Has Empathy Been Hijacked? The Dangerous Lie Christians Must Confront | Joe Rigny
Ideas Have Consequences With Larry Alex Taunton
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Show Notes
In this episode, Larry Alex Taunton sits down with Joe Rigney, author of The Sin of Empathy, to explore how compassion—when untethered from truth and Scripture—can be distorted and weaponized. Rigney explains the difference between healthy empathy and a destructive form that prioritizes immediate feelings over long-term good.
Together, they unpack how “toxic empathy” can manipulate families, churches, and entire institutions—often discouraging truth, correction, and discernment under the guise of compassion. The conversation dives into topics like the rise of “victimhood culture,” the inflation of terms like trauma and oppression, and the growing influence of therapeutic frameworks within Christian spaces.
They also examine how political ideologies and cultural narratives can exploit the desire to appear compassionate—especially in debates around abortion, gender, immigration, and justice. Ultimately, Rigney argues that the answer is not less compassion, but compassion rightly ordered—anchored in truth, reality, and Christ.