I had been a pastor...
Illustration
I had been a pastor in this particular community for less than one year when one of my ministerial colleagues stopped for a chat. In the course of our conversation, I commented that I had heard more gossip in this small town than I even heard in large cities where I was more accustomed to living. The sheer volume of gossip seemed to poison the community atmosphere. I asked my colleague if he had experienced the same thing.
He assured me my observations were night on target. "It is not, however, because this is a small town. I have lived in many small towns before," he said, "and I have never known one like this. Some of these folks are downright vicious. I have never known a minister to be here for more than four years before someone starts a rumor about him and one of his parishioners having an affair. It happened to me. I have never known such personal pain. My family really suffered. And it was all a lie started by a member of another congregation and went like wildfire through the town."
C. Leslie Mitton, The Epistle of James, p. 164, (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1966), notes that "to tell and listen to a slanderous story, especially about a distinguished person, is for all people a fascinating activity." Is there any doubt why the Scripture so condemns the sin of irresponsible and malicious gossip.
-- Cueni
He assured me my observations were night on target. "It is not, however, because this is a small town. I have lived in many small towns before," he said, "and I have never known one like this. Some of these folks are downright vicious. I have never known a minister to be here for more than four years before someone starts a rumor about him and one of his parishioners having an affair. It happened to me. I have never known such personal pain. My family really suffered. And it was all a lie started by a member of another congregation and went like wildfire through the town."
C. Leslie Mitton, The Epistle of James, p. 164, (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1966), notes that "to tell and listen to a slanderous story, especially about a distinguished person, is for all people a fascinating activity." Is there any doubt why the Scripture so condemns the sin of irresponsible and malicious gossip.
-- Cueni
