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How Empathy Becomes An Enemy     A lack of empathy does more than render people indifferent; it makes suffering easier to dismiss, injustice easier to justify, and cruelty easier to permit. When we lose the willingness to understand another person’s pain, we risk treating people as inconveniences or, worse, as obstacles to selfish motives. The darker reality of viewing empathy as something to avoid is a tendency toward extreme measures against “subjects” labeled guilty or suspicious. Harsh actions aim to demonstrate a “tough” anti-empathetic stance. Recent news about potentially live-streaming a public execution illustrates this mindset. It is not enough that justice might be served; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appears intent on projecting toughness by advocating a publicly live-streamed execution by firing squad. This is the same individual who proposed requiring military personnel to take a test measuring testosterone levels. Jesus taught that we should love our neighbor as ourselves. That does not prevent holding a neighbor accountable, but it should prevent treatment inconsistent with the nature of Christ. Your neighbor is not only the person next door or those you choose to accept. Your neighbor is every person you might encounter. It is ironic that some of the worst policies of our present time, and throughout history, are backed by people claiming to be Christian. People who claim to be Christian without the character of Christ operate under a delusion of holding authority and permission from God. Combining religious conviction with self-serving motives is a dangerous mix. Frederick Douglass observed that the most brutal slaveholders often presented themselves as the most devout Christians. Many European conquests seized territory and subjugated Indigenous populations under the banner of the “Doctrine of Discovery,” which was an ungodly Christian construct in which religious leaders granted followers permission to dominate and take land from those labeled non-Christian. Even the Third Reich under Adolf Hitler appropriated Christian language and imagery to legitimize aspects of its ideology. The label “Christian” is simply a title and does not guarantee any connection with Jesus Christ. A tree is known by its fruit, rather than its title. I recall clearly calling myself a Christian long before I formed any relationship with Christ. Misrepresenting empathy warrants attention as Christian nationalist circles increasingly describe empathy as sinful. Pastor Joe Rigney’s book, Leadership and the Sin of Empathy: Compassion and Its Counterfeits, and Allie Beth Stuckey’s book, Toxic Empathy: How Progressives Exploit Christian Compassion, address this subject. These are essentially “straw man" arguments. A straw man argument is a logical fallacy in which someone misrepresents, exaggerates, or distorts another person’s position to make it easier to attack or discredit. Rigney, Stuckey, and others have spread claims that identifying with another’s suffering might weaken truth or moral judgment. Their views vary, yet both portray certain types of empathy as spiritually hazardous. Empathy is primarily a feeling or mindset, so its moral significance depends largely on how it influences our judgments and actions. It is certainly not a biblical sin, and suggesting otherwise is presumptuous and decidedly anti-biblical. It is not the place of sinful people to define “sin” for others. As the saying goes, “The pot cannot call the kettle black.” The anti-empathy movement is poised to desensitize the population, including children, to become more inclined to hold suspicions of “other” people rather than default to acceptance.  This will contribute to a mindset of normalizing brutal treatment of those “others.” ICE abductions and internment of people in facilities that many of us regard as concentration camps are examples of how a lack of empathy strips away inhibitions in treating many honest, hardworking people worse than persons actively telling lies, starting wars, wasting human lives, hiding evidence of crimes they have committed, and authorizing acts of harm and deceit. When protecting an ideology demands silencing concern for another person, that ideology must be challenged and rejected. Following Christ requires keeping one’s heart open to people, including difficult or disagreeable people, remembering that we are not the ultimate judge, but also that accountability is necessary. Justice is not detached from empathy. The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution states in part: “[No person shall] be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” As was the case with my African-American ancestors and with Native Americans, individuals not deemed to be “persons” were denied equal recognition and protection under the law and could be subjected to inhumane treatment and deprived of fundamental rights.Today, the lack of regard for personhood is the basis of harsh treatment for undocumented persons, including similar harsh treatment of U.S. citizens suspected to be undocumented. Again, this is an instance where empathy would provide a check on inhumanity and cruelty to avoid harming innocent persons or mistreating suspected persons. This is also an example of the abusive outcome of an anti-empathy mindset. In our justice system, individuals are supposed to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. But there is a subset of persons in our country who are not afforded that presumption of innocence. Anti-empathetic mindsets may also contribute to miscarriages of justice, including wrongful convictions later overturned by DNA evidence. Empathy could have created room for a fairer assessment. Among Christian nationalists, whose religious identity merges with cooperating political authorities, in defiance of the Constitution, “others” are framed as a threat; the vulnerable are treated as a burden; and listening to fully understand is seen as weakness. Jesus showed a different approach. He wept with those mourning Lazarus, touched people others avoided, and answered weary crowds with care. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, the one who modeled empathy was the person who drew near to suffering and offered aid to someone outside of his culture, unlike those who walked past and even distanced themselves from the injured person to keep their religious “purity” intact. (Luke 10:25-37) Scripture urges believers to weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15), carry one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), and join compassion with humility (1 Peter 3:8). These instructions require us to create space for other people’s experiences, not just those of our family, friends, and fellow church members. Empathy does not guarantee wisdom, but rejecting it removes a guard against dehumanization. Having empathy, as demonstrated by the Lord Jesus, allows us to practice the proverb that says, “Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4:23) According to Scripture, we don’t know our own hearts. This fact makes it essential to allow God’s grace, truth, and Christ-like empathy to train our hearts. Otherwise, the human heart becomes subject to this reality: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9) Claiming to be a Christian without a heart-changing encounter with Christ, as evidenced in bearing good fruit, will not prevent human deceitfulness and wickedness from ruling the heart. All of the inhumanity and cruelty we see today is the fruit of the natural state of the human heart without Christ. Again, identifying as a “Christian” may have nothing to do with the Lord Jesus Christ. A Christianity that trains people to question empathy and doubt compassion will lead to hard hearts. It is not a version of Christianity with Christ at the center. Empathy will expand one’s capacity to love with the God kind of love, while maintaining the ability to hold one another accountable.   ~ Bryan Hudson, D.Min.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan Luke 10:25 And behold, a certain [a]lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” 27 So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ” 28 And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.” 29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among [b]thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 On the next day, [c]when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ 36 So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” 37 And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Genesis 8:22, While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease. Romans 14:4, Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.

