Taking the Perspective of the Other in Polarized Times

A sign of the times?

Merriam-­Webster’s Word of the Year for 2024 is polarization which they describe as “division into two sharply distinct opposites; especially, a state in which the opinions, beliefs, or interests of a group or society no longer range along a continuum but become concentrated at opposing extremes.”¹

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, in his very first meeting with members of the media calls for our reclaiming of the “precious gift” of speech and an avoidance of today’s division fueled by angry words. “We do not need loud, forceful communication but rather communication capable of listening.”²

Due to its relevancy, CNN livestreams worldwide a Broadway play, Good Night and Good Luck, where legendary broadcaster, Edward R. Murrow, states “A great many people think they are thinking when they are really rearranging their prejudices” and that most of us have a “built-­in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information.”³

In a provocative book, The Sin of Empathy, an author asserts Christians have responded to an increasingly progressive culture by over-­empathizing with it, resulting in our failure to speak biblical truth. The result is polarization within the church between those advocating empathy and those calling for Truth.⁴

Polarized Times

What each of the above are describing is a type of division or polarization that is making day-­to-­day interaction with people with whom we disagree not only difficult, but undesirable. Polarization has historically been viewed as a matter of ideological divergence, but in the past decade, there has been an alarming rise in polarization that does not center on ideas about social policy but rather on attitudes toward our fellow human beings. This phenomenon is commonly termed “affective polarization.”⁵ It is particularly prevalent in political discourse. Democrats and Republicans both say that the other party’s members are more closed-­minded, dishonest, immoral and unintelligent than other Americans.⁶ They are increasingly unwilling to socialize across party lines or even to partner with opponents in a variety of other activities.⁷ Likewise, university campuses were once the pinnacle of free speech and tolerance to alternative viewpoints, but now political polarization and incivility are on the rise among college students as well as professors and administrators.⁸Stacy Ulbig, Angry Politics: Partisan Hatred and Political Polarization among College Students (University of Kansas Press, 2020).[/efn_note]

Religious communities are not exempt from these attitudes nor the consequences of such attitudes which progress from disdain to a willingness to practice violence toward perceived opponents. In some cases, religious affiliation and religious commitment may even contribute to negative polarization⁹

High levels of affective polarization among those with strong moral convictions (including religious convictions) is unsurprising. It has been found that strongly held moral convictions differ from other strongly held beliefs. Convictions are beliefs that have become central to our identity and worldview—they’re the principles we’re willing to defend or act upon even when challenged. While you might hold a belief somewhat lightly and be open to changing it, a conviction feels unshakeable and a type of betrayal if we act against it or alter it. Moral convictions elicit more hostile opinions, negative emotions, and punitive actions than attitudes based on strong preferences or conventions alone.¹⁰ They also are associated with increased levels of social and physical distance toward those with whom we disagree, increased resistance to compromise, and increased acceptance of violent solutions to conflict.

Given these realities, affective polarization and its negative social effects pose a substantial problem to well-­being within our society in general and within the church in particular. Philosopher J. P. Moreland notes that if you cannot even entertain the idea a person with whom you disagree is a “person worthy of kindness, you won’t change.”¹¹

As Christians, we do not think people are merely worthy of kindness but also love, mercy, and forgiveness (Luke 6:36; Ephesians 4:32). How do we neutralize today’s affective polarization so we can love as Christ first loved us?

This question is particularly relevant for Christ followers who are reminded that fulfilling God’s entire law is achieved by “loving your neighbor as yourself” (Galatians 5:14). Psychologists Todd and Elizabeth Hall in their book Relational Spirituality assert loving others “involves striving to understand the loved one from the inside in order to understand that person’s perspective and goals from his or her point of view” [emphasis ours].¹²The result of adopting the other person’s point of view is pushing past division toward unity. “In doing this, unity is achieved in that we care about good and bad things happening” to another “as if they were happening to us.”¹³

What the Halls describe is a practice communication scholars and psychologists call perspective-­taking. Claudia Hale and Jesse Delia, communication researchers specializing in the study of perception, describe perspective-­taking as “the capacity to assume and maintain another’s point of view” and is, according to them, the “basic social cognitive process in communication.” Perspective-­taking is a process “in which inferences are made about situations and others and inferences about other’s inferences.¹⁴ Since we can never fully take on the perspective of another, perspective-­taking will always be an interpretive process—that is, it will necessarily be filtered through our own minds. Central to perspective-­taking is an attempt to distance ourselves from our views long enough to explore and understand the views of another.

