Toxic Empathy: How Progressives Exploit Christian Compassion

by Allie Beth Stuckey

But empathy alone is a terrible guide. It may be part of what inspires us to do good, but it’s just an emotion and, like all emotions, is highly susceptible to manipulation. That’s exactly what’s happening today. Empathy has been hijacked for the purpose of conforming well-intentioned people to particular political agendas. Specifically, it’s been co-opted by the progressive wing of American society to convince people that the progressive position is exclusively the one of kindness and morality. I call it toxic empathy.

The goal of statements like these—examples of toxic empathy—is to get us to suppress our opposition to a particular issue or point of view by playing upon our desire to be a good person.

But empathy and kindness are not synonymous, and neither are empathy and compassion. Kindness describes how we treat someone, either in word or deed. Compassion means to suffer with someone who’s struggling. Both kindness and compassion are necessary components of love. But empathy literally means to be in the feelings of another person. Empathy by itself is neither loving nor kind; it’s just an emotion. Love, on the other hand, is a conscious choice to seek good for another person.

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. This confusion has not only made us a morally lost people but it’s also harmed the very people empathy-mongers claim they’re trying to help: the truly marginalized and vulnerable.

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.

I can tell you from years of experience that softening the truth about an issue doesn’t persuade people. Be kind, yes, but be clear and strong.

For the Christian, empathy should never compel us to affirm that which God calls sinful or to advocate for policies that are ineffective at best and deadly at worst.

EMOTIONAL LANGUAGE: Manipulative rhetoric lacks substantive, logical

For example, to promote infanticide, they tell us “abortion is health care.” To destroy God-ordained sex differences, they say “trans women are women.” To pressure us to accept “gay marriage,” they declare “love is love.” To promote open borders, they assert “no human is illegal.” And to radically reshape an America they’ve deemed racist, sexist, transphobic, and more, they insist that “social justice is justice.”