Ellen G. White and Her Critics

How Gossipmongers Work

But there is a further and more incredible feature to this whole matter. We have all seen gossipmongers. Even a small community has at least one. And, with wheat and tares growing together, even churches have them. Now what happens when an individual gathers gossip from every side and then begins to dispense it, especially in the form of letters to different persons, pointing out what the gossiper thinks is very specifically the matter with these individuals? Is the church edified, more closely bound together, revived in spirit, and advanced on the Christian way? Those questions answer themselves. EGWC 509.1

And why is such havoc wrought by a gossiper in the church who translates his gossip news into letters? There are several parts to the answer. In the first place the letters invariably are such a strange mixture of truth and error, with the latter generally predominating, that the recipients of the letters are uniformly outraged that such lying reports should be circulated concerning them. Second, the person who peddles gossip reveals no constructive pattern in his work. His gossipy speech or letters simply reveal an avid interest in relating things that cast shadows over men’s characters. Third, the gossiper who writes letters of judgment and rebuke to individuals quite invariably does so in cold, calculating, and even vindictive terms. EGWC 509.2