Gossip

We all know that the Bible is opposed to gossip. Is that true? Let's look. Well, in 2 Corinthians we read of Paul's fear that "there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder" (2 Cor 12:20). That doesn't sound too good. In Romans 1:29-30 Paul lists off a whole slew of evils practiced by people of debased mind. That list includes "gossips". He told Timothy that it was bad for young women to learn to be "gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not" (1 Tim 5:13). Okay, so, yeah, the Bible thinks it's a bad thing. So ... what is it?

The dictionary defines it as "idle talk or rumor, esp. about the personal or private affairs of others." Answers.com says it is "rumor or talk of a personal, sensational, or intimate nature." Yeah, okay, we got that.

Gossip has been around a long time. It has been part of the human problem practically since the start. In the last hundred years or so it has become institutionalized. In the 1930's they had gossip columnists writing for newspapers. Entire magazines and newspapers sprouted up focused solely on "rumor or talk of a personal, sensational, or intimate nature." Today they migrated to the television and we have shows all about the latest gossip about our favorite celebrities. It was gossip, in fact, that killed Princess Diana who was pursued to her death by paparazzi, people whose job it is to invade the lives of people that we are eager to hear about. Gossip, then, can even be deadly. It is certainly readily available.

But here's what I'm wondering. If gossip is indeed "rumor or talk of a personal, sensational, or intimate nature", how would you characterize the daily news? The things that make it to the headlines are precisely the sensational things. The more sensational, the better. The news is full of personal and intimate stories -- an interview with this celeb or an entire news show exposing that politician. The more personal and intimate, the better. How is the daily news anything other than gossip?

I have a tough time with the news media -- of any stripe. I know. I want to know what's up in the world. Still, I wonder how much is helpful information and how much is ... gossip. The media has shaped our lives with their personal and sensational stories. We know that there is murder and mayhem everywhere, that life is scary and unrelenting. We are not told about the normal, everyday existences, the honest politicians, the thinking world leaders, the millions of children who are not abused or starving, the American families who are able to pay the mortgage. It's the personal, sensational, intimate news we get. Is that not gossip? Do we really need to know? And, as a side question, when does it become gossip when we tell someone about a person we both know who needs prayer because they're going through a nasty divorce ... "you know how bad he's been to her over all this and, well, she just needs our prayers ..."? I'm telling you, there is gossip everywhere.