The value of perspective-­taking can also be seen in how it helps us accomplish other foundational relational skills like empathy. While many definitions of empathy exist, a layered definition comes from communication scholars who note there are three dimensions to it. First, empathy is the ability to recognize and, to some extent, experience the emotions of another. Second, empathy is not self-­centered but rather evokes a “genuine concern for the welfare of the to the other person.”¹⁵ Last, and most relevant to our consideration, empathy is rooted in perspective-­taking which they describe as the ability to take on a viewpoint of another. Without empathy rooted in perspective-­taking it would be impossible to obey Paul’s command to “weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15).

The theme of perspective-­taking throughout the Scriptures is seen in Hosea’s marrying of an adulteress to understand Israel’s unfaithfulness from God’s perspective, the writer of Ecclesiastes invitation to imagine life “under the sun” void of God, and the female viewpoint of love and sex in Song of Solomon. Even Jesus’s incarnation can be seen as divine perspective-­taking leading the Scriptures to boldly assert that our high priest is not only aware of the human predicament but empathizes with us (Hebrews 4:15).¹⁶ However, to us, perspective-­taking is clearest in a command to pray for persecuted Christians.

Considering the deplorable conditions imprisoned Christians faced in the ancient world, it makes sense the writer of Hebrew implores his readers to “remember” and pray for them (Hebrews 13:3a).¹⁷ This especially takes on significance if the letter was written by Paul who spent 25% of his missionary career in prisons. It is what the passage says next that relates to our focus on perspective-­taking. Think of others “as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies” (Hebrews 13:3b, emphasis added). Put yourself in their position and then take a close look around. Imagine it’s your pain. How would it affect your emotions and even your own body? Philosopher Merleau-­Ponty asserts, “It is through my body that I understand other people.”¹⁸ Therefore, perspective-­taking is not merely an intellectual exercise, but a process where we try to not only identify the emotions of another but feel them ourselves.

Overview of Theme Issue

In a world deeply divided, how can we as Christian scholars see issues through the perspective of others? The essays, interviews, images, and poetry in this theme issue help us break through the affective polarization that divides us to engage in diverse perspectives.

Essays

“The View from Here: Facilitating Perspective-­Taking Through Art.”

In the first essay art historian Katie Kresser reminds us “People born in this place, who grow in this place, who die in this place, experience the world a certain way.” Over time, we grow used to seeing the world in a particular way. Why change my view by listening to a podcast or reading a blog that challenges my perspective? No thanks. Kresser argues that art, unlike a sermon or YouTube video can help us experience the world in a different way. She takes us on a tour of artists ranging from Van Gogh’s Shoes to Caravaggio’s Calling of Saint Matthew to communist art designed to “reset” the mind of onlookers. Particularly gripping is Henry Ossawa Tanner’s painting of a grandfather and grandson giving thanks for a humble meal in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War. Kresser notes the painting compels us to ask: Who is not seated at the table? Where are the parents? What was their fate? The images accompanying this essay will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading.

“Traveling to a War Zone to Foster Understanding”

Perspective-­taking is not merely a cognitive process. Rather, for perspective-­taking to happen holistically we must, as much as possible, insert ourselves into a person’s environment. We can read articles and see photos of Skid Row, which is a mere 60 miles from our campus, but to walk the streets in a mass of desperate people makes you realize homelessness has a distinct smell and sound. The same can be said about the Israel/Palestine conflict that has dominated our newsfeeds showing violent protests across college campuses. After the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks against Israel by Hamas, Simon Greer, a Jewish bridge-­builder, Saad Solomon, a Muslim bridge-­builder, and Tim Muehlhoff, an evangelical bridge-­builder, didn’t merely read about the attack but went to the actual site. They went to a burned-­out kibbutz three miles outside Gaza, the Nova music festival where hundreds of Israelis were massacred and 44 taken captive, and to the farm of a Palestinian Christian farmer surrounded by five expanding Israeli settlements who want to displace him and regularly cut off his water and electricity. What can be learned by being at the physical site of this historic conflict? Perhaps the most important thing we learned was a connection between Simon and Saad that would forever transform their relationship.

“When Emotions Block Understanding: Christian Resources for Navigating Barriers Across Moral Divides”

In today’s argument culture, why has perspective-­taking become not only difficult, but undesirable? I don’t just disagree with you but find strong emotions surfacing that either make me want to pull away, or attack. Psychologists Elizabeth Hall and Erin I. Smith, philosopher Timothy Pickavance, and theologian Jason McMartin note in their essay that in today’s argument culture we often view certain perspectives as “not just incorrect but morally incomprehensible or repugnant.” This presents a significant problem to Christians since Jesus makes it clear we are not to merely tolerate our enemies but love them (Matthew 5:44–45). Loving another will be much more difficult if love has been replaced by anger, disgust, and contempt. Recognizing these relationally destructive emotions is not enough. What spiritual practices can we do to replace disgust with love or contempt with charity?

“What Good is Perspective-­Taking if No One Changes Their Perspective?”

