Slander occurs when someone shares something about someone else that is not factual, or perhaps partially true, but results in damaging the individual’s reputation. The subtlety of slander can occur over a casual coffee conversation among friends or it can happen as a means of asking prayer for someone who left your church or a staff member in your local church who people are having a hard time following, or a hundred other examples could fit this equation.

Perhaps you remember the little line, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.” I was taught that idea in my elementary school as a boy by well-meaning teachers. However, that little line is simply not true. Names do hurt people and in fact, they can leave deep scars for people to struggle with for their entire life.

The Fruit of Slander

Slander occurs when someone shares something about someone else that is not factual, or perhaps partially true, but results in damaging the individual’s reputation. The subtlety of slander can occur over a casual coffee conversation among friends or it can happen as a means of asking prayer for someone who left your church or a staff member in your local church who people are having a hard time following, or a hundred other examples could fit this equation.

The fruit of slander is that it damages the perception of another individual in the mind of one or more people. Sometimes slander is obvious and at other times it flies beneath the surface and is not easily detected. Sometimes the heart of one person is not pure and due to jealousy one friend slanders another person to keep their close friends from becoming close to the person being slandered. The ungodly competition factor among groups of friends precipitates the sin of slander which often hinders the growth of friendships. This can be true among high school friends as well as a local church.

The end result of slander is the devaluation of a person in the eyes of others. Sometimes this happens in the locker room of a football team among athletes, at lunch among middle schoolers who want to remain at the top of the “cool list” among friends, and sadly—it happens circles within local churches.

Slander is the sharing of speculation and hearsay about someone that results in a negative depiction of another person and a decline in their reputation. This can result in broken friendships, divided families, and fractures among a local church. When you see friendships broken and families leave a church due to slander, it can be a very discouraging thing to witness. The fruit of slander is not sweet and it never glorifies God.

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