assassinating character

Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools,
      or you will become as foolish as they are.
Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools,
      or they will become wise in their own estimation. (Proverbs 26:4-5)

Actually, the old expression is: damned if you do and damned if you don’t.

There are some things you cannot win. And trying to answer foolishness is one of them.

Someone comes to you with a litany of complaints as to what you have done wrong in your ministry. What do you do? Do you defend and say, Oh, no. I have done this and that? Do you get irritated? What do you do?

There is nothing you can do. The idiot stands there and tells you all the stuff you are doing wrong – and you know he has to be an idiot because no one can do that much wrong in that short a time – and there is little you can say.

All you can do is listen.

When Jesus was on trial, they brought up everything in the world, even to the allegation that he was going to tear down the temple in Jerusalem. Now nobody can physically accomplish that, no matter how strong they are.

All he did was listen to them. He didn’t really try to defend himself. He knew they were going to do what they were going to do no matter what he said.

Even if the voice of God came down and angels appeared with flaming swords, they still would have done what they were going to do.

But what they had to say was handy for what they had in mind: character assassination.

Character assassination doesn’t need anything in particular that is true. It just needs to be loudly said. Sooner or later, someone will respond with, Well, where’s there smoke, there’s fire.

And the answer is no. That is not true. Sometimes where there is smoke, it is just a smoke bomb thrown to divert attention from something else.

But of course, it usually accomplishes its purpose. It assassinates a character.

And those around who allow it to be so are equally guilty.

Many a minister has left the ministry because of some disgruntled person who has tried his or her best to assassinate character. The world has many former pastors who have left out of frustration or sadness because someone has done his or her best to hurt them and their families.

It is a shame. And there is nothing to be done by it. Those who do such think they have the superiority of holiness around them when actually they have the stink of hell.

They have, at the risk of over-dramatization, assassinated the character of God’s anointed. And they will never prosper, they will never be happy, they will never be the kind of people God would have them be until they repent of their sin and turn from their wicked ways.

And asking forgiveness wouldn’t hurt either.

Just a thought.