A Christian battle grows over whether empathy is virtue or weakness as the U.S. diversifies

As the U.S. grows more diverse, a quiet civil war is unfolding within American Christianity over who deserves empathy.

Why it matters: Conservatives ranging from evangelical pastors to Elon Musk have started framing empathy not as a virtue but as a vulnerability on immigration, racial justice and LGBTQ+ rights. • They are working to drive out school lessons on empathy and argue in books and sermons that empathy is for the weak or "woke." • Others say empathy is central to Christianity and the teachings of Jesus. • This split comes as Christianity and organized religion are shrinking and the U.S. undergoes a profound demographic transformation: no single racial group will hold a majority within two decades.

Zoom in: "Empathy as hoisted up as the highest virtue — or even a virtue at