Witnesses & Justice

From Douglas Wilson & Randy Booth's A Justice Primer:

Witnesses must be accountable to the appropriate court, and must be in a position whereby they can be cross-examined. Thus anonymous accusations must be rejected as unsubstantiated and considered not credible...not all witnesses are to be believed...Multiple credible witnesses are required before even receiving an accusation against an elder (I Tim. 5:19)...Malicious false witness violates the ninth commandment and inflicts serious damage on our neighbor. Negligent or careless false witness is also a breaking of the ninth commandment and can have similar effects. Our obligation is to honestly and accurately represent others when we disagree with them, not to assume that we know what they really meant.