This the third post in ongoing series. Our top priority in cultural and spiritual engagement should be our own sin, and we should strive to win the man, not the fight.
There are few sins that devastate like slander. And there are fewer sins that are as forgotten. Slander is not the same thing as gossip; it is the false speaking and defaming of someone else. Speaking falsely about what someone believes, has said, has done, or simply insulting their character is slander. God views slander as so evil that he forbid it in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:16, Deuteronomy 5:20).
Psalm 15 is a psalm about the character of the man who will dwell with God. The center of the chapter says that he is a man “who does not slander with his tongue.” When Jesus talks about the most evil things that proceeds from the heart of men he includes slander (Matthew 15:19, Mark 7:22). Paul includes slander on his list of things that members of the Church should cease from doing (Ephesians 4:31, Colossians 3:8). Proverbs 10:18 calls those who slanders a fool and Exodus 23:1 orders God’s people not to spread a false report.
When debating with people it is very easy to fall into this trap. It is even easier to do this when debating about someone, especially public figures. This can come out in simple ways, whether in ad hominem attacks when I am debating something with a friend over drinks, or by defaming President Obama’s moral views and character when I lambaste his policies...