 How can I identify when a conversation turns to gossip? How can I remove myself from a conversation that's turned to gossip, especially with another Christian? Well, gossip is just idle chatter and talking about things regarding another person that you wouldn't say to their face. That's how I've always defined gossip. Sometimes it goes into slander which is wounding another person's reputation. And so if what I have done when someone comes to me with a gossip is I usually stop and say, have you talked to this person about what you're telling me? And if they haven't, then I ask them to do that and that I'm not the solution to this situation. They need to go to that person. My husband's even gone a step further and says, why don't we get in my car right now and we'll drive over to this person's house and you can just tell them what you told me. That'll stop them from coming to you because they know you're not going to entertain it. To receive gossip is as bad as giving it. But if they know that you're going to do the right thing and I had a lady do this in my church recently and she was gossiping to me about another lady in my church and I said, I'm going to hold you accountable to go talk to her. And so I hold them accountable to do that. That's the loving thing to do. I said the loving thing to do isn't to tell me about it. The loving thing to do is to go to her and tell her that you're offended.