Empathy Is Now a Sin? Really?
How a trait that seems so virtuous — so Christian — became the bogeyman for a new movement of conservative evangelicals.

Roxanne Stone
March 6, 2025
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Welcome to the bizarro world that is 2025.
It’s toxic. It’s sinful. It’s compassion corrupted. It’s ruining the world and is definitely at the root of all the bad things. What is this fresh evil? Empathy, of course! Or so says a growing faction of Christians with very loud voices. On this first episode of a brand new season, Katelyn and Roxy try to trace this argument back to its roots and figure out how a trait that seems so virtuous — so Christian — became the bogeyman for a new movement of conservative evangelicals.
Plus: a sickness story swap and the punishing timeline nobody asked for.
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As a nonprofit, though, we also depend on the generosity of readers to support our work. Today, far fewer than 1 percent of the 500,000+ people who visit this site in an average month are also donors. But if just a few of the you who read all the way to the bottom of this note decide to join us as supporters, we'd be sure to have the resources to continue, and expand, our journalism.
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