50. Toxic Empathy: How Progressives Exploit Christian Compassion

Toxic Empathy: How Progressives Exploit Christian Compassion. Allie Beth Stuckey. 2024. 224 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars] [christian nonfiction] 

First sentence: It was like I could feel her anxiety.

Can empathy be toxic? Stuckey argues YES. She makes an effort to distinguish between compassion, empathy, and toxic empathy. The book tackles five "lies" being promoted by society. She argues progressive society, but, I think it is more widespread than that. This is more the majority opinion, the mainstream opinion. Even within the mainstream church you can find advocates for all five lies. The church is not necessarily "safe" from these persuasive lies.

The five lies are as follows: 

• Abortion is health care
• Trans women are women
• Love is Love
• No human is illegal
• Social justice is justice

These are both political issues and moral/ethical issues. And Stuckey does not deny that these are complex, mutli-layered issues. But she also is clear that the Word of God is authoritative, that feelings are not truth, that Christians need to be clear where the Bible is clear. Kindness, true compassion, must be grounded in biblical truths. 

She writes,

"The erroneous conflation of love and empathy has convinced the masses that to be loving, we must feel the same way they do. Toxic empathy says we must not only share their feelings, but affirm their feelings and choices as valid, justified, and good."

She continues, 

Empathy can help us see their perspective and foster compassion, but that's all it can do. It can't guide us into making the right decisions or donning the wise, moral, or biblical position. Toxic empathy bullies us into believing that the unwise, immoral, and unbiblical position is actually the righteous one."

She follows up,

"To love means to want what is best for a person, as God defines "best." God's definition of what is good and loving will almost always contradict the world's definition, which will inevitably put us at odds with mainstream culture. While this is uncomfortable, the sacrifice is worth it. The truth can change lives."

And,

"This book isn't about killing empathy. It's about embracing God's vision for love, order, and goodness. My goal is to equip you with commonsense, biblical truths that dismantle toxic empathy from its foundations. Again: real love--the kind described by the God who created and is love (1 John 4:8)--always includes truth. The two are inextricably intertwined, since true love celebrates truth (1 Cor. 13:6). Christians are called to this kind of love regardless of whether we feel empathy or not." 

Finally,

"Putting yourself in someone's shoes may help you feel their pain, but their pain isn't determinative of what's true or false, right or wrong." 

I think the book is timely and relevant. I think it is well organized and laid out. The chapters--if you can call them chapters--are EXTREMELY long. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible