Category Archives: Resources

Gossip & Slander Resource Sheet

Resources

Gossip

Bible Dictionary- The Hebrew word translated “gossip” in the Old Testament is defined as “one who reveals secrets, one who goes about as a talebearer or scandal-monger.” A gossiper is a person who has privileged information about people and proceeds to reveal that information to those who have no business knowing it.

Webster’s dictionary gossip- casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true.

Gossip is distinguished from sharing information in two ways. What is being shared and why it’s being shared.

Slander

Bible dictionary -properly, a slanderer; a false accuser; unjustly criticizing to hurt (malign) and condemn to sever a relationship

in secular Greek means “backbiter,” i.e. an accuser, calumniator (slanderer). 1228 (diábolos) is literally someone who “casts through,” i.e. making charges that bring down (destroy)

Webster’s dictionary – the action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person’s reputation.

Verses About Gossip and Slander

Proverbs 11:13 Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a simple babble

Proverbs 10:18 He who conceals hatred has lying lips, And he who spreads slander is a fool

Proverbs 16:28 A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends

Proverbs 11:13 Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered

Ephesians 2:8&9 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Exodus 23:1 Do not spread false reports. Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness.

James 4:11 Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it.

I Timothy 5:13&14 At the same time they also learn to be idle, as they go around from house to house; and not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things not proper to mention. 14 Therefore, I want younger widows to get married, bear children, keep house, and give the enemy no occasion for reproach;

Titus 2:2-5 Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance. 3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, 4 so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.

Ephesians 4:29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.

James 1:26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.

For further reading;

Slander in the Camp by Tim Lane

Godless Gossip by Max Dover

The 5 Gossips You Will Meet by Tim Challies

Resisting Gossip by Tim Challies

How to Shut Down Gossip  by Erik Raymond

 

Reformed Acronyms and Abbreviations

Blogs, Resources, ,

With all of the acronyms and abbreviations used in Reformed Christian circles, we’ve put together a reference list as we often get questions about what these things mean. Not everything on here is specifically Reformed, but are things which may be used in various theological discussions and writing.

2C 2nd commandment

2CV 2nd commandment violation (3CV and so on depending on the commandment violated)

2K two kingdoms

3FU Three Forms of Unity

3PC/4PC three point Calvinist/four point Calvinist

AACC American Association of Christian Counselors

AALC The American Association of Lutheran Churches

ACA Anglican Church in America

ACBC Association of Certified Biblical Counselors

ACE Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals

ACNA Anglican Church in North America

Amil Amillennialism

AoG/AG Assemblies of God

APA Anglican Province of America

APC Associated Presbyterian Churches

APM A Puritan´s Mind

ARBCA Association of Reformed Baptist Churches of America

ARP/ARPC Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church

AV Authorized Version, Bible (same as KJV)

BCF Belgic Confession of Faith

BCO Book of Church Order

BCP Book of Common Prayer

BCT Baptist Covenant Theology (1689 Federalism)

BoT Banner of Truth

BPC Bible Presbyterian Church

BPS Book of Psalms for Singing

BT Biblical Theology

CanRC The Canadian and American Reformed Churches

CARPC Covenanting Association of Reformed and Presbyterian Churches

CB Credo Baptism

CCCC/4C’s Conservative Christian Congregational Conference

CELC Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference

CmL Ceremonial Law

CofC Church of Christ

CoG Covenant of Grace

CoR Covenant of Redemption

CoW Covenant of Works

CREC Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (formerly the confederation of Reformed Evangelical Churches)

Credo credoBaptism (believers baptism)

CRC/CRCNA Christian Reformed Church in North America

CRPC Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church

CT Covenant Theology or Critical Text

CTS Covenant Theological Seminary

CvL civil law

Dispy dispensationalist

DPW Directory for Public Worship

DoG Doctrines of Grace

EFCA Evangelical Free Church of America

ELCA Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

ELS Evangelical Lutheran Synod

EP Exclusive Psalmody

EPC Evangelical Presbyterian Church

EPCA Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Australia

ERLC The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, an entity of the Southern Baptist Convention

ERPC Evangelical Reformed Presbyterian Church

ESS: Eternal Subordination of the Son

ESV English Standard Version, Bible

ERQ Eglise Reformee du Quebec (Reformed Church of Quebec)

