New Details Emerge / Are YouTubers Guilty of Gossip for Talking About Steve Lawson Scandal?

Why Reporting a Public Scandal Is Not Gossip

Hello, in this video we're going to be talking about Steve Lawson, just the situation in general, asking the question that some people are making, this accusation, that this is just all a bunch of gossip.

And basically, how dare all of these YouTubers and people on Facebook, social media, people everywhere talking about Steve Lawson and what happened. And the accusation that some are making is it's all gossip and you shouldn't be talking about it.

Well, first of all, let me just say this, I've done two videos, I think, addressing the Steve Lawson situation from more of a doctrinal point of view. I have not gone into the details. New details just came out, and it's a lot worse than what we even thought.

But I'm not even getting into that. I didn't even talk about the details before, and not because I thought it would be gossip, I just don't feel like it's my place. That's just not what I do. We talk about what the Bible teaches, we talk about theology and doctrine, and talking about personal scandals is just not what I'm interested in.

But I don't think it's gossip to report on. So let's just look at the definition of gossip and I'll address this. Some people think it is. So there's a couple YouTube channels that are now reporting the details of what happened.

And yeah, this is, I don't know, 10 of YouTube comments. It's a minority that are saying that this is all just gossip and you shouldn't mention any of it. So the definition of gossip, idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal affairs of others.

That's one definition. Another definition for gossip, casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed to be true. Okay, so here's why the people talking about Steve Lawson, here's why it's not gossip.

Because it's true. Okay, if they were speculating, well, you know what, I just look at Steve Lawson and I just don't like that look on his face. I bet he did this and I bet he's doing that. And you're just speculating and making stuff up.

Absolutely, that's wrong. That would be, I don't know if anyone's doing that, but that would be wrong. That would be gossip if you are speculating about what he did when you don't know or if you're spreading falsehood.

I mean, this is the definition of gossip when you're spreading rumors. But here's the thing about Steve Lawson, his elders reported this. So it's not like some YouTuber is digging into his personal life and is releasing things that they're not even sure are true.

No, this is from his church. His elders released a statement. So they made it public. And Steve Lawson is a public figure. And the thing, it's like, you know, Bill Clinton a couple of decades ago with the Monica Lewinsky scandal, right?

Some people tried to defend Bill Clinton and they said it's none of anyone's business, but Bill Clinton is a leader. He was the president and his actions affect people and his character matters. The character of a president matters, the character of a pastor, especially a guy like Steve Lawson, who has massive influence in the body of Christ.

His character and his conduct, it matters to people. It matters to the body of Christ. So the thing is, I don't believe this is gossip because Steve Lawson is a public figure. The information is out there.

It's not really in question. So these are not rumors. Is it personal? Right. And again, that's why I am trying to err on the side of caution and not get into the details. Again, it's just not what I'm interested in.

I'm interested in say, OK, here's what the Bible says about this and what can we learn from it? That's what I try to do. But yeah, it's personal information. But when you're a pastor, here's the thing.

Church Discipline and Public Rebuke

Here's what the Bible says. Here's a clear verse as to why people making YouTube videos about Steve Lawson, why they're not sinning. First Timothy 520 says those who are sinning, that would include Steve Lawson.

Those who are sinning, the Bible says, rebuke them in the presence of all. For what purpose? That the rest also may fear. So the Apostle Paul says if somebody is sinning, if a Christian is sinning, and obviously we have Matthew 18.

If it's a personal sin, you go to the person, you try to resolve it. If they won't hear you, you take two or three. And then if they still won't hear you, and this, I think, First Timothy 5 would be for ongoing unrepentant sin, that, yeah, you rebuke them in the presence of all.

Jesus says in Matthew 18, tell it to the church. See, it was the Catholic Church that would sweep their scandals under the rug, right? It was the Catholic Church that tried to hide everything and suppress it and bury it.

And the best disinfectant is sunlight. You know, get it out in the open. There's a process, and I'm assuming the elders of Steve Lawson's church, they went to him. Again, all this information is out there that, you know, it was confirmed that Steve Lawson was, in fact, involved with this woman that was not his wife.

And the point being, it's not, these are not rumors. It's not unconstrained conversation. That's the other definition. Involving details that are not confirmed to be true. That's just not, it doesn't fit the definition of gossip.

That's the bottom line. And again, the Bible clearly states that if somebody is sinning, they are to be rebuked in the presence of all. Okay, tell it to the church. Also, the Bible records the sins of, for example, King David.

David, Bathsheba, and the Bible’s Record of Sin

Let's consider David and his situation with Bathsheba. And see, if you're going to say that, well, because there's this thing called the 11th commandment. And this is really where this critique, that these are rumors, you shouldn't be talking about this.

This is sort of the 11th commandment at work. It's been said that, you know, most Christians, they believe in the 11th commandment, or they follow, they only follow the 11th commandment, and they don't believe in the other 10.

There's some quote like that. But the 11th commandment, different variations of it. It says, thou shalt always be nice. Thou shalt never name names. Thou shalt never speak ill of, you know, another Christian leader or whatever.

Like you're just not supposed to say anything that might, you know, ruffle feathers. Just be nice, be polite, and don't say anything bad about anyone ever. You're not even allowed to disagree with somebody publicly.

And obviously, that runs contrary to even the New Testament epistles. I mean, the apostle Paul spoke ill of the Judaizers. I mean, you know, Peter was rebuked in front of everybody, right? Didn't Paul do that?

Didn't Paul rebuke Peter in front of everyone? Right, so that's what the elders did of his church. I'm not defending, maybe there are some YouTube videos where people did spread rumors, and there was unconstrained conversation.

But the YouTube videos that I've seen, it doesn't fit the definition of gossip. And they are doing what the Bible says. I really believe that. The Bible records the sins of David. So if it's wrong to tell of what a person did, then the author of Scripture was wrong because they were just digging into David's personal life, and that's nobody's business but him and Bathsheba, and just mind your own business.

No, see, that's not right. And yes, you can say things about the Steve Lawson situation that are, people can make stuff up, people could have crossed a line, people could have gossiped. But just in general, what I've seen, this does not meet the criteria of gossip.

Why Public Ministry Requires Public Accountability

So, one last statement. Let's just quote that verse again, 1 Timothy 5 .20. Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all that the rest also may fear. Steve Lawson is one of the most influential Christian leaders in Reformed circles, in Reformed evangelicalism, and his actions, yeah, they matter.

And the church needs to address this, not just his church, but people. Steve Lawson's involved in a lot of ministries, and he's taught a lot of people, and people deserve to know. They don't need to know every last detail, but because of the scope of his ministry, people need to be able to talk about this and know about it.

So all those people saying, oh, you're just gossiping. Again, I've never given the details. I'm not going to. I'll leave that to others. But even those who did, as long as they're accurate in what they're saying.

It's not gossip. All right, thanks for watching, and until next time, may the Lord be with you, and have a great day.