Join Dr. Joe Rigney, a theology fellow and author of The Sin of Empathy, as he argues that unchecked empathy can be sinful. He squares off with Dr. Alastair Roberts, a theologian and co-author of Echoes of Exodus, who advocates for a more nuanced view. They dive into the moral complexities of empathy, its role in pastoral care, and the importance of balancing compassion with truth. From scriptural foundations to discussions on masculinity in relationships, this dialogue challenges listeners to rethink the nature of empathy in a modern context.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Drowning Analogy for Empathy
Joe Rigney uses the analogy of a drowning person to illustrate different emotional responses.
Compassion is reaching out while staying tethered, empathy can be overwhelming and untethered, and apathy is indifference.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Biblical Compassion in Practice
When helping someone in pain, acknowledge their hardship and emotions without affirming falsehoods.
Maintain hope grounded in Christ's sovereignty even when others cannot see it.
insights INSIGHT
Empathy Needs Boundaries
Empathy requires boundaries to prevent emotional enmeshment and loss of moral clarity.
Healthy compassion is tethered to truth, allowing us to suffer with others without joining in harmful beliefs or actions.
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Joe Rigney calls empathy a sin. Alastair Roberts says not so fast. Who’s right?
Today, we explore a question at the heart of pastoral care, public witness, and Christian leadership: Is empathy a virtue to be cultivated or a vice to be resisted?
Professor Joe Rigney and Dr Alastair Roberts joined Andy Kind. Joe is the author of The Sin of Empathy, a provocative work that argues that when empathy becomes "untethered" from truth, it ceases to be a virtue and can even become sinful. Alastair, a fellow theologian, has written a substantial critique, arguing that Joe's language has muddied important distinctions and potentially misrepresents a vital Christian posture. This conversation is not about labels, but substance - and we'll explore everything from scriptural foundations to gender roles, pastoral ethics, and theological nuance. Can caring too much ever become morally wrong?
Dr Joe Rigney serves as Fellow of Theology at New Saint Andrews College and is the author of several books, including Things of Earth and Strangely Bright. Joe Rigney, Dr. Joe Rigney, author of The Sin of Empathy.
Joe on X: @joe_rigney
Dr Alastair Roberts is a Teaching Fellow of The Theopolis Institute and professor for Davenant Hall, and one of the hosts of the Mere Fidelity podcast. He is a co-author of Echoes of Exodus: Tracing Themes of Redemption Through Scripture (2018).
Alistair's substack: https://argosy.substack.com/.
Alistair on X: @zugzwanged
oon Radiopaper: https://radiopaper.com/AlastairRoberts
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