I agree with your call for compassion. However, I find it disingenuous that you don't even acknowledge that the danger is from within the house. Conservative Christians are currently writing & speaking about "toxic empathy." People are leaving the Church because they have not found any compassion there.
There is now a clear distinction between those who follow the teachings of Jesus, and fundamentalists who follow the Bible. It's not clear which one you follow.
Thank you for this thoughtful note. You’re absolutely right that compassion must begin inside the house of faith — otherwise it becomes performance, not fruit.
When I write about compassion, I’m not excusing the Church; I’m confessing my own need to grow in it. Jesus often corrected religious hearts before He comforted broken ones, and that’s a lesson I take seriously.
The term “toxic empathy” troubles me too — empathy never becomes toxic when it’s guided by truth and humility. It only turns harmful when we use it to avoid accountability.
As for which I follow — I follow Jesus. The Bible is the lamp, but He is the light.
I agree with your call for compassion. However, I find it disingenuous that you don't even acknowledge that the danger is from within the house. Conservative Christians are currently writing & speaking about "toxic empathy." People are leaving the Church because they have not found any compassion there.
There is now a clear distinction between those who follow the teachings of Jesus, and fundamentalists who follow the Bible. It's not clear which one you follow.
Thank you for this thoughtful note. You’re absolutely right that compassion must begin inside the house of faith — otherwise it becomes performance, not fruit.
When I write about compassion, I’m not excusing the Church; I’m confessing my own need to grow in it. Jesus often corrected religious hearts before He comforted broken ones, and that’s a lesson I take seriously.
The term “toxic empathy” troubles me too — empathy never becomes toxic when it’s guided by truth and humility. It only turns harmful when we use it to avoid accountability.
As for which I follow — I follow Jesus. The Bible is the lamp, but He is the light.