Is Empathy a Sin? A Clarifying Debate

July 29, 2025

00:00 01:01:34

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Empathy is often seen as a virtue, but is there a point where it becomes dangerous? Today, I have fellow Biola professor Dr. Tim Muehlhoff, a communications expert, to explore whether modern Christians are becoming so empathetic that they begin to compromise biblical truth. Are Christians afraid to speak truth for fear of offending others? And how can we balance compassion with conviction? We hope this conversation helps you if you've ever wondered how to love well without losing your grounding. Our goal in this conversation is to work through the debate today so you can have clarity on what is at stake. Please let us know what you think!READ: End the Stalemate, by Sean McDowell and Tim Muehlhoff (https://amzn.to/43SAVyp)The Sin of Empathy, Joel Rigney: (https://amzn.to/4e4RRVR)Toxic Empathy, by Allie Beth Stuckey (https://amzn.to/4l09TKR)*Get a MASTERS IN APOLOGETICS or SCIENCE AND RELIGION at BIOLA (https://bit.ly/3LdNqKf)*USE Discount Code [SMDCERTDISC] for 25% off the BIOLA APOLOGETICS CERTIFICATE program (https://bit.ly/3AzfPFM)*See our fully online UNDERGRAD DEGREE in Bible, Theology, and Apologetics: (https://bit.ly/448STKK)FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter: https://x.com/Sean_McDowellTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sean_mcdowell?lang=enInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/seanmcdowell/Website: https://seanmcdowell.org

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Meet Your Host

Sean McDowell is a professor of Apologetics at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University. He has earned two Master's degrees in philosophy and theology and his Ph.D. in Apologetics and Worldview Studies. He is the author, editor, or co-author of more than 20 books, including "More Than A Carpenter," "Chasing Love," "End the Stalemate," and "The Fate of the Apostles." Sean has one of the top apologetics YouTube channels with over 340k subscribers. He is an internationally renowned speaker and he is on the teaching team at his home church in southern California.