SERMON: “Juicy Gossip and Accusations” (Various)

“Juicy Gossip and Accusations” (Various)

Series:               Topical                                       Text:                 Various

By:                    Shaun Marksbury                         Date:                Aug. 23, 2026

Venue:              Living Water Baptist Church            Occasion:          AM Service

 

Introduction

We are a G3 Ministries affiliated church, and many of our members have gone to their conferences in Georgia in the past years, including myself.  In case you didn’t know about their ministry, they have done a lot to provide good teachings, including publishing books and online materials.  It was started by Josh Buice and the elders of Pray’s Mill Baptist Church in Georgia years ago, and overall, it has been a consummate blessing for the body of Christ.  We’ve learned much from the speakers, obtained great books and materials, and met with many like-minded Christians from all across this country.  In fact, a couple of you met at G3 before you met in person here!

That’s what made the news last year so heartbreaking.  In 2025, Josh Buice (founder/president of G3 and longtime pastor/elder at Pray’s Mill Baptist Church) was confronted by his fellow elders.  Multiple pieces of evidence surfaced that he ran anonymous social media accounts and email addresses for years in addition to the ones attached to his name.  He used these accounts to anonymously slander other Christian leaders, including G3 speakers and fellow Pray’s Mill elders.  

He initially denied doing this, but then he confessed, expressed sorrow, and resigned as G3 president and pastor of Pray’s Mill Baptist.  As a result, the 2025 conference was canceled and his content was later removed.  It didn’t look like G3 could continue in light of this, and many of us were in prayer.

Yet, it looked like the ministry was about to turn in a better direction under new leadership.  Scott Aniol, who was an elder at Pray’s Mill and previously the executive vice president at G3, became the new president.  They announced that the new focus was going to be on the local church, and the ministry would now be “cooperative, not competitive” and would emphasize “partnership over platform.”  It seemed like the ministry was once again heading in a good direction.

However, this year, anonymous packets appeared in several pastors’ mailboxes.  Inside, each contained a cover letter and a dossier alleged “serial sermon plagiarism” by Tom Buck, a former G3 board member and pastor of First Baptist Church in Lindale, Texas.  These packets used FBC Lindale’s name and return address, and they were postmarked from Texas, making it seem like they came from interested nearby parties.  The packets claimed the church had not dealt with the matter biblically.

This wasn’t the first the church knew about the matter — the issue had been raised beforehand anonymously (a word which keeps reappearing in this ordeal).  The elders of FBC had contacted Phil Johnson over at Grace Community Church for advice, and they determined that the allegations of plagiarism were largely overblown.  Still, there were a couple of instances of legitimate concern where Pastor Buck didn’t state that he was reading from a commentary; he agreed and publicly apologized, telling his church that was taking steps to rectify that in future sermons.  Because the issue had been dealt with transparently in the FBC church body, and the fact that it was being brought up again showed that these anonymous packages were being mailed meant that they didn’t come from anyone in the community.

This sparked an investigation — who was sending these packages?  Protestia (a Christian polemics news site) discovered through credible sources that they came from an elder from Pray’s Mill Baptist in Georgia, with the full knowledge of the other elders.  He reportedly first traveled to Texas so the postmark would look local, and he handled the packages with gloves on to avoid leaving fingerprints.  This was done to keep the source from being easily traced back to G3 Ministries and Pray’s Mill — Buck had resigned from the board amid concerns about the post-Buice direction, and this might appear vindictive!

The fallout from this will prove to be insurmountable for G3.  Phil Johnson and other notable pastors have condemned the way in which G3 pastors have engaged this issue, especially since they were discrediting another pastor with slander.  Other pastors and teachers have asked that G3 remove their material from the website.  Scott Aniol’s online bios have been edited to remove mention of his being president of G3, and his X account has been deactivated.  I imagine that there will be some public statement at both Pray’s Mill Baptist and G3 announcing several resignations.  The leadership there seems guilty of the same sin that Josh Buice was.

