“Don’t spread false rumors.” Exodus 23:1 (Common English Bible)
“Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart.” – Proverbs 26:22 (New Living Translation)
Rumors are nasty viruses that once in your system remain there. Like the chicken pox virus that lays dormant in our cells, we may think that we are immune to debunked rumors, but the moment someone repeats a rumor, the virus gets activated again, rising to the surface and raising doubts in our minds about the truth. Repeating the rumor (even for the sake of verification) spreads the virus, making containment almost impossible. Rumors are as old as history, but these days, rumors spread faster and more efficiently than ever before thanks to social media. And because of the speed of the spread, there is little time to verify the facts before millions of people have been exposed.
What motivates a person to start or spread a rumor? No one starts a rumor to build up others. You never hear a rumor that shines a positive light on a person. For example, a rumor about how generous and kind someone is doesn’t have legs. Effective rumors are intended to disparage, discredit, raise questions about a person’s integrity and trustworthiness, and create the impression that the person is dangerous.
The prophet Jeremiah spoke boldly about the people’s abuse of the Sabbath and God’s coming judgment (Jeremiah 17:19ff). What did he get for his truth-telling? According to Jeremiah 18:18, a group of people who didn’t appreciate Jeremiah’s message gathered and said, “Come on, let’s plot a way to stop Jeremiah. We have plenty of priests and wise men and prophets. We don’t need him to teach the word and give us advice and prophecies. Let’s spread rumors about him and ignore what he says.” Rumormongering was the way to discredit Jeremiah’s ministry and his message. The Bible doesn’t spell out what those rumors were, but they had the intended impact. The rumors so effectively fomented anger and distrust of Jeremiah that not even the King could contain the people. According to Jeremiah 38, Jeremiah was seized by a mob, dropped into an underground cistern and left there to starve to death.
Jesus was also the victim of rumormongers. In a particularly contentious discussion with a group of religious leaders, they repeated a rumor that they had evidently started. “We were right all along when we called you a Samaritan and said you were crazy—demon-possessed!” (John 8:48 – The Message). Their message was clear: He isn’t one of us and he’s dangerous!
Rumors are swirling around James Talarico, Democratic candidate for Senator in Texas. Most recently, it has been claimed that he was admitted to an Ohio Mental Hospital for the past two weeks (He’s deranged!). Before that, there was a rumor that he was a Vegan (He’s not a real Texan!). Before that, a rumor was spread claiming that he was transgendered (He’s not a real man!). Talarico–the grandson of a Baptist preacher and a student at a Presbyterian seminary–has been leading in the polls, but the rumors — all of which have been debunked — have been repeated again and again by his opponent, Ken Paxton, by the President and Administrative officials, and most sadly, by Church leaders like Robert Jeffress who charged Talarico with “having evil beliefs” and “Scripture twisting” before a large crowd at the GOP Midterm Convention.
We know why the rumors have been spread–James Talarico is a threat to the Republican majority in the Senate. Sow seeds of doubt about his gender, his diet, his mental health and even his faith often enough, you will reap his defeat (or that’s the goal). The very fact that he is being targeted by the rumormongers reveals their destructive intent rooted in fear.
Hopefully, Texans of faith will see the motives of the rumormongers and refuse to expose themselves and others to the viral lies before they sink any deeper into the heart of Texas…and ours.
