Well,

My family and I have made the painful decision to move on from the church we've been attending for 3+ years. The reasons are plentiful: from the fact that all 5 of the pastor's children are backslidden (compare Titus 1:6), to the fact that his wife is a malicious gossip in the darkest sense of the word, to the sorrowful mishandling of Scripture we hear every Sunday, etc. etc. etc.

Anyways, I am writing a letter to the church board explaining exactly why we're leaving, and the letter is going to be quite frank about the things I mentioned above, and more.

But now, I am struggling with a question I would like some input on: what is my responsibility to the other people still attending the church, when I'm asked by them why we left? Some of them may not know about these issues, and I'm wondering, how much is gossip? How far does it go before its slander? How honest do I have to be?

I feel a certain responsibility to tell the truth to those people, but on the other hand I am petrified to sin by gossip or slander. I've been thinking about how Paul told the Galatian church all the nitty-gritties of his confrontation with Peter, beacuse obviously they needed to know, but then am wondering if that situation is even close to this one. I'm kind of spinning from this whole situation, and am feeling at a loss for wisdom.

So, any input (and prayers) would be appreciated!

(Latin phrase goes here.)