Study Outline PDF This Bible study develops the theme of New Covenant Church’s 44th ministry anniversary: “The Glory of God’s Purpose.” The primary text is Haggai 2:1–9, with important background drawn from Haggai 1. The central message is that the glory of God is not ultimately measured by buildings, numbers, material resources, or comparisons with the past. God’s glory is revealed when His purpose is fulfilled through a people who trust His presence, obey His Word, and continue His work. Pasted markdown

Join me for our Firm Foundation Bible Study, Wednesday, September 30 at 7:00pm CLICK HERE TO BIBLE STUDY WEBPAGE Haggai 1:1 In the second year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying, 2 “Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, saying: ‘This people says, “The time has not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built.' ” 3 Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying, 4 “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this [a]temple to lie in ruins?” 5 Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways! Haggai 2:1-9, In the seventh month, on the twenty-first of the month, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying: 2 “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, saying: 3 ‘Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? In comparison with it, is this not in your eyes as nothing? 4 Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ says the Lord; ‘and be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all you people of the land,’ says the Lord, ‘and work; for I am with you,’ says the Lord of hosts. 5 ‘According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!’ 6 “For thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; 7 and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this [d]temple with glory,’ says the Lord of hosts. 8 ‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the Lord of hosts. 9 ‘The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give peace,’ says the Lord of hosts.”

“Transformed by the Peace of God” Lesson by Pastor Bryan Hudson, D.Min. Taught September 24, 2026 at Jesus House Residential Program of Jesus Inside Prison Ministry in  Indianapolis, Indiana  www.jipm.org DOWNLOAD LESSON SUMMARY PDF

