9.19.25 Charlie Kirk’s example, a review of The Senior, and distinguishing between sympathy and empathy

Summary

The World and Everything In It — Episode Summary

Date: September 19, 2025
Main Theme:
This episode explores the national response to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the role of public figures in Christian discourse, a critical review of the new faith-based film "The Senior," and a thoughtful examination of the difference between sympathy and empathy.

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1. Charlie Kirk’s Assassination: Cultural and Religious Significance

Segment Start: 06:05

Key Discussion Points

• Huge Public Memorial for Charlie Kirk in Phoenix signals his influence, especially among young Christians.
• John Stonestreet’s Analysis:
  • The event will likely challenge negative narratives about Kirk (“racist and homophobic and bigoted”).
  • Observes a shift in American religious life:
    • A decade ago, main story was the “rise of the nones” and church deconstruction.
    • Now, “the most important religion news stories of the last three years is the rise of the religious, particularly among the young, particularly young men” (07:34).
  • Sees Kirk’s death as a catalyst, part of a “story of re-enchantment coming off of the disenchantment of modern [life]" (07:53).
• Philosophical Underpinnings of Political Violence:
  • Cites Nietzsche’s “parable of the Madman” — theoretical nihilism is now real and dangerous.
  • New categories like “nihilistic violent extremist” (NVE) reflect a postmodern, critical theory-influenced mindset, where the “oppressed group” is beyond redemption, fueling extremism.

Notable Quotes

• “A lot of those things that Nietzsche describes as being on the way are now here.” — John Stonestreet (09:27)
• “We’re seeing the really poisonous fruit of nihilism and a postmodern despair and a critical theory mood and several other things at work here.” — John Stonestreet (10:01)

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2. Narratives & Conflicting Perspectives on Charlie Kirk

Segment Start: 10:12

Key Discussion Points

• Differing Christian Responses: Two viral videos show:
  • One decries honoring Kirk, calling him a “weapon of the enemy.”
    • "You do not become a hero in your death when you are a weapon of the enemy in your life." (11:18)
  • Another (by a black woman) defends Kirk, challenging the narrative of him as racist.
    • “Black people are always so quick to want to be the victim … but we are not there anymore.” (12:27)
• Social Media Disparity:
  • The critical video is far more widely viewed (4.9 million vs 22,000), showing which narrative dominates.

Christian Response

• Stonestreet’s Take:
  • While Kirk wasn’t perfect, the “good faith narrative is winning”—many have gone looking for evidence of bigotry, “and I didn’t find it” (13:34).
    • His work made it possible to examine his words in context (“the good news is you can go find out everything you need to know right now all for yourself, and I'd encourage you to do that.” — 15:59)
  • Warns about “selective outrage,” especially among some Christian critics who hold Kirk to a higher standard for political reasons while excusing more fundamental theological disagreements from others.

Notable Quotes

• “There’s a group of people that are more right now among the most guilty of this kind of narrative imposing and refusal to see other things. And that is sin.” — John Stonestreet (14:36)

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3. The Challenge of Soundbite Culture

Segment Start: 16:25

Key Discussion Points

• America’s aversion to deep engagement:
  • “We are a soundbite culture, and we don't want to do the work of listening to the whole thing, right?” — Myrna Brown (16:25)
• Even well-intentioned listeners may be tempted to judge by “one sentence out of context.”

Notable Quotes

• “A few of them are even hard to understand in context. Right. There's gotta be a good faith effort…” — John Stonestreet (16:49)

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4. Personal Risks for Christian Public Figures

Segment Start: 17:20

Key Discussion Points

• Do Christian leaders worry about personal safety?
  • John Stonestreet: “I don't really worry. I haven't really worried. I don't think I'm that big of a deal. I certainly get, you know, hate mail and things like that. But that's all kind of part of the gig.” (17:32)
  • Notes the heartbreak and fear among the wives and children of public figures (“...images in the days after of Charlie with his little girl. I got three daughters, man, that breaks your heart.” — 17:47)

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5. Movie Review: The Senior

Segment Start: 20:29
Reviewer: Joseph Holmes

Key Discussion Points

• Premise: Based on the true story of Mike Flint, who returns to college football at 59.

