Do I get excited when I hear, “Have you heard…?” Does my heart do a little dance when someone starts with, “You won’t believe what I just found out!” If so, you know the answer—it’s gossip. If you find yourself pulling up a chair and grabbing some popcorn, it’s time to rethink your choices.
The gossip test: do I get excited if I hear the words, “Have you heard…” or “You won’t believe what I just found out.” If this is, you fail the gossip test.
Gossip in church is not a new problem. It’s as old as the church itself. And it’s probably disguised the same today as it was way back then.
People use prayer to try and sanctify their gossip.
Here are some other examples of how gossip might disguise itself as concern or spirituality in prayer:
1. “We need to lift them up in prayer. You know they’ve been struggling with some things lately.”
Translation: "I want to hint at something juicy without actually saying it."
2. “We should remember them in prayer. Did you hear what happened last week?”
Translation: "Here’s a teaser for some gossip I’m dying to spill."
3. “Pray for so-and-so—they’re going through something I can’t really talk about… but it’s bad.”
Translation: "Now everyone’s curiosity is piqued, and I’ve still managed to look holy."
These examples show how easy it is for prayer to become a cover for spreading gossip.