about Jesus and His saving grace for everyone who would believe in Him. They were gossiping the gospel all around town wherever the went. Now that kind of gossip is medicine for the soul.
