Joe Rigney, author of 'The Sin of Empathy,' dives into the complex nature of empathy in today's society. He explores how untethered compassion can lead to destructive outcomes, using examples that highlight the fine line between genuine care and emotional manipulation. Rigney discusses the consequences of misguided empathy, particularly in issues like abortion and gender identity. He also critiques evolving societal attitudes, emphasizing the need for discernment within the Christian community to navigate compassion and accountability.
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Empathy's Dual Nature
Empathy is a virtue that can go wrong if it becomes untethered from truth and good for the long term.
Untethered empathy leads to harmful enabling rather than helpful compassion.
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Pity Parties in Families
A family member throwing a pity party to manipulate others is an example of bad empathy.
Giving in to such emotional manipulation harms relationships and enables destructive behavior.
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Reactive Empathy vs Responsive Compassion
Empathy is reactive, simply sharing emotions, while sympathy or compassion is responsive and sober-minded.
Responsive compassion considers what is truly good for the other, not just their immediate feelings.
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In 'The Great Divorce', C.S. Lewis presents an allegorical narrative where souls from a gray, dreary town (representing hell) are given the opportunity to visit heaven. The story follows the narrator and various ghosts as they encounter spirits in heaven, engaging in dialogues that reveal the nature of their choices and the reasons they remain in hell. The book emphasizes that hell is a self-imposed state, and individuals choose to remain there due to their inability to let go of their earthly attachments and sins. Through these encounters, Lewis explores themes of redemption, the afterlife, and the importance of spiritual choices, underscoring that true joy and salvation are available to those who seek them sincerely.
The Sin of Empathy
Compassion and Its Counterfeits
Joe Rigney
In this book, Joe Rigney argues that while empathy is often seen as a virtuous trait, it can also be a tool for manipulation and a source of harm. Rigney distinguishes between empathy and sympathy, suggesting that empathy involves joining people in their darkness and distress without making judgments, whereas sympathy involves showing compassion while maintaining a sense of boundaries and truth. He discusses how unregulated empathy can lead to emotional blackmail, selectivity, and cruelty, and how it has been exploited in various contexts, including under the progressive gaze and within feminist and church settings. The book emphasizes the importance of genuine compassion that is grounded in truth and justice.
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In this episode Becket Cook interviews Dr. Joe Rigney who joins us to unpack the themes of his book The Sin of Empathy. We explore how untethered compassion can lead to destructive outcomes, the cultural shift in empathy's role, and how Christians can pursue true, soberminded compassion rooted in biblical truth. From emotional manipulation to the progressive gaze, this conversation covers crucial cultural and theological ground.
The Becket Cook Show 
