My Answer to All the Gossip and Slander Being Spread by the Media

The slander and tongue-wagging gossip on the news and social media are demonic.

Just a few of the headlines over the past few years:

“Intruder Seeking Speaker Pelosi Attacked Her Husband With a Hammer”

“Armed Man Who Wanted to Kill Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh Told Police He Was Upset Over Abortion, Uvalde”

“Congressman Steve Scalise Gravely Wounded in Alexandria Baseball Field Ambush”

America has had a love affair with political violence for a long time it seems. Presidents Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, and Kennedy were all slain by an assassin’s bullet. Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan were wounded in unsuccessful assassination attempts.

Even though we do have this violent history, it seems to me that we’re seeing these attacks more often than we did in the past.

I’m a C plus kind of man, so I don’t have any special insight into the “why” of this increase in political violence. Perhaps it is just a reflection of the larger culture where people are angrier and more unsettled about everything.

Whatever the explanation for the violence, I do know that when public figures and political leaders speak, some people listen. And they are certainly doing a lot of talking lately. From both ends of the spectrum, angry words are spewing out of the mouths of people who have the media’s attention.

In my opinion, most of it is part of larger marketing schemes designed to persuade the population to embrace one view or the other. It’s usually about power and who gets it. And their goal is to use us to obtain this power. We do their speaking for them by repeating what they say.

This is an old tactic. Jesus himself was a victim of leaders ginning up public opinion against him. Even though the core of his message was that love for God and love for his fellow man are the only path to finding communion with God, they killed him anyhow. They knew that this message was a threat to their power. They twisted the same crowd who cried out “Hosanna to God in the highest” only a few days earlier and had them screaming at the top of their voices, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

Yep! There’s power in words.

Lies! Half-truths! Innuendo! They can be powerful tactics. When repeated often and loudly enough, people begin to believe them to be true. And disturbed people on the fringes who feel powerless and ignored often take them to the extreme by taking matters into their own hands. In other words, your rhetoric has consequences. If you are a person with a public voice, you have the power to speak truth or chaos into the larger culture.

It's a big responsibility for sure. I try to take it seriously.

So, I will share a few biblical principles that have tempered my language over the years. I’m still learning to submit to the Almighty in my use of language, but I’ve made incredible progress over the years by following his direction. If you want in on it, I’ll share a few pieces of my strategy below:

• Both speaking and listening to slander and gossip are of the devil. And let’s be honest: Most of the news and virtually all of social media is tongue-wagging gossip and slander. James said that “no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” He called it “demonic.” (James 3:9-15) I take this warning very seriously.

• He also said that the envy and selfish ambition that drive slander are the root of chaos. (James 3:16). Since I’m not perfect myself, why would I allow envy and selfishness drive what I say about others?

• The antidote to gossip, slander, selfish ambition, and envy is to change your focus. Paul said, “…whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Philippians 3:8-9) My goal is to concentrate on things that are good. When I don’t, when I allow the negative to live rent free in my head, I find that sadness, frustration, and chaos begin to rule.

• Stop listening to the world and instead fix your attention on Jesus. (Hebrews 3:1; 12:1) Since he is the pioneer and perfecter of my faith, I want to look at him way more than I want to look at anyone else, good or bad. He is the ultimate source of joy for me.

So, to wrap it up, here’s what I say: Less cable news — more attention to the Good News! Less Facebook, and more of the Good Book. Less FaceTime, and more time on your knees. Less texting and more time spent searching the greatest text of all time. And as you search the scriptures and bow before the Almighty in prayer, you’ll find yourself less disturbed that the world is doing what the world has always done. You won’t be all twisted up inside because the one who lives in you will bring peace to your troubled mind since he is way above the fray.

In other words, you won’t be a part of the blah-blah-blah that is inflaming the selfish and envious passions that are stirring up the unhinged to violently take matters into their own hands. Instead, you’ll speak words of peace and healing.

And one more thing: Regardless of how much politicians and public figures try to stir up the masses, you won’t be a part of it. Instead, your energy will be spent on finding God, pleasing God, and waiting on God to send Jesus back to raise the dead. And while everyone else is foaming at the mouth, your mouth will speak soothing words of healing. 

I don’t know about you, but l find that when I live this way, I’m a happy man. I hope you think about this.

Image credit: Gerd Altmann | Pixabay