Is Empathy a Virtue? (04/17/25)

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Plain Bible Teaching Podcast

This week we’re talking about empathy. I recently read a new book by Joe Rigney – The Sin of Empathy: Compassion and Its Counterfeits. This book has received a lot of criticism because, in our society, empathy is seen as being unquestionably good. But is it? Or is it possible for it to be corrupted? We’re going to consider this in our episode today.Continue Reading

Book Review: The Sin of Empathy

The Sin of Empathy (cover)For many, empathy is considered an unquestionably positive virtue. Yet in a new book provocatively titled The Sin of Empathy, author Joe Rigney challenges that assumption. In it, he argues that empathy is very different from the Biblical concept of compassion. In fact, he suggests that our culture has distorted compassion and created “empathy” as a justification for sinful and destructive behaviors. He described the pressure to conform to this counterfeit of compassion as living “under the progressive gaze.”

Here is the description of the book:Continue Reading