Practicing Empathy -Empathy As Resistance (Erin) - Week 3
- Sean Stanfield
- Jun 22
- 1 min read
Practicing Empathy
Empathy As Resistance
Rev. Dr. Erin Beasley
June 22nd, 2025
Discipleship Guide
Empathy is resistance against a culture of indifference, division, and dehumanization. When we choose to understand rather than ignore, and connect rather than condemn, we become part of God’s work of justice. This week, we’ll talk about how empathy can be a powerful tool in confronting the forces of evil and injustice in this world.
Questions for Reflection
1. Read Isaiah 58:6–9a aloud. What stands out to you in this passage? How does God describe the kind of worship that is pleasing?
2. How do you define empathy? How is the empathy described in Isaiah 58 different from simply feeling sorry for someone?
3. Verse 7 speaks of not hiding yourself from your own kin. In what ways do we "hide" from the pain and suffering of others in today’s world, intentionally or unintentionally?
4. What systems or cultural values today encourage indifference instead of empathy? How can empathy serve as resistance to those forces?
5. Look again at verse 8: “Then your light shall break forth like the dawn…”What kind of healing or transformation have you seen happen, either personally or in community, when empathy led to action?
6. Practicing empathy often requires us to slow down and pay attention. What are some practical ways you can cultivate greater empathy in your daily life—at work, in your community, or in difficult conversations?
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