Book celebration: The Power of Mature Empathy: In Response to Sexual Violence in Faith Communities
Published: May 27, 2026
Thursday, June 4, 2026, 9:45–10:45 a.m. ET
AMBS Waltner Hall Lounge
Join the AMBS campus community to celebrate the publication of The Power of Mature Empathy: In Response to Sexual Violence in Faith Communities (Pickwick, 2026) by Sunghyun Lee, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pastoral Theology and Psychology!
Refreshments will be served, and books will be available for signing. There will be brief remarks at 10 a.m. ET.
About the book
Each day, approximately 25,000 people die from hunger and related problems, while on the other side of the globe people worry about how to reduce food waste. Looking at photos of children who are skin and bones, we wonder what is wrong, and how we can transform our polarized world into a just and caring one. This book finds one of the answers from the power of mature empathy, especially from communal empathy, drawing on psychology, ethics, and women’s and gender studies. How can we stop the vicious circle of violence and hunger and make this world a better place?
Looking into sexual violence cases in faith communities and the #MeToo movement as a case study, the author identifies dysfunctional, immature empathy as one of the culprits for tragedy in our world. Mature empathy will help us to arise and dismantle injustice together in solidarity by equipping us with compassion for those who suffer unjustly because of systemic evil. With mature empathizers trained to empathize even with total strangers, our society can imagine and be motivated to cultivate a world whose foundational value is mature empathy balanced with justice and care.
“This is the ethics book that we need. Right now. When cynicism, disappointment, and even despair seem like the only responses to whether empathy is possible across our social differences, especially in digital venues, related to sexual violence, or supporting immigrant rights, The Power of Mature Empathy boldly and accessibly describes how communal empathy can be a powerful resource for solidarity and justice-seeking.” — Traci C. West, Professor of Christian Ethics and African American Studies, Drew Theological School
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