Tim Muehlhoff—senior director of Biola University’s Winsome Conviction Project—answers this question by appealing to the wisdom of ancient writers who suggest that a word spoken in the right circumstances can be compared to fine art (Proverbs 25:11). While the impact of perspective-­taking may not be immediate, it creates the right circumstances or communication climate which allows the conversation to continue rather than dissolving the relationship. Muehlhoff’s assertion is rooted in a research project that brought together three self-­identified members of the gay community in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and three members of a conservative Christian campus organization to talk about an issue many shun today at all costs. Before they discussed differences, they engaged in weeks of perspective-­taking exercises. When the time came to talk did perspective-­taking help or make matters worse?

“Munificent Selves: Hospitality as an End to Conflict Amplification”

Coming out of a contentious presidential election some students and faculty were filled with dread while others were elated. The problem is those two divergent camps seldom have contact with each other and negative impressions of each other are seldom challenged. “We rarely verify,” notes sociologist Aaron Franzen “that the assumptions we have built up about other people or groups is accurate or reflects what they actually think or who they are.” How can Christians, called to be peacemakers, reach out to fellow believers with whom they disagree? Franzen asserts conflict can be addressed by reclaiming a spirit of hospitality—as evidenced by the early church—where we open our homes and hearts to people with diverse and often opposing views.

Book Review: Untangling Critical Race Theory

Since the conception of the Winsome Conviction Project, no topic hurts deeper or causes people to abandon perspective-­taking faster than the mere mention of Critical Race Theory (CRT). Communication scholar John Hatch states there is both good and bad news. The bad is that today “the most widely heard voices have tended to favor demonizing over perspective-­taking” when discussing CRT. The good is that “there is now an accessible book on CRT that corrects this error.” Hatch’s review of Ed Uszynski’s book, Untangling Critical Race Theory: What Christians Need to Know and Why It Matters (InterVarsity, 2024) explores both the helpful aspects of CRT and core beliefs that are deeply troubling. He notes that this nuanced book equally refrains from sloppy caricatures and an unreflective embracing of CRT to form a complex understanding of how race and power intersect. Hatch’s review is equally compelling, thoughtful, and rich in analysis.

Interview: Dual Perspectives on Critical Race Theory

If race and CRT are difficult to discuss in public, imagine how difficult it is to write a book knowing it’s sure to both encourage and anger groups on both sides of the issue. Hatch’s review is followed by an interview with the author where we ask Uszynski to respond to key ideas that quickly divide such as systemic racism and white privilege. How would each side in the debate respond to these concepts and why? Uszynski’s ability to present both sides with equal passion and clarity is a model for perspective-­taking.

Poetry

Poetry can help us see an issue from a different perspective. One poem (“Rabbit Skin Pelt”) helps us understand how a friend’s childhood regret molds their communication style, while another (“Guards and Neighbors”) prompts us to consider the cost of our isolation from others. “For the Student Strikers,” written during the turbulent Vietnam protests of the early 1970s, is both a call for dialogue and a reminder that our current problems and divisions are not new. The last poem (“Higher Education”) offers hope in today’s divided times. Can we, in the midst of our deep differences, find something we can value together?

First Nation Translation

How might our indigenous brothers and sisters retell biblical passages using their own unique language and point of reference? Might reading familiar passages in new language cause us to not only engage in perspective-­taking with them, but help us see the Great Spirit in a new way?

Relevancy of Perspective-­Taking for Our Students

Perspective-­taking is particularly essential for Gen Z and Christian undergrad students who have only experienced life in this deep political polarization. As digital natives, Gen Z primarily communicates through online platforms, which often amplify echo chambers, foster misinterpretation, and contribute to the dynamics of cancel culture that many feel constrained by. Social media and text-­based communication offer limited empathy and perspective-­taking cues, which hinders Gen Z’s ability to navigate a globalized world where they regularly encounter diverse perspectives online¹⁹

Gen Z desires something new.²⁰ In our interactions with Christian undergrads on campus, we’ve found that while they care deeply about justice and the human experience, they often lack models of thoughtful listening and genuine care. They seem to feel their emotions deeply, but they either struggle to build the trust needed to engage across disagreement or, at times, over-­identify with opposing perspectives. Their developing emotional intelligence points to a deeper desire: a relational intelligence for our hyper diverse, digital world that is grounded in empathy and perspective-­taking.²¹

A Way Forward?