FACA The Federation of Anglican Churches in the Americas

FCC Free Church of Scotland, Continuing

FCS Free Church of Scotland

FoG Form of Government

FotF/FOTF Focus on the Family

FPCNA Free Presbyterian Church of North America

FRCNA The Free Reformed Churches of North America

FV Federal Vision

GA general assembly (the highest court of presbyterian polity)

GPTS Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary

GSB Geneva Study Bible

HCSB Holman Christian Standard Bible

HNRC/HRC Heritage Netherlands Reformed Congregation/Heritage Reformed Congregation

HRC The Heritage Reformed Congregations

ICRC International Conference of Reformed Churches

IFB Independent Fundamental Baptist

HC head covering

IHOP International House of Prayer

IRBS Institute of Reformed Baptist Studies

KAPC The Free Reformed Churches of North America

KPCA The Korean Presbyterian Church in America

kirk Scot word for the church

KJV/KJB King James Version, Bible

KJO King James Only

KTS Knox Theological Seminary

LBCF/1689 LBC Second London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689)

LCMS Lutheran Church Missouri Synod

LD Lord’s Day

LS Lordship Salvation

MDiv Master of Divinity Degree

MERF Middle East Reformed Fellowship

ML moral law

MLJ Martyn Lloyd Jones

MOS Mortification of Spin (podcast)

MT Majority Text

NAPARC North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council

NASB New American Standard Bible

NCT New Covenant Theology

NGSB New Geneva Study Bible

NIV New International Version, Bible

NKJV New King James Version, Bible

NLT New Living Translation, Bible

NPP New Perspective on Paul

NPW normative principle of worship

NRC Netherlands Reformed Congregations

NRSV New Revised Standard Version, Bible

OCRC Orthodox Christian Reformed Church

OPC Orthodox Presbyterian Church

OPCGA Orthodox Presbyterian Church General Assembly

Paedo paedobaptism (infant baptism)

PB Puritan Board or paedobaptism

PC presbycurious

PCA Presbyterian Church in America

PCAGA Presbyterian Church in America General Assembly

PCUSA Presbyterian Church USA

PSA Penal Substitutionary Atonement

PRCT Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology

PDM Psalms of David in Metre

PreMil Premillennialism

Presby Presbyterian

PresRC The Presbyterian Reformed Church

Presup presuppositional apologetics

PostMil Postmillennialism

PRC/PRCA Protestant Reformed Church in America

PRTS Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary

PTL Praise the Lord

R2K Reformed two kingdoms or radical two kingdoms

RB Reformed Baptist

RCA Reformed Church in America

RCC Roman Catholic Church

RCJ Reformed Church in Japan

RCM Reformation Christian Ministries

RCUS Reformed Church in the United States

RE Ruling Elder

REC Reformed Episcopal Church

RES Reformed Episcopal Seminary

RPCA Reformed Presbyterian Church of Australia

RPCGA Reformed Presbyterian Church General Assembly

RPCHP Reformed Presbyterian Church (Hanover Presbytery)

RPCNA Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America

RPCS Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland

RPCUS Reformed Presbyterian Church in the United States

RPTS Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary

RPW regulative principle of worship

RSC R. Scott Clark (for TG listeners)

RSV Revised Standard Version

RT Received Text

RTS Reformed Theological Seminary

RUF Reformed University Fellowship

SBC Southern Baptist Convention

SBFA Salvation by faith alone

SD Sabbath Day or Savoy Declaration

SDG Solo Deo Gloria

ST Systematic Theology

SWRB Still Water Revival Books

TE Teaching Elder

TEDS Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

TG Theology Gals

TGC The Gospel Coalition

TR Textus Receptus or Truly Reformed

TT TableTalk

TFoU Three Forms of Unity: Heidelberg Catechism, Belgic Confession, Canons of Dort

TULIP Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, Perseverance of the Saints. (The 5 Points of Calvinism)

URC/URCNA United Reformed Churches in North America

VT Van Til

WELS Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod

WCF Westminster Confession of Faith

WHI White Horse Inn (radio show/podcast)

WLC Westminster Larger Catechism

WPCUS Westminster Presbyterian Church in the United States

WRF World Reformed Fellowship

WRS Western Reformed Seminary

WSC Westminster Shorter Catechism or Westminster Seminary, California

WTS Westminster Theological Seminary(PA) or Whitefield Theological Seminary or Western Theological Seminary

YRR Young, Restless and Reformed

 

*If I’ve missed something or need to make any corrections, you can either comment on this post or email me. Some things may be more specific to Theology Gals listeners than the Reformed community as a whole.