The word itself may be new, but is the concept new? Thomas Goodwin and the author of Hebrews suggest otherwise. What’s more likely is that the overly forced division between sympathy and empathy is a twentieth-century construct.
We are currently praying for 100 Australians who would each give $100 a month in regular support. Is that something you could be a part of? We’d love to have you on board! Help us, in other words, to get a bit more body behind that frill. We reckon there’s a great gospel return on your investment.
When you are tempted to write something off as ‘weird’, take a breath and show curiosity first instead.
I find myself oddly well placed to talk about this. Two years ago, I completed my doctorate at Cambridge University. My thesis? A contrast between the Gospel of John and the portrayal of Dionysus’s opponents in Euripides’ tragedy, The Bacchae.
Toward the end of the Opening Ceremony, as representatives from each nation brought their flags together, I couldn’t help but feel emotional. When Jesus returns, he will gather all those he has saved, from every tribe and language and people and nation, free of division, in complete unity.