In a time when our country was deeply divided over the moral and economic implications of the slave trade, abolitionist Frederick Douglass offered a unique way for people to understand the issue from the slave’s perspective. Douglass describes how moved he was by hearing the passionate songs of slaves traveling to the slave owner’s house to receive a meager allowance. The “mere hearing of those songs” did more to convince him of the horrific nature of slavery than the “reading of whole volumes of philosophy on the subject” ever did²² In other words, to understand another, we must move past a merely cognitive understanding. Reading about or merely being aware of the plight of slaves simply is not enough. Douglass’s solution? We must place ourselves in the “deep pine woods” and “analyze the sounds that shall pass through the chambers of the soul” as we listen to the narratives of others.²³ In the essays, poetry, interviews, and images that follow, we invite you to move into the deep pine woods of perspective-­taking to understand our troubled times. And, possibly, to find a way forward.

1. “2024 Word of the Year: Polarization,” Merriam-­Webster, accessed July 29, 2025, https://www.merriam-­webster.com/wordplay/word-­of-­the-­year.
2. Kim Hjelmgaard, “Pope Leo XIV First News Conference,” USA Today, May 12, 2025, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2025/05/12/pope​-­leo-­xiv​-­first-­​news-­conference/83576273007/.
3. Edward R. Murrow, speech delivered at the Radio-­Television News Directors Association Convention, Chicago, Illinois, October 15, 1958.
4. Joe Rigney, The Sin of Empathy: Compassion and its Counterfeits (Canon, 2025).
5. Shanto Iyengar, Gaurav Sood, and Yphtach Lelkes, “Affect, Not Ideology: A Social Identity Perspective on Polarization,” Public Opinion Quarterly 76, no. 3 (Fall 2012): 405–431, https://doi.org/10.1093/poq/nfs038
6. Pew Research Center, “As Partisan Hostility Grows, Signs of Frustration With the Two-­Party System,” August 9, 2022, https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2022/08/09/as-­partisan-­hostility-­grows-­signs-­of-­frustration-­with-­the-­two-­party-­system/.
7. Shanto Iyengar, Yphtach Lelkes, Matthew Levendusky, Neil Malhotra, and Sean J. Westwood, “The Origins and Consequences of Affective Polarization in the United States,” Annual Review of Political Science 22 (2019): 129–146, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-­polisci-­051117-­073034.
8. Stacy Ulbig, Angry Politics: Partisan Hatred and Political Polarization among College Students (University of Kansas Press, 2020).
9. PRRI and Brookings, “A Christian Nation? Understanding the Threat of Christian Nationalism to American Democracy and Culture: Findings from the 2023 PRRI/Brookings Christian Nationalism Survey,” PRRI, February 2023, https://www.prri.org/wp-­content/uploads/2023/02/PRRI-­Jan-­2023-­Christian-­Nationalism-­Final.pdf; Michele F. Margolis, “Who Wants to Make America Great Again? Understanding Evangelical Support for Donald Trump,” Politics and Religion 13, no. 1 (2020): 89–118, https://doi.org/10.1017/S1755048319000208.
10. Linda J. Skitka, Anthony N. Washburn, and Timothy S. Carsel, “The Psychological Foundations and Consequences of Moral Conviction,” Current Opinion in Psychology 6 (December 2015): 41–44, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2015.03.025

11. J. P. Moreland, Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul (NavPress, 1997), 77.

12. Todd Hall and Elizabeth Lewis Hall, Relational Spirituality: A Psychological-­Theological Paradigm for Transformation (IVP Academic, 2021), 193, emphasis added
13. Hall and Hall, Relational Spirituality, 193.
14. Claudia L. Hale and Jesse. G. Delia, “Cognitive Complexity and Social Perspective-­taking,” Communication Monographs, 43 (1976): 195.
15. Ronald B. Adler, Lawrence B. Rosenfeld, and Russell Proctor III, Interplay: The Process of Interpersonal Communication 12th ed. (Oxford University Press, 2013), 132.
16. For a more thorough survey of perspective-­taking in the Scriptures, see Timothy Muehlhoff and Sean McDowell, “Taking the Perspective of Others,” chapter 5 in End the Stalemate: Move Past Cancel Culture to Meaningful Conversations (Tyndale House, 2024).
17. John McRay, “Stench, Pain, and Misery,” Christianity Today, accessed July 29, 2025, https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-­47/stench-­pain-­and-­misery.html.
18. Maurice Merleau-­Ponty, The Phenomenology of Perception, trans. C. Smith (Routledge & Kegan Paul, 2005), 216.
19. Sherry Turkle, Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age. (Penguin Press, 2015)/efn_note]
20. Molly Ball, “Far From the Protests, Some Students Try to Meet in the Middle,” Wall Street Journal, May 25, 2024
21. Note that the emotional intelligence skills in Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ (Bantam, 1995) provide the basis for relational intelligence in sources like Dharius Daniels, Relational Intelligence: The People Skills You Need for the Life of Purpose You Want (Zondervan, 2020)
22. Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (Dover Publications, 1995 [1845]), 36.
23. Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, 36.