(This is why the warning in Galatians 6:1 exists — “Brothers, even if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, each of you looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.”)

Why am I recounting all of this?  First, as I said, we’ve been involved with G3, even to the point of offering our building for future possible local conferences.  Yet, this doesn’t involve just that parachurch ministry, because it exposes important lessons to any church, including our own.

Consider the fact that there are times when people come to you with gossip or an accusation that seems important.  They may claim concern about someone else, and they might indeed care.  Even so, why are they coming to you — to ask about how to handle the matter biblically, or to build a coalition?  This kind of behavior is divisive in the body of Christ, and believe me, anonymous letters do get written in churches!

So, today, we’re going to take a moment to review how to handle these kinds of situations. We want to avoid the temptation of giving an ear to rumors and vicious campaigns that lack credible evidence, and we also want to deal with genuine concerns in the light of Scripture.  So, today, we’re going to look at several texts to get the broad view of God’s Word on this matter.

First, Scripture Requires Multiple Witnesses for Accusations (Deut. 19:15)

A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed;
at the mouth of two or three witnesses a matter shall be established.

This is a basic principle of law and order, and it is one that must govern the church.  This parallels another thought in our civil system, that the accused has the right to face his accusers.  Just as Jesus told His disciples to go privately to an offending party (Matt. 18:15), witnesses must step out of the shadows. 

Why?  First, if you are ever to be reconciled to an offending party, you must face that person.  Second, we must remember that there are people with axes to grind, and some people are willing to outright lie to accomplish some goal.  We must seek to protect the accused as well as the offended party, and anonymous letters and whisper campaigns short-circuit the process Jesus gave us.

For one example, we need not look any further than our Lord.  Consider His arrest and “trial.”  In Mark 14:55, we read that the chief priests and the Sanhedrin wanted to find cause to put Jesus to death, and they “were seeking to obtain testimony against Jesus” for this end.  In other words, they had decided the verdict before any witnesses had testified.  The next verse reads, “For many were giving false testimony against Him, but their testimony was not consistent” (v. 56).  They continued, and vv. 57–59 say: “And some, standing up, were giving false testimony against Him, saying, ‘We ourselves heard Him say, “I will destroy this sanctuary made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.” ’  And not even in this way was their testimony consistent.”  The leadership of Israel wanted it to appear that they were adhering to the law, but their false and malicious witnesses kept contradicting themselves.

It’s not just lying that’s a concern here.  People can get facts wrong and misinterpret the situation.  When a witness steps forward, though, it’s possible to cross-check a story for accuracy.

In case this isn’t clear yet, Scripture repeats this command for the church age.  Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 19:15 as He’s giving His instructions on how to deal with an erring brother, noting that two or three witnesses are necessary to confirm the fact of the matter (Matt. 18:16).  Paul later says this is how he deals with people in the church (2 Cor. 13:1).

What about with pastors?  Well, if anyone attracts people with criticism, it would be those proclaiming the Word of God!  Fittingly, Scripture doesn’t give different instructions for them: “Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses” (1 Tim. 5:19).  It’s not about shielding a pastor from accountability but rather recognizing the damage false charges do to the flock and the office.  As such, if only one person comes forward with a report of a sinful scenario, and there is no evidence to back it up, then we do not entertain that accusation.

Now, to be clear, evidence itself can be a witness.  There may be times when no one else is around.  The Law speaks of the woman cries out if a man seizes her to lie with her (Deut. 22:24); the act of “crying out” is evidence of both the woman’s innocence and the man’s guilt.  Today, there are tests that can be ran if a woman steps forward, and that is an additional witness against the accused.  That’s why we would refer certain accusations to law enforcement for witness verification.  However, but anonymous claims that cannot be examined or cross-checked fall short of this biblical standard.

