{"id":114911,"date":"2026-02-01T15:06:39","date_gmt":"2026-02-01T21:06:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=114911"},"modified":"2026-02-01T15:06:39","modified_gmt":"2026-02-01T21:06:39","slug":"114911","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=114911","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/centerforbaptistleadership.org\/christian-stop-falling-for-weaponized-empathy\/?fbclid=IwY2xjawPoTDxleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEehrpbMBXvP4759XxRyZsGTqgrJEF1X2cldyzYTecPypdhCfjwV9LuuXrQ4sU_aem_pfJFIf-iBeFZLHtnKlxj4g\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Stop Falling for Weaponized Empathy<\/a><br \/>\nFor all the gullible Christians angrily venting about ICE, your Christian love is not pure. You&#8217;re functioning as agents of chaos. Stop it.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-2 fusion-flex-container has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\">\n<div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\">\n<div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-1 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" data-scroll-devices=\"small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility\">\n<div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\">\n<div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-2\">\n<p>For all the gullible Christians angrily venting about ICE, your Christian love is not pure. You&#8217;re functioning as agents of chaos.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-3 fusion-flex-container has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\">\n<div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\">\n<div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-2 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" data-scroll-devices=\"small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility\">\n<div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\">\n<div class=\"fusion-content-tb fusion-content-tb-1\">\n<p>Weaponized empathy is everywhere right now. And Christian, you have got to stop being so gullible and falling for it.<\/p>\n<p>Seriously, your naivete might feel warm, nice, friendly, and loving. But that\u2019s not how true Christian love works.<\/p>\n<p>I saw a post by the radical progressive \u201cpastor\u201d Benjamin Cremer that was getting shared a lot on Facebook. The post listed all the \u201cun-Christlike things\u201d he claims that ICE is supposedly doing, such as using \u201cchildren as bait,\u201d \u201cshooting unarmed protesters,\u201d \u201cteargassing families,\u201d and \u201cterrorizing immigrant communities and people of color.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The whole post went on and on like this, dripping with moral outrage and emotional manipulation. It was a textbook emotional ambush. No argument, no evidence, just big feelings.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2839\" src=\"https:\/\/centerforbaptistleadership.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/G_oSYpjW4AE43CK-1.jpeg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1406px) 100vw, 1406px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/centerforbaptistleadership.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/G_oSYpjW4AE43CK-1-200x174.jpeg 200w, https:\/\/centerforbaptistleadership.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/G_oSYpjW4AE43CK-1-300x262.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/centerforbaptistleadership.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/G_oSYpjW4AE43CK-1-400x349.jpeg 400w, https:\/\/centerforbaptistleadership.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/G_oSYpjW4AE43CK-1-600x523.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/centerforbaptistleadership.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/G_oSYpjW4AE43CK-1-768x670.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/centerforbaptistleadership.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/G_oSYpjW4AE43CK-1-800x698.jpeg 800w, https:\/\/centerforbaptistleadership.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/G_oSYpjW4AE43CK-1-1024x893.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/centerforbaptistleadership.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/G_oSYpjW4AE43CK-1-1200x1046.jpeg 1200w, https:\/\/centerforbaptistleadership.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/G_oSYpjW4AE43CK-1.jpeg 1406w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1406\" height=\"1226\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>What troubles me is that so many Christians were sharing this as though it were wise and insightful. But it\u2019s not\u2014not in the slightest.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The logical holes were so massive you could drive a truck through them. But the author wasn\u2019t making a case for his perspective based on biblical reasoning.\u00a0<strong>His case was based entirely on feelings, and church people fall for that kind of thing all the time.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>False teaching almost always bypasses the mind and works directly on the emotions. That\u2019s why scripture warns us to watch out for it. Paul says false teachers \u201ccause divisions and create obstacles\u201d by using \u201csmooth talk and flattery\u201d to \u201cdeceive the hearts of the naive\u201d (Rom 16:17-18). That\u2019s exactly what Benjamin Cremer was doing in his post.<\/p>\n<p><strong>He was using emotional manipulation to make error\u00a0<em>feel<\/em>\u00a0like love. It works like a charm on naive people.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s a big problem in the modern church. Too many people are gullible, and gullible Christians are causing a lot of harm in the church. These people aren\u2019t blue-haired radical leftists we see at ICE protests in Minneapolis. No, they are ordinary Christians who sit next to you in church on Sunday but are led by their emotions. They are the nicest people you\u2019d ever meet. They just don\u2019t have the stomach to face hard realities. They think being \u201cChristlike\u201d is whatever makes them feel good.<\/p>\n<p>But here\u2019s the truth: it isn\u2019t Christlike to be gullible. It isn\u2019t Christlike to believe and share debunked propaganda. It isn\u2019t Christlike to be led by your emotions. It isn\u2019t Christlike to outsource your critical thinking skills to the left-wing activists in the mainstream media.<\/p>\n<p>So why are Christians so gullible? It\u2019s because they\u2019ve been trained to think \u201clove\u201d means whatever it feels like in their happy place. They assume Jesus just wants us to be nice and get along and never do unpleasant things like hold people accountable for their actions. They equate \u201clove\u201d with their feelings. They assume Jesus wants them to go around and feel sorry for people, no matter what they\u2019ve done to bring harm upon themselves, because Jesus is all compassion and zero accountability. And if people are held accountable in ways that cause them pain, then that is not being \u201cChristlike.