The Enticing Sin of Empathy
I've probably mentioned this before, but my studies have brought me back around to this topic. We assume, as present-day Christians, that empathy is an all-encompassing good, wherein we gain and communicate understanding to one who suffers. Yet, what good is that, really ? Joe Rigney, the president-elect of Bethlehem College and Seminary, wrote an article a couple of years ago titled, “ The Enticing Sin of Empathy: How Satan Corrupts Through Compassion .” He writes it in the form of C. S. Lewis's Screwtape Letters --- a fictional exchange in which an elder demon (Wormwood) educates his nephew in how to become a better tempter. This "correspondence" reveals the deception of seeking empathy over a true Christian virtue: compassion. So many voices today tell us to just affirm the feelings of others. The pastor may not probe. The Christian counselor may not maintain emotional distance. No, we must plunge in, with both feet, and simply allow the waves to wash over u