To wrap up this point, anonymous or single-source accusations are to be treated with extreme caution.  While we might say that the information packet that was sent out had evidence that could be examined on its own, the simple fact that the source wanted to remain anonymous was reason enough for suspicion.  If we want to treat accusations God’s way, then we must have witnesses step forward for investigation.

Second, Scripture Condemns Gossip and Slander (Lev. 19:16)

You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand against the life of your neighbor; I am Yahweh.

Anonymous messaging often functions as a vehicle for these sins while claiming the moral high ground of “concern” or “protecting the church.”  Yet, it often arises from poor motives.  Sometimes, folks want to tear down someone out of spite or vindictiveness, but they tell themselves that they’re doing the right thing.  And they might do so anonymously because they’re too cowardly to address the pastor directly.

For instance, the story is told of a preacher about to give his Sunday sermon when a note was passed to him.  The only word written on the sheet was “IDIОТ.”  Looking up at the congregation, the preacher smiled and said, “I have heard of men who write letters and forget to sign their names, but this is the first time I’ve seen a man sign his name and forget to write the letter!”

Most of the time, people don’t want to even do that much.  So, they will go to others.  There is one pastor I know who discovered that many members of the church were having secret meetings concerning him.  They even got another pastor of the church involved, and instead of stopping them, he added to their slander session.  That is ungodly nonsense.

Consider what the Proverbs say:

·         “A perverse man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close companions” (16:28).

·         “The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels, and they go down into the innermost parts of the stomach” (18:8).

·         “With no wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, strife quiets down.  Like charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a contentious man to kindle strife.  The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels, and they go down into the innermost parts of the stomach” (26:20–22).

The sad reality of our fallen state means that we enjoy spreading gossip and slander.  However, Scripture classifies a person who does as “perverse” and “contentious.”  Even if you think you are doing a service by spreading your brand of information to others in the body of Christ, you are actually violating God’s standards.

The reason such sinful actions are so attractive to people is because of a sinful disposition of the heart.  They are offended, so instead of going to the offender, they lash out verbally (or in written form).  And this goes against the Holy Spirit.

God has a clear command for you if you find yourself in that position.  We read it in Ephesians 4:30–32: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Let all bitterness and anger and wrath and shouting and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.  Instead, be kind to one another, tender-hearted, graciously forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has graciously forgiven you.”  Put the slander away from you like a drug addict finally flushes his drugs; forgive the person and focus on gracious speech!

If you don’t, you risk destroying the reputation of all Christians in general, not just the person at whom you’re angry.  These things become stories that unbelievers notice; the whole G3 fiasco is currently on Wikipedia for the world to read, for instance.  Well, James 3:1 warns that the tongue is a restless evil that sets the whole course of life on fire.  If you don’t control it, you may even find yourself consumed!

Even when there is a real issue, the method of anonymous distribution still violates the biblical pattern.  The early church and the apostolic letters consistently model open, accountable confrontation rather than covert campaigns.  We must do everything decently and in order.

Third, Scripture Outlines the Proper Process (Matt. 18:15–17)

Now if your brother sins, go and show him his fault, between you and him alone; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.  But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed.  And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as the Gentile and the tax collector.

We’ve considered this passage in detail before, and we’ve already touched on it today.  So, let’s consider it with just a brief overview.  What does our Lord actually command?

Well, Jesus gives a clear, sequential process for addressing sin or offense between believers.  It begins privately: if a brother sins against you, go to him alone and point out his fault.  The goal at this stage (and at all stages) is ultimately restoration through personal confrontation, not public exposure or second-hand reporting.  If he listens, you have gained your brother and the matter is resolved between the two of you.

The only difference is that public sin can and must be dealt with publicly (like this reported situation with the anonymous packets).  If it is an already-public sin that requires public accountability, that is one thing.  However, the biblical standard remains, meaning the anonymous method itself violated the pattern of open, accountable confrontation.