1 Corinthians 15:9, For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

2 Corinthians 2:14–15, “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.”

Matters of the Heart: Let Peace Be Your Umpire teaches that the condition of the heart shapes the direction of our lives. Rather than allowing hurt, fear, disappointment, or other emotions to make the final call, believers are called to let the peace of God rule—like an umpire—guiding our thoughts, decisions, and responses through the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. Sermon Summary:  Colossians 3:15, And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.  In Matters of the Heart, Pastor Bryan Hudson teaches that what happens in the heart ultimately manifests in our lives. The heart is the center from which thoughts, attitudes, words, decisions, and actions flow. During seasons of change and challenge, life often forces us to narrow our focus and return to what matters most—especially the condition of our hearts and the peace of God.  The central Scripture is Colossians 3:15: “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts.” The word rule carries the idea of an umpire—one who decides, determines, and makes the call. Just as an umpire determines whether a pitch is a ball or strike, believers must allow the peace of God to determine how they respond to situations, emotions, relationships, and difficult circumstances.  The message emphasizes that difficult feelings should not simply be denied. Anxiety, hurt, fear, and other troubling emotions can function like a warning light, physical pain, or an unusual sound in a car: they indicate that something deserves attention. Faith does not deny reality; faith allows God to address reality at a deeper level. The symptom is not always the problem—it may be pointing us toward a deeper matter of the heart.  Pastor Hudson explains that spiritual understanding requires going beyond what can be seen or reasoned through naturally. Hebrews 11:3 teaches that what is visible came from what is unseen. Likewise, the outward circumstances of life may have roots in unseen matters of the heart. Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman illustrates this principle: while she initially focused on natural water and religious traditions, Jesus led her toward the deeper reality of living water, spirit, and truth.  The sermon further defines the heart as involving the spirit and soul together. The believer's born-again spirit is the stable foundation of life in God, while the soul—our mind, will, and emotions—requires renewal, transformation, training, and sanctification. Therefore, much of the work of spiritual growth involves allowing what God has placed in our spirit to influence and govern our soul.  Peace is not merely a pleasant emotion; peace is a governing influence. Hurt, betrayal, trauma, disappointment, envy, unforgiveness, bitterness, resentment, and entitlement may all be real, but they must not be allowed to become the umpire of our lives. Instead of acting primarily from what we feel, we should become quiet before God, listen to His Spirit and His Word, receive wise help when needed, and allow His peace to make the final call.  Jesus promised in John 14:27, “My peace I give to you.” God provides the peace, but the words “let the peace of God rule” imply our cooperation. We must yield to His peace rather than allowing the noise, pressures, emotions, and distractions of life to govern us.  The message concludes with a decision of faith: choose peace over everything else. Rather than allowing real emotions and painful experiences to dictate our decisions, we go to the “heart level,” where the Holy Spirit and the Word of God can bring clarity, transformation, and victory. Peace becomes the foundation from which we can properly address the challenges before us.  Central message: Let the peace of God be your umpire. When emotions, circumstances, and competing voices are making their calls, allow God’s peace to make the final decision. Closing Confession of Faith I will allow the peace of God to rule my heart. Peace will be my umpire. Peace will decide what I will do or not do When I am facing a challenge, I won't try to reason my way around it without the help of the Holy Spirit and Scripture. As a matter of the heart, I will go to the heart level to address things that I don't fully understand. God is Spirit, so I must worship and live through him in spirit and in truth.  According to 1 Thessalonians 5:23, I will allow the God of peace to sanctify me completely so that my whole spirit, soul, and body will be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. I will live, according to the order of spirit, soul, body. Not the reverse order of body, soul, spirit. Peace will govern my heart and mind, not mindsets and emotions such as hurt, trauma, disappointment, things that have not worked as I expected, envy, unforgiveness, bitterness, resentment, and entitlement. Jesus Gives the Peace That Umpires my life I agree with what He said in John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you"

Psalm 119:93, I will never forget Your precepts, For by them You have given me life.

