Charlie Kirk once said, “You can tell a lot about a person by how they react when someone dies.” Over the last couple days, I have been doing something I don’t normally do… looking at social media. On there I can see a wide array of reactions to Charlie Kirk’s death. I found people using this death to promote their political beliefs on gun control. Others post their own political agenda on how mental health is the problem, not the guns. No matter where you stand on politics, it is not appropriate to use this event to put people down for their beliefs. Some post about how people who commit killings like this are “pure evil.” People are not “pure evil.” This event is brought on by evil, but the person is not the evil. People are filled with evil. Anywhere Christ is not, evil will eventually fill. Without Christ, evil is inevitable. This is why it is so important to share Christ with everyone. Instead of denouncing a person as “pure evil,” pray for them. Pray that they find Christ and that they allow Christ to expel the evil from their life. Many times, the people posting these things are Christians. I keep asking myself, is this the way that Jesus wants us to react?
"But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you"
-Matthew 5:44
You have the right to say whatever you want. Charlie Kirk wouldn’t have had it any other way. In a statement posted on Charlie Kirk’s social media page, it says, “Charlie has become America’s greatest martyr to the freedom of speech he so adored.”
However, I believe that as Christians, we also need to be extremely careful what we say and what we do, because if we proclaim Christ the way we are supposed to, we are representatives of Christ. Our words and actions are supposed to represent Christ. Our words and our actions speak loudly. We are supposed to show love to others.
"We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God."
-2 Corinthians 5:20
It is okay to be angry about this tragedy. There were times when even Jesus got angry.
"On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”"
-Mark 11:15-17
Where anger crosses the line is when anger is unleashed in a way meant to hurt someone. Calling someone “pure evil” is a direct jab driven by anger meant to hurt that person.
When I first heard that Charlie Kirk had been shot, the first reaction was to pray that he was okay, but I wasn’t overly worried about it. About an hour later, I found out that he was dead. My prayers quickly shifted to his family and to all the people who knew him. I was angry, but the news also came with an impact that literally took my breath away. I was scared to share my beliefs, but at the same time, I had a determination that I can’t explain. I had a determination to present my beliefs more passionately than I ever did before.
This is not the beginning of the war. A.W. Tozer warned in his writings that this world is a battleground, but many Christians have been treating it as a playground. Charlie Kirk was unafraid to share his beliefs and he would treat this world as a battleground, fighting with the armor of God.
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
-Ephesians 6:10-17
Charlie Kirk was definitely not the first to be killed for standing firm for his beliefs, and he certainly won’t be the last. But as Christians, we are able to have peace with God by knowing that we will one day be with him eternally. (If you don’t know this peace, I urge you to check out Steps to Peace with God from the Billy Graham Evangelical Association. I have an adapted version of it here on my website.)
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile."
-Romans 1:16
There are plenty of examples of hatred in this world, attempting to remove all light from existence, but the gospel is the only light that, when shared unashamedly, can overcome all that darkness.
My prayers are with the family of Charlie Kirk. The influence he has had on this nation is eminence, and I am sure the influence he had on his family was even greater. May God’s peace be on them as they process their grief. May the impact that he has had on this country never be forgotten and may we remember his amazing courage and faith, using it as an example of how to live for Christ.
God Bless.