Let’s get back to our Lord’s instructions.  Now, if he does not listen, take one or two others along so that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.  This step still aims at private resolution.  It simply provides a needed layer of accountability and protection against false or exaggerated claims.

If he still refuses to listen, then the matter moves to the church.  This includes involving the elders of the church, of course.  They will want to verify that the process has been properly followed, and they will want the opportunity to call the offender to repentance.  If he does not, though, they will bring it before the congregation.

In the rare event that this person refuses even to listen to the church, he is to be treated as an outsider — someone outside the fellowship of believers.  The is not about anonymous accusations, gossip campaigns, or immediate public shaming.  There’s a progressive and reasonable process that our Lord calls us to follow.

Fourth, Scripture Call Us to Evaluate Ourselves (Prov. 16:2)

All the ways of a man are pure in his own sight, but Yahweh weighs the motives.

We don’t want there to be unchecked problems in our lives.  Let’s consider what might be going on under the surface if we aren’t doing things God’s way.  Here are just a few things that may be happening in the heart.

Do We Experience the Fear of Man?

People choose anonymity because they do not want to face the person.  I don’t mean someone facing an abuser who is seriously concerned for her life, but someone who just doesn’t want to be perceived as “the bad guy” in a confrontation.  Proverbs 29:25 says, “Trembling before man brings a snare, but he who trusts in Yahweh will be set securely on high.”  Our value of God’s judgment must be above whatever else we’re concerned about, and anonymous notes are not a loophole for this principle!

Do We Experience a Desire for Influence (Without Accountability)?

Sometimes, you might want to be a talebearer because it seems like people are listening to you or taking you seriously for the first time.  This is a satisfying feeling, but it’s an idol if we are avoiding what God says.  Scripture warns, “Do not, many of you, become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive a stricter judgment” (James 3:1), and this can apply just as much to those who want to influence others.  There is a judgment that is coming for anyone who abuses the privileges God puts before us.

Do We Experience a Lack of Trust in Scripture?

This one may be harder for some Christians to say out loud, because we know the Bible is God’s holy and inerrant Word.  Yet, deep down, the person who continues to resist following God’s plan does not trust the biblical process.  When members (or even leaders) conclude that “the system won’t work” or “they won’t listen,” they invent parallel processes.

Even when the information contains some truth, the manner in which we conduct ourselves is important.  If a person is going to engage in excessive steps of anonymity, such as creating fake online profiles or mailing accusations with false return addresses, that reveals that sinful motives are behind the efforts to “reveal the truth.”  It reveals a heart that is not walking in the light (1 John 1; Eph. 4:25; 5:8–11).

There may be more happening, of course.  What happens once attacks (anonymous or otherwise) become a pattern, is that people begin to assume the worst of motives in each other.  Mole hills become mountains, and everyone is on guard for the worst.  The church then fails to operate as God called it to in love.

Conclusion

Let’s do things as God prescribes.  In our church, anonymous accusations will not be acted upon with formal charges… in fact, most of them will end up in the garbage can.  That doesn’t mean we don’t welcome concerns, but we expect the person raising them to attach a name to them.

Also, we will practice biblical church discipline here.  This means that we will not tolerate those who try to circumvent the process.  If we find one of our members are spreading gossip and accusations without going through the biblical channels, then we will be forced to begin church discipline on that person.  If the person is not a member, then we may exercise the right to disinvite the person from all church functions.  Our goal isn’t to be punitive (restoration must always be our aim), but to ensure this remains as healthy a church environment as possible.

If someone comes to you with gossip rather than following what God says, then remind them of this truth.  Don’t let such perverse conversation fester under the guise of “people are just talking.”  Challenge people to go to one another directly, or to go to a pastor who is able to have a hard conversation with someone. 

Let’s do all of this in obedience to Christ.  Let’s do this so our church culture is one that cultivates trust and love.  Let’s do this so we are all watching our lives and doctrine carefully.