• Strengths:

  • Inspirational narrative; strong performances, especially Michael Chiklis as Mike Flint.
  • Meaningful themes: confronting the past; reconciling with family.

• Critique:

  • The film’s “feel-good” style clashes with its portrayal of difficult family dynamics.
  • Family concerns about Flint’s quest are not convincingly addressed.
  • Tendencies towards convenient resolutions and underdeveloped character arcs.

Notable Quotes

• “The Senior succeeds in enough ways that die hard fans of inspirational dramas and Faith based films may rule this a touchdown. But those spoiled by better recent entries may find its fumbles are unrecoverable.” — Joseph Holmes (26:32)

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6. Wordplay: Sympathy vs. Empathy with George Grant

Segment Start: 27:13

Key Discussion Points

• Definitions & Origins:
  • Sympathy: Compassion—“to come alongside, to care for or to console the hurting.” (27:31)
  • Empathy: To “actively share in someone’s emotional distress,” making their suffering one’s own (28:10).
  • Sympathy’s roots are biblical—Greek “sympathizo.” Empathy is a more recent term, adapted from German philosophy and Freudian psychology.
• Practical and Philosophical Differences:
  • Sympathy affirms and supports.
  • Empathy, if unrestrained, may become “weaponized pity,” tearing down boundaries between the sufferer's burden and one’s own, leading to manipulation.

Notable Quotes

• “Sympathy willingly joins with sufferers in their pain, but empathy makes their suffering our own in a more universal and totalizing way. As a result, he says, empathy can all too often become weaponized pity...” — George Grant (29:57)

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7. Memorable/Notable Moments

• John Stonestreet on risk in public ministry:
  “He was no dummy. He calculated that risk. ...The physical security is the plexiglass; the virtual security is the high editing and making sure everything is just perfect, because it would have undermined the sort of thing he was trying to accomplish.” (13:57)

• TikTok defense of Kirk:
  “I am 100% convinced that you have never sat through a full debate of his or watched any of his debates with a sound understanding.” (12:09)

• George Grant on modern language wars:
  “The really important things are the things about which men will fight. I sympathize with that.” (31:17)

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8. Timestamps for Key Segments

• Intro & Headlines: 00:05–05:56
• Culture Friday – Charlie Kirk’s Influence and Legacy: 06:05–18:44
• The Senior Movie Review: 20:29–26:42
• Wordplay – Sympathy vs Empathy: 27:13–31:38

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For Further Reflection

This episode examines how narratives—especially in the wake of tragedy—increasingly diverge in America, challenging listeners toward “good faith efforts” of discernment and understanding amidst media noise and polarization. It also provides a thoughtful distinction between compassion (sympathy) and emotionally totalizing responses (empathy), rooted in biblical wisdom.

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Hosts: Myrna Brown, Nick Eicher
Featured Guests: John Stonestreet, Joseph Holmes, George Grant

Transcript

[John Stonestreet]

Good morning.

[Myrna Brown]

Today on Culture Friday, the public witness of Charlie Kirk and what his assassination has stirred around the country.

[Nick Eicher]

John Stonestreet is standing by. Also today, a shot at redemption.

[Various Interviewees/Commentators]

I never finished my senior year. I got thrown out for fighting, but I still have that year.

[John Stonestreet]

What do you mean?

[Various Interviewees/Commentators]

I'm eligible.

[John Stonestreet]

Eligible for what?

[Nick Eicher]

To play a review of the new faith based film the Senior and wordplay with George Grant.

[Myrna Brown]

It's Friday, September 19th. This is the world and everything in it from listener supported World Radio. I'm Myrna Brown.

[Nick Eicher]

And I'm Nick Eicher. Good morning.

[Myrna Brown]

Up next, Kent Covington with today's news.

[Kent Covington]

President Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced a row of cameras and microphones in London on Thursday as they touted a new technology pact between the United states and the UK £250 billion.

[John Stonestreet]

Flowing both ways across the Atlantic.

[Various Interviewees/Commentators]

It is the biggest investment package of.

[John Stonestreet]

Its kind in British history.

[Kent Covington]

The deal commits both nations to joint work in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and civil nuclear power with US firms pledging more than $40 billion in investments across Britain. President Trump told reporters, we've done some.

[Various Interviewees/Commentators]

Things that financially are great for both countries and we work together and it keeps us together. And I think it's an unbreak bond we have.

[Kent Covington]

Major players include Microsoft and Nvidia, which plan major AI infrastructure projects. Despite the investment promises, some sore spots remain between the two countries. For example, differences over tariffs and foreign policy, though the two leaders kept those mostly behind closed doors. And during that joint press conference, President Trump also suggested that he's working to reestablish a U.S. presence at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.

[Various Interviewees/Commentators]

We're trying to get it back, by the way. Okay, that could be a little breaking news. We're trying to get it back because they need things from us. We want that base back.

[Kent Covington]

That comes four years after America's chaotic withdrawal from the country, which left that base in the Taliban's hands.

[Various Interviewees/Commentators]

But one of the reasons we want the base is, as you know, it's an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons.

[Kent Covington]

The sprawling base just north of Kabul was central to America's longest war. Also during that same news conference, the president once again reaffirmed America's support for Israel. When asked if he would pressure Israel to halt its offensive against Hamas in.

[John Stonestreet]

Gaza, he responded, people forget about October 7th.

[Various Interviewees/Commentators]

I can't forget about it. So I want it to end, but I want the hostages back. I don't want the hostages used as human shields, which is what Hamas is threatening to do. But as soon as they're back, that's the moment you will tell Netanyahu. Well, it would certainly help.

[Kent Covington]

The president also condemned recent remarks by Hamas after the terror group suggested it would begin using surviving hostages as human shields. Meantime, thousands of Palestinians continue to flee the Gaza Strip. One man said death is everywhere and his family has had to flee from one place to another to escape it. He calls their situation indescribable. Democrats are blasting ABC's suspension of late night host Jimmy Kimmel after remarks he made surrounding the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called it an assault on free speech.

[John Stonestreet]

This is an assault on everything this country has stood for since the Constitution's been signed.

[Various Interviewees/Commentators]

One of the great hallmarks of our country is free speech, whether you agree or disagree.

[Kent Covington]

Democrats say pressure from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr led ABC to bench Kimmel. But ABC says its decision came after affiliate groups like nexstar and Sinclair announced that they would no longer carry Jimmy Kimmel live. And Brendan Carr said Thursday, these were.

[Various Interviewees/Commentators]

Local TV stations licensed by the FCC.

[Nick Eicher]

That have a public interest obligation to serve their local community.

[Various Interviewees/Commentators]

They pushed back and said we don't think that this type of programming is.

[Nick Eicher]

Responsive to, to the needs of our viewers in Utah.

[Kent Covington]

In a recent monologue, Kimmel said, among other things, that in his words, the MAGA gang is desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them. And he later likened President Trump's response to the assassination as, quote, how a four year old mourns a goldfish. The Labor Department says weekly jobless claims fell sharply this past week. World's Benjamin Eicher has more.

[Joseph Holmes]

Unemployment claims fell to 231,000 for the week ending September 13th. That beat expectations and reversed a spike to 264,000 the week before. That earlier number marked a nearly four year high and the number of people continuing to receive unemployment benefits slightly decreased while layoffs are still modest. The labor market is showing signs of softening with weak August job growth and few job openings. But taken as a whole, many analysts say the numbers ease fears of a steep downturn for World. I'm Benjamin Eicher.

[Kent Covington]

And I'm Kent Covington. Straight ahead, culture Friday with John Stonestreet. Plus a feel good football movie from Angel Studios. This is the World and everything in it.

[Myrna Brown]

It's Friday, September 19th. Glad to have you along for today's edition of the World and Everything in It. Good morning. I'm Myrna Brown.

[Nick Eicher]

And I'm Nick Iker. It's Culture Friday. Joining us now, John Stonestreet, the president of the Colson center and host of the Breakpoint podcast. John, good morning.

[John Stonestreet]

Good morning.

[Nick Eicher]

Well, coming up this weekend, John, I can't believe it's only been just a little over a week. Tens of thousands of people are expected to show up in Phoenix for Charlie Kirk's public memorial. A young man is in custody for his killing. The charging documents leave almost no doubt about what the motive was. The shock of this escape assassination has stirred grief and conspiracy theories and raw political division. John, what do you think the scale of this memorial tells us about the role of Charlie Kirk in American life, particularly among young Christians. And you deal with young Christians all the time. How do you interpret his death in light of the courage that you really try to promote among students like that?

[John Stonestreet]

Yeah, you know, and this is going to be an incredibly big event. It's going to be an event that I think will undermine the negative narrative about this, that he was racist and homophobic and bigoted and stuff like that. I think you're going to see an amazing diversity in the turnout. I think that it's part of a larger story. This was kind of a catalytic part of a story that we have been noting recently. Even here and in other places where, you know, a decade ago, you might even say when Charlie Kirk started, the main religion story was the rise of the nuns. And this in America was often accompanied with a great bit of baggage against Christianity and against church life. There was an awful lot of deconstruction going on. And not that that doesn't exist, but the most important religion news stories of the last three years is the rise of the religious, particularly among the young, particularly young men. Some people are calling this the story of re enchantment coming off of the disenchantment of modern. I think that that's going to be an interesting thing to watch. And certainly Charlie's influence played a role in that. I think also the story of the shooter goes beyond our right versus left narrative. And I'm not saying that silly talking point that's been said over and over like political violence is the same on both sides, because it's not. But I do think that there is another example here of something that we've also talked about where the theoretical becomes the existential, where the hypothetical, you know, if you believe this, then fill in the blank. And all of these things were theoretical observations of the worldview and apologetic theorist of 15, 20 years ago. And now we're seeing a lot of this stuff come to pass in kind of the same way that Frederick Nietzsche in the parable of the Madman talked about all the implications of the death of God and then says, I've come too soon. This is on its way, but it's not here yet. A lot of those things that Nietzsche describes as being on the way are now here. And the deep seated nihilism, the idea that everyone is a law unto themselves, is a category. And we're now even putting language to it. There's the nihilistic violent extremist is the nves. As we're hearing this language to categorize people who are now living out this extreme postmodern view, it is tainted by critical theory that if someone is part of the oppressed group, they're irredeemable and if they reach a certain point they need to be eliminated. That certainly is reflected, reflected in the statements about motive, the deep seated I'm going to pursue my own happiness and my own definition of reality and let everything else and any other opinion be considered evil and harmful. You know, this stuff is starting to bear fruit now. This is poisonous, extreme fruit. But we've also seen examples of people actually trying to live this philosophy out. And that's what people do with philosophies that they embrace. They try to live them out. And I think we're seeing the really poisonous fruit of nihilism and a postmodern despair and a critical theory mood and several other things at work here.

[Myrna Brown]

Well, as Nick said, it is hard to believe that we were right here one week ago trying to gather our thoughts as we were coming to terms with Charlie Kirk's assassination. One of the things you said, John, civilizations cannot hold without common definitions of life and value and, and truth. Well, I want to follow up on that because I heard something that goes right to what you said. Now this is someone with very different definitions. Have a listen.

[Various Interviewees/Commentators]

Seeing the flags of the United States of America at half staff calling this nation to honor and venerate a man who was an unapologetic racist and spent all of his life sowing seeds of division and hate into this land. I am sorry, but there's nowhere in Bible where we are taught to honor evil. And how you die does not redeem how you lived. You do not become a hero in your death when you are a weapon of the enemy in your life.

[Myrna Brown]

Well, I have not been able to identify that man. What I can tell you is he delivered that message from a church pulpit and 4.9 million people have viewed it on social media. Now I want you to listen to this message recorded by a random TikTok user.

[Various Interviewees/Commentators]

Anybody, especially black people that are saying Charlie Kirk was racist and was not for black people and did not know black people. I am 100% convinced that you have.

[Myrna Brown]

Never sat through a full debate of.

[Various Interviewees/Commentators]

His or watched any of his debates with a sound understanding. Black people are always so quick to want to be the victim of a.

[Myrna Brown]

Situation that they can't thrive.

[Various Interviewees/Commentators]

And this is one of the things that Charlie Kirk was exposing to black people. We have such a cap on us because we think we're limited, because we're black or because we're women and because we think our ancestors, whatever they went through, is still impacting us today. But we are not there anymore.

[Myrna Brown]

Well, that video has about 22,000 views. Doing the math on this, actually, Nick did the math on this. That's less than 1/2 of 1% of the views. So, John, how should we as Christians respond to non believers who may be confused by these two different portrayals of Charlie Kirk by people who both claim to be offering a Christian view?

[John Stonestreet]

You know, I guess what encourages me is less the comparison between these two videos, although that's super interesting. But I'm one of the many that have been down this rabbit hole almost non stop for the last week. I've seen far more Charlie Kirk videos after his death than I ever saw before his death. Even knowing who he was and appreciating many of the things he was trying to do, most of the things he was trying to do. And what I am seeing overwhelmingly is a response like, I went looking for the hate and the bigotry and I didn't find it. But none of this means that we have to say that Charlie Kirk said everything perfectly. And especially when you do the sort of thing he did, you're going to say things that are going to be easily clippable and at times even just unwise. And I think there are some of those things floating around and everything changes a lot more when they're put in context. He was doing something that was really difficult, but there was no other way to do what he was trying to do without doing it this way, if that makes sense. You take that risk. He was no dummy. He calculated that risk. I was actually just talking about this with a friend I was having lunch with who knew Charlie personally. And he was talking about that he would have never wanted the plexiglass, you know, he would have never wanted the hyper Editing is another way of saying that, you know, the physical security is the plexiglass the virtual security is the high editing and making sure everything is just perfect, because it would have undermined the sort of thing he was trying to accomplish. You know, the conversations about security and whether it was wise and like, well, yeah, if he wanted the security they said he should have, then it would have been different, but that would have kept him from having the event he wanted to have and the connection that he wanted to have. And so I appreciate that, and I think that there needs to be an incredible amount of. Of respect for trying to make that attempt. Many people have noted, Dr. Mohler noted this, I think many others, that he got a lot better at it as he went along, and I think he got a lot better at seeing the person that's right in front of him, and he got a lot better at digging below the idea that the person was espousing, understanding that it came from somewhere. So I appreciate that. And I guess, honestly, there's a group of people that are more right now among the most guilty of this kind of narrative imposing and refusal to see other things. And that is sin. Or left Christians who assumed he was wrong going into it believe the narrative, particularly because of his association with the president. And, you know, it's always amazing to me when you see, like, okay, so he was not allowed to be wrong about that. But then there is a complete dismissal of other believers who somehow it's okay that they don't believe in the inerrancy of scripture, the exclusivity of Christ, or the marriages between a man and a woman. The selective outrage to me is really, really strik. Striking. I'm not saying that Charlie Kirk was above critique. He wasn't. He took plenty of it when he was alive. He's taken more of it now. But I think the good faith narrative is winning on this. And part of that is because of the strategy that he employed. He put so much of this out there. You know, you don't have to wonder if you're wondering, if you're sitting here wondering, what did he believe? And did he really, you know, have these sorts of views? Was he really hateful? The good news is you can go find out everything you need to know right now all for yourself, and I'd encourage you to do that.

[Myrna Brown]

But here's the thing, people. We are a soundbite culture, and we don't want to do the work of listening to the whole thing, right? Because I almost fell into that. I almost fell into that. You know, we had some letters to the editor, and there was that one Sentence about black women, you know, well.

[John Stonestreet]

Listen, and I get it, some of those things are really hard to understand out of context. And a few of them are even hard to understand in context. Right. There's gotta be a good faith effort, and there's not. And I appreciate those people that are trying to promote the good faith effort. And you will influence many, Myrna, in your own willingness and ability to go and check things out for yourself and come up with a conclusion that I think acknowledges that the guy's not perfect. And yet he's certainly not the person he's being portrayed to be by many who want to see his legacy lost.

[Nick Eicher]

John, I want to ask you a personal question because you do appear in public. I know you don't travel with burly guys with, you know, automatic weapons. You ever worry?

[John Stonestreet]

I don't really worry. I haven't really worried. I don't think I'm that big of a deal. I certainly get, you know, hate mail and things like that. But that's all kind of part of the gig. I tell you, the people who are really scared, and it was almost to a person, it was wives. There was a lot of scared wives this week. There was a lot of heartbreak for Erica. I mean, some of those images in the days after of Charlie with his little girl. I got three daughters, man, that. That breaks your heart. And one in particular, I can't even explain this, but one of some of my best memories are when my daughters, when they were really little, you know, they could have those. Those infinitely pliable knees that never got tired and all that, and they could always crouch down and. And when you would tell them something and they were studied and locked in on it, you know, at 2 or 3, and you. You just realize their minds being captivated. There's one image in particular of Charlie and his little girl on the beach when she's crouched down like that. And I don't know, those are my memories with my daughter. And maybe that was the connection. It's a sense of loss. And I think a lot of wives were fearful, but, no, not personally.

[Nick Eicher]

John Stonestreet is president of the Colson Center. He is host of the Breakpoint podcast. John, thanks so much.

[John Stonestreet]

Thank you both. Additional support comes from Planted Gap Year, where young adults combine Bible classes, hands on farming, and outdoor adventure. [e-mail] From Praymore, a new app for.

[Kent Covington]

Churches to share prayer requests with members.

[John Stonestreet]

And send reminders to pray. Free trial. [e-mail] World and from Eyewitness, Powerful audio dramas bringing faith, courage and history to life in unforgettable ways.

[Kent Covington]

At the letter I witnesspod.com.

[Nick Eicher]

Today is Friday, September 19th. Thank you for turning to world radio to help start your day. Good morning, I'm Nick Iger.

[Myrna Brown]

And I'm Myrna Brown. Coming next on the world and everything in it, second chances. It's not too late to chase long deferred dreams or to face the baggage that holds you back. At least in the movies, it's not. Angel Studios latest film titled the Senior follows the true story of Mike Flint who returned to college football at age 59.

[Nick Eicher]

Just a kid.

[Myrna Brown]

Here's reviewer Joseph Holmes.

[Joseph Holmes]

Faith based films have occupied the inspirational melodrama space since the genre's explosion in the early 2000s. At times this has served the genre well, giving audiences hits like War Room and I can Only Imagine. At other times, these types of films have opened faith based studios to charges of dishonesty. For example, sometimes the pressure to have a feel good story trumps the need to portray man's sinfulness accurately. Angel Studios latest film the Senior has a foot in both camps. It's got plenty of inspiration, but parts still feel a bit dishonest.

[Kent Covington]

Mike Flint, 49.

[Various Interviewees/Commentators]

Age is just a number. Texas grandfather who's terrible up the competition. And it's no pickup game. It's in NCAA football. Mike Flint asked himself that question for.

[Myrna Brown]

36 years and now he has finally.

[Various Interviewees/Commentators]

Decided to do something about it.

[Joseph Holmes]

The film very loosely follows the real life story of Mike Flint who at age 59, re enrolls in his alma mater to finish his senior year of college football. This forces Mike to confront long standing issues he has with his abusive father and forces him to face the way those issues have damaged his relationship with his son and wife.

[Various Interviewees/Commentators]

Coach, you want to see me? Son, you're not gonna be captain of the team this year. Why not? In fact, you've been kicked out of school. Coach, come on. Please don't kick me off the team. You're not listening. Not just the team, the school.

[Joseph Holmes]

A strong premise and solid performances carry this film. The true story of an older man going back to college football is inspirational. It shows that it's possible to defy the odds, correct mistakes, give back to the younger generation and yes, follow your dreams. Likewise, overcoming toxic behaviors learned from parents and reconciling with family members you've hurt brings tears to the eyes. Where the film hits those beats. Well, it works.

[Various Interviewees/Commentators]

I never finished my senior year. Yeah, right. Why not? I got thrown out for fighting, but I still have that year. What do you mean I'm eligible? Eligible for what?

[Joseph Holmes]

To play Michael Chiklis, who I still remember fondly from his role as Ben Grimm in 2005's Fantastic Four, is both effortlessly charming and believably complex. As Mike Flint, Brandon Lynn plays the son Micah, and their portrayal of a broken father son relationship is effectively uncomfortable. Perhaps too effectively, as we'll discuss in a moment. Mary Stuart Masterson as Mike's wife Eileen brings a warm and grounded presence to the film, and she, like Chiklis, click. As a lovely but odd married couple, Flint's relationship with his teammates is infectious, and I would have loved to see more of it.

[Various Interviewees/Commentators]

Hey, Jamal. Zingoan Pro is a long shot for anyone, but no one knows whether you're gonna get out on that field again. But you, you work hard, you get out there again. How you know that? You haven't met a linebacker my age. I'm back on the field. And when you get out of here, I expect you to be out there rooting for me. Right that first tackle. It's gonna be for you.

[Joseph Holmes]

The main problem with the Senior is that its feel good premise and execution too often clash with the difficult issues it brings up. The movie wants us to root for Mike as he tries to finish his last season of college football. But to keep the stakes high, the movie frequently has his wife, and especially his son calling his dream selfish and irresponsible. When the risk of injury is so high, mom and son make strong arguments. Whenever he's challenged with these things. Mike's response is largely just, I have to do this. A pattern. We are told he learned from his father that.

[John Stonestreet]

This is exactly what I was talking about.

[Various Interviewees/Commentators]

Oh, Micah, stop being such a worry wart. I'm following the doctor's orders.

[Joseph Holmes]

Lily. Since when do you follow anyone's orders? Dad, it's time to let it go.

[Various Interviewees/Commentators]

Just stop it already, please. I can't. So what?

[Joseph Holmes]

Me, Lily, Laney, Ma, we just.

[Various Interviewees/Commentators]

We don't matter. I hope you enjoy playing your game, dad.

[Joseph Holmes]

Eileen's defense of her husband and justification for supporting him feels weak. She argues that if he can fix this regret, he'll be able to fix all his others, like his failures as a husband and father. But most people with loved ones addicted to self centered and irresponsible behavior find that having their choices validated merely encourages them to keep making the same kinds of choices. It doesn't usually end with them finally apologizing and changing their ways. Likewise, Eileen's logic strikes me as too close to the argument made in the wider culture that we should uncritically support loved ones in whatever lifestyle they choose.

[Various Interviewees/Commentators]

Look, Mike, this has been something I've been wanting to tell you for a long time. Go on. You know, it's been over 35 years and I. I shouldn't have taken so long to tell you. I'm sorry. You are sorry? I was a juvenile, dumb as a rock. I got you kicked off the football team, out of school. I deserved a broken nose. What? Yeah. No, I've. I've been consumed. There hasn't been a day that's gone by that I didn't think about that night when I lost my mind. You're sorry? Yeah.

[Joseph Holmes]

You can see many such forced character beats throughout the film when Mike discovers how his own father came to Faith before he died. We're told through Micah's voiceover that this created a change in his dad. But we don't see any significant change. We just have to take Micah's word for it. The cumulative result is that the emotional rush of inspiration you want in a movie like this falls relatively flat compared to others in the genre. The Senior succeeds in enough ways that die hard fans of inspirational dramas and Faith based films may rule this a touchdown. But those spoiled by better recent entries may find its fumbles are unrecoverable. I'm Joseph Holt.

[Myrna Brown]

Today is Friday, September 19th. Good morning, this is the World and everything in it from Listener Supported World Radio. I'm Myrna Brown.

[Nick Eicher]

And I'm Nick Iger. Well, you know that words don't always mean what we think they mean.

[Various Interviewees/Commentators]

Inconceivable. You keep using the word. I don't think it means what you think it means.

[Nick Eicher]

And sometimes two words we use as synonyms are really worlds apart. Here is George Grant with wordplay for September.

[Various Interviewees/Commentators]

What is the difference between sympathy and empathy? Though the words are often used today as synonyms, they originally had two very different meanings. Both involve feelings of concern for others, but in two very different ways. Sympathy is an expression of compassion, kind heartedness and benevolence. For someone who has suffered difficulty. Adversity or grief means to come alongside, to care for or to console the hurting. Empathy, on the other hand, involves actively sharing in someone's emotional distress. It is to enter into their sorrows and wars, to take up their burdens and affronts, or to identify with their causes and agendas. It is to actually feel the afflictions of others, to make their anguish our own, vicariously experiencing their feelings, their thoughts. Sympathy is the English translation of a biblical term. The Greek word is sympathizo. The prefix m means with, alongside, or together with. The root pathos means experience, misfortune, or emotion. In the New Testament book of Hebrews, we read we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Empathy is a much more recent term, appearing in English for the first time in the early 20th century. The root m means feeling in or feeling into. It is a translation from the German word einfelung, a neologism created by the Austrian philosopher Robert Vischer. He coined it in his 1873 PhD dissertation on aesthetics to describe how people experience a piece of art, music, or literature so profoundly that they actually feel the emotion the artist intended to represent. The word was later transposed into a kind of interdisciplinary moral value by Theodore Lipps, Sigmund Freud's philosophical mentor. Thus, in Freudian psychology, empathy became an essential ethical virtue. When author Joe Rigney published a book about the necessity of biblically discerning the strategic differences between empathy and sympathy, it led to a great social media furore. There was much huffing and puffing, much empathetic kvetching and cavelling. Why? Well, according to Rickney, sympathy willingly joins with sufferers in their pain, but empathy makes their suffering our own in a more universal and totalizing way. As a result, he says, empathy can all too often become weaponized pity, taking up another's offense and defaulting to manipulation. Indeed, it is, he says, the impulse driving much of modern progressivism's cultural agenda, and that perhaps hit a little too close to home. For some, the whole episode has been a reminder of J. Gresham Machen's quip that the things about which men are agreed are apt to be the things that are least worth holding. The really important things are the things about which men will fight. I sympathize with that. I'm George Grant.

[Nick Eicher]

Alright, time now to name the crew who put this week's programs together. David Bonson, Hunter Baker, Janie B. Cheney, Emma Eicher, Colin Garbarino, George Grant, Kim Henderson, Joseph Holmes, Travis Kercher, Brad Littlejohn, Lindsay Mast, Mary Muncie, Mary Reichard, Jenny Ruff, Jenny Lynn Schmidt, John Stonestreet, and Cal Thomas. Thanks also to our breaking news crew, Kent Covington, Christina Grube, Steve Klosterman, and Daniel Devine. And thanks to the Moonlight Maestros staying up late so the program is ready early. Carl Peetz and Benj Eicher Paul Butler is executive producer, Harrison Waters is Washington producer, Kristin Flavin is features editor and Les Sillers is editor in chief. I'm Nick Iger.

[Myrna Brown]

And I'm Myrna Brown. If you enjoy this podcast, help a friend find it too. Send a link to a favorite story or the whole podcast right from your app. It's a simple click that helps the program grow. The world and everything in it comes to you from World Radio. World's mission is biblically objective journalism that informs, educates and inspires. The Bible says scoffers set a city aflame, but the wise turn away wrath. If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs and there is no quiet. Verses 8 and 9 of Proverbs 29, a reminder to worship at a Bible believing church this weekend. Encourage others and be encouraged and Lord willing, we'll be right back here with you on Monday. Go now in grace and peace.