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This thinking is wrongheaded. Biblical love isn\u2019t about pointing your emotions in a particular direction. Biblical love is defined by actions and attitudes prescribed in scripture. How you feel about it is secondary.<\/p>\n<p>Look carefully at Paul\u2019s prayer from the beginning of Philippians. He says, \u201cAnd it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ\u201d (Philippians 1:9-11).<\/p>\n<p>First, notice that Paul is praying that their \u201clove may abound more and more.\u201d That\u2019s clear enough. We\u2019re talking about genuine Christian love. But love isn\u2019t merely an emotion. Paul describes the kind of love he has in mind.<\/p>\n<p>Second, he prays that their love will abound \u201cwith knowledge and all discernment.\u201d That\u2019s important.\u00a0<strong>Christian love is a\u00a0<em>thinking<\/em>\u00a0love. Christian love needs to be well-informed. Christian love is discerning; it makes proper distinctions and draws clear moral boundaries.<\/strong>\u00a0But why is that important?<\/p>\n<p>Third, these things matter so \u201cyou may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless.\u201d In other words, we need knowledge and discernment to anchor our love in what is good and right. Or as Paul says, to \u201capprove what is excellent.\u201d This is true Christian love, the kind of love that is \u201cpure and blameless.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Therefore, love that\u00a0<em>lacks<\/em>\u00a0discernment is not pure and blameless. In fact, undiscerning \u201clove\u201d is not real love. It is all feelings and no wisdom. That\u2019s the kind of irrational, undiscerning, corrupted \u201clove\u201d we\u2019re seeing these days from gullible Christians. They hear sad stories and believe them immediately. They don\u2019t realize they\u2019re being lied to and propagandized. They don\u2019t think in biblical categories; they think in terms of their emotions. They equate \u201cloving the stranger\u201d with open borders. They assume every illegal immigrant is an innocent victim and we\u2019re supposed to just \u201clove\u201d on them, just like Jesus would. Since they genuinely feel sorry for people and don\u2019t want anyone to suffer, they assume that\u00a0<em>must<\/em>\u00a0be what Jesus would want them to do. After all, God is a God of love, and they assume God\u2019s love is just as emotional as theirs. This is love without discernment, which causes a lot of harm.<\/p>\n<p>Biblical love is love PLUS knowledge PLUS discernment. In other words, love requires discernment. Period. Discernment is the rope that keeps people tethered to reality. Without it, love becomes a weapon that evil people use against you. Undiscerning love makes people very easy to manipulate. All you need is a sob story to make people feel sad, and Christians will take up their cause.<\/p>\n<p>Without discernment, love gets twisted into a sentimental monstrosity. For the gullible and undiscerning, this kind of pseudo \u201clove\u201d claims the moral high ground. It does have some rhetorical advantages, which is why so many people fall for it. It sounds biblical enough to convince undiscerning people it must be right. But it\u2019s not. These are not arguments or facts. They are ear-tickling slogans, nothing more.<\/p>\n<p>Just as discerning love is pure and blameless, undiscerning love is impure and blameworthy. Obviously, the unhinged rioters and agitators bear the blame for their actions. But their nice,\u00a0 Christian enablers who feel big feelings of \u201clove\u201d bear some of the blame too. To claim the mantle of Christlikeness in the service of lawlessness is evil, even if the one doing it thinks they are just showing Christian love. Their undiscerning love is just a front for the wickedness they are enabling. So, the blame belongs to those Christians who are so desperate to feel compassionate that they\u2019ll believe anything, question nothing, and call it love.<\/p>\n<p>Christians, we are morally responsible for\u00a0<em>how<\/em>\u00a0we love. We don\u2019t just get to feel sorry for an illegal immigrant and \u201cstand up\u201d for them and call it love. That\u2019s not love, no matter how strongly you feel it. Love does not spread leftist propaganda, \u201clove rejoices with the truth\u201d (1 Cor 13:6).<\/p>\n<p>So, for all the gullible Christians who are angrily venting about ICE, your Christian love is not pure. It is not blameless. You are functioning as agents of chaos. You bear the blame for your irrational outrage, even if you present it as love and care and compassion.<\/p>\n<p><strong>So, I\u2019ll say it again. Being gullible is a sin. Being undiscerning is a morally culpable act. Allowing anti-Christian and anti-American radicals to manipulate you through weaponized empathy is a sin.<\/strong>\u00a0It is wrong to carelessly wield the name of Christ, making false accusations against law enforcement and making excuses for criminals.<\/p>\n<p>Your emotions and subjective ideas of Christlikeness don\u2019t dictate reality. Truth does. And truth requires discernment, not just feelings. We don\u2019t get to emote all over the place and call it love.<\/p>\n<p>So Christians, stop being gullible. Start being discerning. That\u2019s what real love requires.<\/p>\n<p>Michael Clary is the Lead Pastor of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.christthekingnky.com\/\">Christ the King Church<\/a>\u00a0in Fort Thomas, KY<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Stop Falling for Weaponized Empathy For all the gullible Christians angrily venting about ICE, your Christian love is not pure. You&#8217;re functioning as agents of chaos. Stop it. For all the gullible Christians angrily venting about ICE, your Christian love is not pure. You&#8217;re functioning as agents of chaos. Weaponized empathy is everywhere right now. &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=114911\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-114911","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editorial-o-the-day"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114911","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=114911"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114911\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":114912,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114911\/revisions\/114912"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=114911"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=114911"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=114911"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}