Ever since Joe Rigney released his book about empathy being a sin, the TheoBros of conservative evangelicalism have been piling into his bus, demonizing empathy for those they run over as “the greatest rhetorical tool of manipulation in the 21st…
Mohler joins the war on empathy and takes on Hillary Clinton
Al Mohler doesn’t believe empathy is a real thing, but he does believe Hillary Clinton has ruined the idea of social justice. In his Feb. 3 podcast called “The Briefing,” the president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary joined the conservative…
Calvinist pastor prays for God to smite the people of Minneapolis
A professor at John Piper’s Bethlehem Seminary prayed on Sunday not for God to protect the terrified people of Minneapolis, but for God to protect ICE from the violent people of Minneapolis. “I’m a pastor in Minnesota. Here’s how I…
Empathy and reasoning aren’t rivals – new research shows they work together to drive people to help more
For years, philosophers and psychologists have debated whether empathy helps or hinders the ways people decide how to help others. Critics of empathy argue that it makes people care too narrowly – focusing on individual stories rather than the broader needs of…
Most Americans don’t share the MAGA vision
Last week, PRRI released our flagship American Values Survey. In this unprecedented political moment, we find party polarization remains a pernicious and growing aspect of American politics. That Republicans and Democrats remain polarized in their views on a range of public…
Empathy for enemies is the heart of the gospel
Recently, in some evangelical circles, a contingent of folks has begun talking about the so-called “sin” of empathy. Joe Rigney brought this discussion into the limelight in 2019 with a series of blog posts at Desiring God written in the…
Trump supporters are wired differently, researchers report
There are social and psychological reasons supporters of President Donald Trump show less empathy toward the minorities and enemies he targets, according to new research. “Conservative political ideology is associated with social dominance orientation, right-wing authoritarianism, psychopathic propensities, and other…
Criminalizing humanity — turning Good Samaritans into lawbreakers
In a nation that often prides itself on Christian values, humanitarian outreach and freedom, an alarming trend is unfolding: Compassion is being criminalized. Law enforcement officers would detail, arrest and/or take Jesus Christ and all his disciples to jail for…
If you act right … Actually, it takes more than acting
Then the Lord said to Cain: Why are you angry? Why are you dejected? If you act rightly, you will be accepted; but if not, sin lies in wait at the door: its urge is for you, yet (but) you…
Elon, empathy and immigrants
On Feb. 28, Elon Musk took aim at “empathy” on a Joe Rogan podcast. He said empathy is “the fundamental weakness of Western civilization.” Barely one month later, April 1, in a New Yorker interview, Al Mohler, president of Southern…
What’s the best thing to say to a person facing a tough time?
Many people struggle with knowing how to support others who are enduring tough times, but empathy — the kind, thoughtful key to that support — can be learned, Christy Edwards told participants at the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship General Assembly in…
Empathy can take a toll – but 2 philosophers explain why we should see it as a strength
In an interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, billionaire and Trump megadonor Elon Musk offered his thoughts about what motivates political progressives to support immigration. In his view, the culprit was empathy, which he called “the fundamental weakness of Western civilization.”