Overview

• Allie Beth Stuckey and Joe Rigney published books arguing that certain forms of empathy are sinful or misleading, framing it as “toxic” or a counterfeit compassion.
• Proponents say progressives exploit empathy to sell policies they oppose, citing abortion access, LGBTQ+ rights, illegal immigration and some racial justice claims.
• Elon Musk amplified the theme by telling Joe Rogan that empathy is a fundamental weakness of Western civilization during the early months of Trump’s second term.
• Southern Baptist leader Albert Mohler has featured Stuckey and Rigney on his podcast and favors the term sympathy over empathy, distancing himself from his 2014 call for empathy after Ferguson.
• Progressive clergy and scholars reject the premise, with Washington National Cathedral’s Dana Colley Corsello and others insisting empathy is central to Jesus’ ministry.