Say the Quiet Part Out Loud
The Danger of Christian Apathy
“The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”
[This quote is commonly attributed to Edmund Burke, an 18th-century Irish statesman and philosopher, though no direct source exists. It’s widely regarded as a paraphrase of his writings rather than a verbatim quote.]
Christian apathy is dangerous.
For this writing, I’m defining Christian apathy as:
The quiet rejection of our biblical responsibility to love God and love our neighbor.
It is about the danger of doing nothing when something needs to be done.
It looks like turning a blind eye to the challenges facing the world around us under the assumption that if it doesn’t affect us, then it doesn’t concern us.
But as people attempting to order our lives around the teachings of Jesus, we have to ask:
Is apathy a trait that describes Jesus?
No.
So then, how is it that apathy has become the posture of so many who claim to follow Him?
In this Work These Words article, we’ll explore why apathy contradicts the way of Jesus, and what it looks like to re-engage with the world around us.
Apathy & The Way of Jesus
First, let’s say the quiet part out loud:
Apathy doesn’t barge in.
It creeps in quietly, often masquerading as wisdom.
We say things like “I’m staying in my lane” or “protecting my peace.”
We hide behind busyness, exhaustion, cynicism, or self-preservation, and before we realize it, Christ is no longer forming us; convenience is.
The problem isn’t that we’ve stopped caring about everything.
The problem is that we’ve stopped caring about the things that matter most.
Matthew’s account of Jesus’ life and teachings records this moment:
Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:34–40 NIV)
Here, Jesus does more than pass the test; He clarifies what matters most.
Love God. Love people. Everything else flows from there.
Unfortunately, we’ve learned how to pursue God while ignoring people.
We have no problem challenging those who don’t pray enough, but what about those who don’t say enough?
Because in the way of Jesus, you can’t get God right if you’re getting people wrong.
Jesus cared about the spiritual and the existential, the soul and the system, the eternal and the everyday.
It was never God or people. It was always God and people.
The incarnation or the entrance of God into human affairs through the person of Jesus is the loudest contradiction to Christian apathy.
Our faith exists because a man was willing to step into a mess He didn’t make.
What would it look like for us to do the same?
Re-Engaging the World
Let’s say the quiet part out loud, again.
Apathy for some is a consequence of misapplied theology.
Take Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 6:17 NIV.
Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”
Often used to justify Christian detachment, this verse gets quoted without its context and weaponized as a call to retreat from culture, community, or anything deemed “secular.”
But that’s not what Jesus did.
And that’s not what Paul meant.
Paul wasn’t teaching isolation; he was warning against idolatry and unequally yoked partnerships that distort our witness.
Jesus, by contrast, was the most holy person ever to walk the earth, and yet He was intimately present with those considered impure, irreligious, or unclean.
He ate with tax collectors.
He touched lepers.
He crossed cultural, ethnic, and gender boundaries to offer living water and lasting hope.
Jesus didn’t come out from among them.
He went in among them not to blend in, but to bear witness.
So re-engagement isn’t compromise, it’s Christlikeness.
But what does that look like in our modern world?
Work These Words
Apathy thrives where curiosity dies.
Re-engaging starts with becoming more informed and then more involved.
We can no longer use ignorance as an excuse for disengagement.
It keeps us from learning, listening, and leveraging our voice for the good of others.
This doesn't mean hopping on every headline or posting to prove something.
It means allowing the Spirit of God to stretch our awareness, deepen our convictions, and move us toward action rooted in love.
Advocacy doesn't always look like a megaphone.
Sometimes it looks like asking better questions and learning what you didn't know you didn't know.
In the age of information, willful ignorance is not an option for those who follow Jesus.
Here are three questions to help you re-engage.
Where have I chosen comfort over curiosity when it comes to the brokenness around me?
(What issue, person, or reality have I ignored because it felt overwhelming or outside my lane?)
What’s one injustice, issue, or group I feel God is prompting me to learn more about?
(Where is the Spirit leading me to be more informed, not for clout, but for compassion?)
What’s one small act of advocacy I can take this week?
(Is there a conversation to have, a resource to share, a prayer to pray, or a space to show up in?)
I hope this piece adds value to your Jesus journey wherever you are and whatever you’re carrying.
If it resonated with you, would you consider sharing it with someone who needs this nudge, too?
And I’d love to hear your thoughts:
How are you re-engaging with the world around you in this season?
👇🏾 Let’s keep the conversation going in the comments below.
We’re better when we work His words together.