Pilgrim or Traveler: How to Go From Strength to Strength Pastor Bryan Hudson, D.Min. WATCH TRIBUTE VIDEO FOR REV. HORACE BRYAN HUDSON   Psalms 84:5-7, Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a spring; The rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength, each one appears before God in Zion. Based on Psalm 84:5–7, this message challenges believers to consider whether they are merely travelers moving through life for personal satisfaction or pilgrims moving with God-given purpose. The central text declares, “Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage… They go from strength to strength.” The sermon was also dedicated to Dr. Hudson’s father on the eve of his 90th birthday, connecting the message of pilgrimage, legacy, faith, and strength with the influence of previous generations. Faith Requires Hope Faith cannot function properly without hope. Drawing from Hebrews 11, the message defines hope as the picture of an expected outcome and faith as the substance that gives reality to that hope. Strong faith therefore requires strong, clear hope rooted in Scripture, God’s promises, purpose, and the testimony of what God has done in previous generations. Remembering history and legacy helps create those pictures of hope. Just as Israel carried stones from the Jordan River as a memorial of God’s faithfulness, believers should preserve testimonies of what God has done so future generations can develop hope and faith for themselves. Our Strength Is in God Psalm 84 teaches two essential truths: our strength is in God rather than ourselves, and our hearts should be set on pilgrimage rather than mere travel. Skills, knowledge, experience, and accomplishments must never cause believers to forget the One who supplied their strength. A pilgrimage is a journey with purpose. For the believer, pilgrimage is no longer primarily about traveling to a sacred geographical location. Because believers are complete in Christ, the pilgrimage is toward places of purpose, service, communion, and fulfillment of the will of God, and it is lived within covenant community. Pilgrim Versus Traveler The sermon presents an important contrast: The traveler seeks satisfaction in the moment; the pilgrim seeks purpose for a lifetime. Travelers primarily consume experiences for themselves; pilgrims move with purpose and look for opportunities to serve. Pilgrimage is not merely reaching a destination—it is living an entire journey according to God’s purpose. Dr. Hudson illustrates this through his six trips to Africa. Most were mission journeys focused on preaching, encouraging, feeding, helping, and strengthening people rather than sightseeing. The difference was purpose: he was there as a pilgrim, not simply as a traveler. Passing Through the Valley of Baca The Valley of Baca represents the difficult, dry, sorrowful, and sometimes tearful portions of a pilgrim’s journey. The sermon emphasizes that hardship is a normal part of purposeful living, but believers should distinguish between suffering encountered while following God and difficulties created through their own mistakes—what the sermon calls a “non-Baca valley.” When believers encounter a true Valley of Baca while pursuing God’s purpose, they do not simply endure it. Through God’s grace, they transform the difficult place into a spring. God may not have caused the hardship, but He can sustain His people through it and bring something beneficial from it. Turning Difficulty Into a Resource One of the sermon’s strongest pictures comes from pilgrims traveling through dry places. They would dig wells or shallow cisterns to capture groundwater, rain, or moisture. The water sustained them, but when they continued their journey, the resource remained for whoever came behind them. This becomes the deeper meaning of “strength to strength.” It is not simply: I received strength, and now I receive even more strength for myself. Rather: God gives me strength, and I use what He has given me to add strength to someone else. A pilgrim asks, “What can I do in this hard place that will become a spring for somebody coming behind me?” From Strength to Strength Means Blessing Others Going from strength to strength therefore has a generational and communal dimension. The believer's resources, experiences, lessons, victories, and even hardships can become resources that strengthen others. Rather than thinking only individually, believers are called to think about family, community, posterity, and the Kingdom of God. Dr. Hudson connects this principle with caregiving, observing what others had done for their parents and later applying lessons from those examples while caring for his own father. He also gives the contemporary example of New Covenant Church making space available to Mindful Pieces Behavioral Therapy, demonstrating that even while personally traveling through a difficult season, it is still possible to create a resource that blesses someone else. Pilgrimage Produces Legacy The ultimate goal of pilgrimage is not simply personal achievement but legacy. The sermon makes this important distinction: “An inheritance is what we leave to people. A legacy is what we leave within people.” A pilgrim therefore moves through life asking not only, “What can I receive?” but, “What can I leave behind that will strengthen somebody else?” The message closes with a confession of faith declaring: I am a pilgrim, not merely a traveler. My heart is set on pilgrimage. I move with purpose toward service, communion, and fulfillment of God’s will. When I pass through a Valley of Baca, God helps me transform difficulty into a resource for others. By His grace, I go from strength to strength—not merely gaining strength for myself, but creating springs and pools that add strength to others. Central Message A traveler passes through life consuming experiences. A pilgrim passes through life with purpose, allowing God to turn even difficult places into resources that bless others. Going “from strength to strength” means receiving strength from God and then using that strength to strengthen the people and generations coming behind us. And the supreme example of this purposeful pilgrimage is Jesus Christ, through whom every good thing is made possible. CONFESSION OF FAITH I am a Pilgrim, not only a traveler. My heart is set on pilgrimage, moving with purpose to places of purpose, service, communion, and fulfillment of the will of God.  I do not travel alone, but within covenant community. I am not a traveler who seeks satisfaction in the moment. I am a pilgrim whose heart seeks purpose for a lifetime.  Pilgrimage is a long journey of purpose. It is not only a destination, but a journey. When moving through a valley of Baca, God helps me transform the difficulty into a resource for others. By the grace of God, I go from strength to strength, not only gaining more strength for myself, but creating springs and pools as resources that add strength to others. As a pilgrim, I move with purpose to leave a legacy. Legacy is more than inheritance. An inheritance is what we leave to people. A legacy is what we leave within people. My example is the pilgrimage of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who makes every good thing possible.

All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being. (1 Corinthians 10:23-24)   Paul was writing to the Corinthian church, which struggled with issues of liberty, idolatry, and community life. In 1 Corinthians 8, he addressed the question of eating food sacrificed to idols, showing that Christian freedom must be exercised with regard for others’ consciences. Believers were using their freedom in Christ as justification for behaviors without considering consequences. Just because we CAN do something does not mean we SHOULD. Personal privilege and liberty must be balanced with considering others.   “Not all things are helpful” (or “expedient”). The Greek word used here means “profitable, beneficial, advantageous.” Freedom must be weighed against whether it produces spiritual or moral good.   This is a key phrase for Christ-followers who are not self-centered: "Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being." We should be about edifying others. The Greek word means “to build up, strengthen, promote growth.”   This should be our aim and culture—not "me," "myself," and "I."

“For with God nothing will be impossible.”  ~ Luke 1:37 “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” ~ Luke 1:38

Psalm 37:23-24, The steps of a goodman are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way. 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand.

2 Timothy 2:3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier