The Sin of Empathy with Dr. Joe Rigney

📖 Episode Overview

In this challenging and timely conversation, Dave and Dante sit down with theologian and author Dr. Joe Rigney to discuss a topic that has sparked significant debate in both Christian and cultural spaces: the sin of empathy.

Empathy is often celebrated as an unquestioned virtue—but what happens when empathy is detached from truth? Dr. Rigney helps clarify the difference between biblical compassion and disordered empathy, showing how misplaced emotional identification can lead men away from wisdom, courage, and faithful leadership.

This episode is especially relevant for fathers and husbands navigating emotional pressure, cultural confusion, and moral compromise—both inside the home and in the public square.

🔥 Key Topics Discussed

  • What Dr. Rigney means by “the sin of empathy”

  • Why empathy is not always a virtue when divorced from truth

  • The difference between compassion and emotional manipulation

  • How empathy can be weaponized in modern culture

  • Biblical examples of rightly ordered love and mercy

  • Why men are especially vulnerable to disordered empathy

  • How fathers can lead with both truth and tenderness

  • The role of courage and clarity in Christian masculinity

  • Teaching children to care without surrendering conviction

  • Pastoral and parental wisdom for engaging emotionally charged issues

🛡️ Legacy Dads Takeaways

  • Truth must lead love, not the other way around

  • Compassion does not require agreement

  • Fathers must model emotional strength rooted in Scripture

  • Saying “no” can be the most loving response

  • Biblical empathy always points people toward repentance, restoration, and Christ

📚 About the Guest

Dr. Joe Rigney is a theologian, author, and pastor known for his work on Christian ethics, masculinity, and cultural engagement. He has written extensively on the relationship between truth, love, and emotional formation within the church.

For more about Legacy Dads, click here: Legacy Dads Website
Legacy Dads Facebook Group: Legacy Dads Facebook
Legacy Dads Instagram: Legacy Dads

Christmas in Genesis, Part 1: The First Christmas Promise

In this first episode of our Christmas in Genesis series, Dave and Dante take listeners all the way back to the beginning — literally. Before shepherds heard angels sing, before Mary received Gabriel’s announcement, before Bethlehem was even a town, God Himself declared the very first Christmas promise in Genesis 3:15.

This passage — often called the Protoevangelium, or “first gospel” — reveals God’s redemptive plan immediately after humanity’s fall. In this episode, we unpack how this ancient verse points forward to Jesus, what it teaches us about sin, hope, and spiritual warfare, and how men can lead their families with the confidence that God always keeps His promises.

For more about Legacy Dads, click here: Legacy Dads Website
Legacy Dads Facebook Group: Legacy Dads Facebook
Legacy Dads Instagram: Legacy Dads

Biblical Truth vs Socialism: A Brief Discussion

Dante has a conversation with friend and elder David Kline about the fall of capitalism when good men do nothing. The conversation covers a bit of history around socialism and communism and transitions to the truth found in Scripture...that Jesus is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE. Listen in and enjoy the conversation!

For more about Legacy Dads, click here: Legacy Dads Website
Legacy Dads Facebook Group: Legacy Dads Facebook
Legacy Dads Instagram: Legacy Dads

Find Freedom from Alcohol with a Booze Vacation

Legacy Dads with Dave and Dante

DashboardStatsEpisodesSocialAdvertising

Find Freedom from Alcohol with a Booze Vacation

Legacy Dads with Dave and Dante

Find Freedom from Alcohol with a Booze Vacation

0:0047:08

Episode Description

In this powerful conversation, Dave and Dante sit down with Clifford Stephan, founder of BoozeVacation.com, to talk about the journey of taking a “vacation” from drinking and how intentional breaks from alcohol can transform your faith, family life, health, and leadership.

Clifford shares his personal story, the moment he realized alcohol was holding him back, and why he built a community to help others explore life with less booze — or none at all. This episode encourages men to evaluate their habits, prioritize their spiritual and physical health, and lead their families with clarity and conviction.

Key Topics Discussed

  • Clifford’s personal turning point and what inspired BoozeVacation.com

  • The difference between quitting drinking and taking a healthy break

  • Why alcohol has become so normalized in culture — and why men rarely talk about it

  • How a drinking “vacation” can improve sleep, energy, mood, and relationships

  • The spiritual implications of numbing, coping, and self-medicating

  • Rebuilding discipline and mental resilience

  • Being a better husband, father, and leader through sobriety or moderation

  • How community and accountability fuel long-term success

  • Clifford’s practical steps for anyone wanting to start a 30-day break

  • What churches, men’s ministries, and small groups can do better in this area

Practical Takeaways for Men

  • Identify if alcohol is filling a role that God should fill

  • Notice the patterns: stress drinking, weekend “reward” cycles, or emotional escape

  • Begin with a clear goal — “cut back,” “take a break,” or “quit”

  • Invite one trusted brother into the process for accountability

  • Replace old routines with healthier rhythms: exercise, prayer, hobbies, service

  • Track how your body, mind, and spiritual life respond during the break

  • Set boundaries around environments that trigger unhealthy habits

Scripture to Reflect On

  • 1 Corinthians 6:12 (ESV) – “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful.

  • Ephesians 5:18 (ESV) – “Do not get drunk with wine… but be filled with the Spirit.”

  • Proverbs 25:28 (ESV) – “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.”

These verses guide men toward living with intentionality, discipline, and spiritual clarity.

About Clifford Stephan & Booze Vacation

Clifford is the founder of BoozeVacation.com, a platform designed to help individuals take meaningful breaks from alcohol through structured challenges, coaching, and community support. His mission is to empower people to rediscover their best selves and experience life without the haze and habits alcohol often brings.

Learn more at BoozeVacation.com.

Building Resilient Kids: A Conversation with Daniel Puder

In this powerful episode, Dave and Dante sit down with Daniel Puder—former MMA fighter turned educator and youth advocate—to discuss the urgent challenges facing today’s schools, kids, and families. Puder shares how his experience in the cage shaped his passion for protecting and empowering young people, and why he believes our education system needs a complete culture shift.

https://mlmpipa.org/

For more about Legacy Dads, click here: Legacy Dads Website
Legacy Dads Facebook Group: Legacy Dads Facebook
Legacy Dads Instagram: Legacy Dads I

When Truth Becomes a Feeling: Moral Relativism and Legacy Dads

Legacy Dads with Dave and Dante

DashboardStatsEpisodesSocialAdvertising

When Truth Becomes a Feeling: Moral Relativism and Legacy Dads

Legacy Dads with Dave and Dante

When Truth Becomes a Feeling: Moral Relativism and Legacy Dads

0:0024:15

Episode Description

🎧 Episode Description

In this episode, we dive into the latest research from Barna on how Americans view truth and morality. The findings reveal a culture increasingly skeptical of moral absolutes and more reliant on personal feelings and pluralistic sources of truth. As dads who want to pass on a legacy of clarity, conviction, and faith, we’ll explore what this means for our families, our faith, and how we model truth for the next generation.

🧭 Key Segments & Topics

1. Setting the Scene – What the Research Says

2. Why This Matters for Dads & Families

  • When truth becomes something you feel rather than something you know or are rooted in, it affects how we model decision-making for our kids.

  • Legacy is about more than providing; it’s about imparting a worldview. If that worldview is unstable or shifting with culture, the next generation inherits confusion.

  • The article warns: societies without shared, stable moral references risk becoming fragmented, morally ambiguous or anchored only in emotion. George Barna+1

  • As fathers, we’re gatekeepers for our homes: of truth, character, and generational faith. So what do we do when our culture says “each person decides their truth”?

3. Practical Applications – What You Can Do

  • Anchor in a stable source: Encourage family conversations about why you believe what you believe — not just what.

  • Model decision-making: Show your children how you arrive at right vs wrong. Is it “how I feel” or “what is true / what does Scripture say / what is right”?

  • Discuss pluralism & relativism honestly: If our kids are hearing that all truth-views are valid, we need to equip them to think critically and biblically.

  • Create opportunities for reflection: Ask your children (depending on age) “What basis did you use to decide that was okay or not okay?”

  • Teach the big story: Legacy is long-term. Morality isn’t just a list of do’s and don’ts, but a story of a God who is truth, and lives that flow from that.

4. Conversation Starters for Your Family

  • “What do you believe defines right and wrong?”

  • “Have you ever changed your mind about something because of how you felt? What did you base that on?”

  • “Why do you think some people believe truth depends on the situation?”

  • “If someone says ‘that’s true for you but not for me,’ how would you respond?”

  • “What difference does it make if truth is absolute vs relative?”

5. Legacy Dad Challenge
This week: Pick one moral/ethical decision you face (big or small). Walk your child(ren) through how you came to your decision: What basis did you use? Was it simply how you felt? Or did you consult Scripture, your conscience, parental wisdom, cultural norms? After making the decision, revisit it: “Was that the wisest basis? Would I make the same decision next time with what I now know?”

🔍 Recommended Further Reading & Resources

  • The original article on Barna’s site: “Survey Finds Americans See Many Sources of Truth—and Reject Moral Absolutes.” George Barna

  • Barna’s deeper breakdown: “Americans Possess Contradictory and Unbiblical Views about Moral Truth.” George Barna

  • “The End of Absolutes: America’s New Moral Code” (Barna archive). Barna Group

🎯 Take-Away Points for Listeners

  • The cultural current is moving toward “truth according to me/feelings,” rather than fixed moral truth.

  • As fathers wanting to build a legacy, we must choose to anchor our families in something more stable — not just personal preference.

  • Modeling how to live with conviction, how to think about truth, how to navigate moral decisions — that becomes part of our legacy.

  • It’s not enough to tell our kids what’s right; we show them how we determine right.

  • When the culture says “all truths are valid,” the Christian father says: “Let’s explore why I believe one truth is true, and how that matters for how we live.”

 

For more about Legacy Dads, click here: Legacy Dads Website
Legacy Dads Facebook Group: Legacy Dads Facebook
Legacy Dads Instagram: Legacy Dads I

Cart (0)