The Missions Podcast The Sin of Empathy? Leadership, Sabotage, and Missions With Joe Rigney
Can empathy be a bad thing?
This week, Alex and Scott sit down with Joe Rigney, Fellow of Theology at New Saint Andrew's College and pastor, as they explore the challenges of Christian leadership, ministry, and missions, and the dangers of emotional sabotage and untethered empathy. Rigney explains that in times of turmoil, leaders must maintain mission clarity and resist being derailed by reactive or manipulative pressures within their organizations.
Joe Rigney discusses that rather than being an unqualified good, empathy can be wielded as emotional blackmail, steering ministries away from their God-given purposes. They also focus on principles of mobilization and missions. Rigney stresses that appeals to missions should be rooted not in guilt but in gratitude, joy, and faith in God’s future grace.
Key Topics
- The concept of mission drift and how institutions get derailed in anxious times
- Difference between biblical compassion and untethered empathy
- The dangers of empathy as emotional blackmail and manipulation
- How appeals to missions should be based on truth and joy, not guilt
- Building sober-minded, resilient leaders who can withstand cultural and emotional pressures
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Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email alex@missionspodcast.com.