<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr>[color:"blue"]One who permits himself to hear the slanderous gossip of another is no less guilty of sin than the one who perpetrates this character assassination. Thus we need to not only guard our own tongue from delivering this poisonous communication, but also to prohibit it from being done in our hearing.</font><hr></blockquote><p> Such a GOOD point and a GREAT article. Could you imagine, for instance, if someone here was to begin sending PMs and assassinating that character of one of the other posters instead of (1) privately PMing the alleged poster to tell them their fault between you and them alone (2) confronting them post to post openly, etc. (Matt 18:15-20). These actions (the gossip process) completely destroys any unity that may have existed between board members. The Gospel for the Gossiper is Gone! The Love of the Listener is Lost. Trust would be lost. Their integrity is shot. Churches are full of this kind-of-sin. Gossip is a dreadful sin for the listener, as well for the speaker!<br><br>Augustine did well in his phraseology. He helped to bring out by comparisons the dreadfulness of sin and the pride by which it survives. Of course, he had a good Book to go by. May God grant us continual ability, desire, and grace to forsake the sinfulness of sin.<br>

Reformed and Always Reforming,