The Christadelphian Bible Journal
August 2003 Volume 1 Number 8

The Perilous Grapevine

A few years ago, I had an experience that would have a profound affect upon how I view information that circulates among brethren. It seems that a wayward brother, who I had known for many years, had officiated at a wedding. The ceremony, held in a Protestant church, was for a recently fallen-away brother and a non-Christadelphian woman. This information had been passed along to me by a Christadelphian who I had also known for a long time.

I was told that after the marriage, the newlyweds were meeting at the site of their wedding, Fellowship Bible Church -- a congregation that holds similar beliefs to the Southern Baptists. Later, I was informed that the couple had been asked to leave the church because they could not afford to pay tithes. Apparently, the church needed the money and had located a prospective member who was able to provide financial support. Where the couple went from there was not known.

All of this was enough to both shock and sadden everyone who knew the parties involved.

Except for one thing.

It was subsequently discovered that much of this was untrue.

Was there a wedding? Yes. A fallen-away brother to a non-Christadelphian? Yes. Was it held at a church? Yes. The above mentioned? No. Were they married by the brother? No. A wayward brother? No. Any brother? No. Were they later asked to leave a church for the reason cited? Yes. The aforementioned church? No.

It is not known precisely how this story began. There was certainly a seed of truth, but as the account was passed from one individual to the next, it became increasingly distorted. Finally, by the time the story reached the last person on the grapevine, it bore little resemblance to fact. And a brother was falsely accused in the process.

Many of us could cite similar cases wherein falsehoods have circulated among brethren and sisters. Perhaps even situations where we have been a link in the gossip chain. In virtually all instances we have no idea that the information is incorrect. And so, it continues to spread.

Such cases should serve to demonstrate how vital it is that all information be verified before we contemplate passing it on to another. Why? Because if we do not check all of the facts, there is a likelihood that brethren will be falsely accused by our words, and their reputations ruined within the Body. That it may be done unknowingly is not an acceptable excuse, nor does it alter the fact that damage, possibly irreparable, has been done.

Our Lord Jesus Christ provides ample guidance for us. He declares that we should never accuse our brethren falsely (Lk. 3:14). The Apostle Paul writes that we must not be false accusers or slanderers (Tit. 2:3; l Tim. 3:4). Why? Because false accusation is not God's way (Jn. 17:17). Because how we treat our brethren is also, in effect, how we treat Christ (Matt. 25:40-46).

And so, with this exhortation in hand, how should we proceed when we hear something passed along the grapevine? We could, of course, refuse to listen to it. But that is really a cop-out. The responsible course would be to heed Paul's exhortation. He states: "In the mouth of two or three witnesses, shall every word be established" (2 Cor. 13:1). Who, exactly, is a witness? Not one on the grapevine. On the contrary, it is a person who has firsthand knowledge. And there can be no better firsthand information than that obtained directly from the individuals who are being talked about (Matt. 18:15).