Hillary Clinton and Allie Beth Stuckey: A War of Worldviews

It’s not too often that you see former First Lady, Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Christian podcaster Allie Beth Stuckey in the same story — but that’s exactly what happened last week.

Writing in the Atlantic, Mrs. Clinton called out Mrs. Stuckey for her use of the term “toxic empathy” — which is also the name of the social conservative’s bestselling book. In the context of the magazine article, though, the former Secretary of State was incredulous that a Christian could string those two words together.

“Toxic empathy!” Clinton wrote. “What an oxymoron. I don’t know if the phrase reflects moral blindness or moral bankruptcy, but either way it’s appalling.”

Mrs. Clinton’s comments certainly reflect her worldview. 

Allie Beth Stuckey is neither morally blind nor bankrupt. In fact, she is one of the leading Christian lights of the social conservative movement — willing to wade into controversial topics and unafraid to say what so many others seem reluctant to declare.

According to Allie Beth, “Empathy becomes toxic when it encourages you to affirm sin, validate lies or support destructive policies.”

In her Atlantic piece, Mrs. Clinton suggested “that Christians like me — and people of faith more generally — have a responsibility to stand up to the extremists who use religion to divide our society and undermine our democracy.”

It takes a certain degree of confusion and distortion to pack so many falsehoods into a single sentence. 

Mrs. Clinton goes on to deride Allie Beth Stuckey as the “Commissar of MAGA morality.” It’s curious how quickly critics of social conservative policy resort to name-calling, especially likening evangelical Christians to members of the Soviet Union’s Communist Party. 

It’s unlikely that Mrs. Clinton recognizes the irony of her criticism of Allie Beth, but it’s instructive and illustrative of the gaping ideological cultural divide we’re all navigating as Christian believers in the public square.

In short, she’s making Allie Beth Stuckey’s point.

Toxic empathy isn’t an oxymoron but an apt description of taking a strength to an extreme, and often blindly going along to get along. It discourages thoughtful discernment and instead relies on pure emotion.

In a biblical context, “empathy” is active compassion and a willingness to bear another’s burden — it’s not the suspension of the law or the absence of critical thinking. It’s to be tenderhearted but also not be someone with tunnel vision. Wise Christians understand and appreciate that decisions have consequences. To love someone is to want what God believes is best for them — not what they necessarily believe or want.

True empathy is protecting an innocent pre-born baby by encouraging and showing a mother there are ways to navigate a difficult situation. Toxic empathy is encouraging that same women to unburden herself by aborting the baby. Genuine empathy is protecting our borders to protect the innocent people in America from violent criminals trying to break into the country. Toxic empathy is throwing open the border and assuming and taking comfort in the belief most of the people coming in mean no harm.

Allie Beth Stuckey’s Christian worldview rightly appreciates that sinful men and women of faith are susceptible to distorting even good things.

“If you feel so deeply what someone else feels, you can forget that there are other people involved in this moral equation,” she told Major Garrett this past week. “You can even be blinded to objective reality and morality.”

For years, seasoned Christian social conservatives have been praying and calling for a new generation of believers to rise, defend and proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ to a sleepy and rebellious culture. Allie Beth Stuckey is an answer to those many prayers.