How To Respond To Charlie Kirk’s Shooting
Honest confession: I’m not political. I don’t follow the news. I am rarely on social media. Therefore, I didn’t know who Charlie Kirk was. I still don’t know much about him, but he clearly had the respect of many people, including politicians, professional athletes, celebrities, and my friends. From what I can tell, he had a genuine love for Jesus and was courageous enough to speak openly about his beliefs and convictions with more humility and wisdom than most who have a public platform. His death is tragic, and we should be deeply burdened for his family, upset with anyone who would consider the event “justified,” and concerned with the state of our society. We can talk about issues of mental health, gun control, party affiliations, and the right to free speech… but now is not the time to argue, but to grieve the loss of a life, a husband, and a father. I’m thankful for men like Charlie Kirk who devote their lives to justice on a grand scale and seem to do so on the foundation of genuine faith in God and His Word. That is an extremely difficult path to walk. For most of us, it’s too easy to share a post or make a quick comment online without giving it much thought or facing any direct opposition. Expressing our opinion or emotion is not a bad thing, but these events highlight the lack of humility and wisdom used, which propagates division and hostility. But, where’s the balance? Should we stay silent so we don’t offend? Should we care if our genuine feelings or opinions negatively affect someone else? How should we respond when tragic and, especially, evil events happen? I don’t know that there’s a blanket answer. But I do want to offer three considerations to help guide you.
Be Careful
Proverbs 10:19 says,
“When there are many words, sin is unavoidable,
but the one who controls his lips is prudent.”
Whether you’re on social media, in a conversation at the office, or sitting around the dinner table with your family, weigh your words. This is especially hard when emotions run high, but when the words are spoken, they can’t be taken back. I think this is one of the most important warnings for Christians. It may seem like a lot of pressure, but every word you speak, post you share, or opinion you voice, says something about who God is….whether it’s accurate of him or not. And, it says something about who you are.
James 1:26 says,
“If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.”
Our words reveal our hearts, so don’t just hold your tongue; examine the belief and motivation behind your words. If it’s defensive, prideful, malicious, or “charged,” stop and pray for personal transformation.
Be Courageous
I’ve heard many people say that Charlie Kirk was courageous, and he was. It takes courage to stand up and defend a position that will be publicly attacked or mocked. Maybe you’ve experienced that at work, or school, or on the ball field. If we are serious about our convictions, we will be faced with tests of courage. But that doesn’t always come with a public platform. I would argue that we have the choice to be courageous every day. In our house, we define courage as doing the right thing even when it’s hard. There’s almost always an easier way out than the “right way.” It’s hard to shut down gossip, it’s hard to walk away from a joke or political conversation, sometimes it’s hard to drive the speed limit, it’s growing harder to not let ChatGPT do your work (or homework). All of those may be small and mostly insignificant things, but collectively they begin to define who we are. If we aren’t courageous in the little things, we can’t expect to be courageous in the big ones.
Psalm 31:24 says,
“So be strong and courageous,
all you who put your hope in the Lord!”
What I really love about this verse is the phrase, “you who put your hope in the Lord.” Our hope in the Lord is the key to our courage. We can do the hard things when we know that it’s by his strength and for his glory. If you are just living by your own strength and for your own purpose, then, yeah, take the easy way out. But if you believe your purpose is to glorify God and enjoy him forever, then pray for the strength to be courageous.
Be Prepared
Jesus said in John 16:33 to, “take heart…” (sounds like courage). This followed his warning that his followers would face many trials. We should never ignore evil or injustice…shootings, wars, natural disasters. They are all terrible, and we are at risk of being desensitized to them due to constant exposure. However, we should also never be surprised by them. By surprised, I mean, surprised that such an awful thing could happen, especially when there’s an attack on truth and anything that reflects the Kingdom of God. At this point, we don’t know why the attacker shot Charlie Kirk. It may or may not have been politically or religiously motivated. But there have been and will be attacks against truth, Christians, and Christianity.
Jesus said in John 15:18-21, “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. 19 The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. 20 Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you. 21 They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the one who sent me.”
We don’t belong to this world. We have a King who was rejected and crucified. We shouldn’t expect to be welcomed and accepted. Christians need to be prepared to be persecuted – whether that comes as rejection or violence. Our brothers and sisters around the world know this, but in the U.S., we tend to forget. The United States is not a Christian nation. Jesus-followers will never be the popular majority, and the Gospel will always be offensive until Jesus returns and establishes his reign on earth. If we neglect this spiritual reality, we will never be prepared for persecution, we will cower in fear rather than being courageous, and we will allow our tongues to lead the way in our reaction to darkness.
Jesus modeled this best as he endured his arrest, trial, and crucifixion. Let’s pray that we become more like Jesus and resolve to be people who live by His Kingdom and not any other. Pray for the Kirk family, pray for our country, pray for the shooter, and pray that God would use these painful events to advance the gospel in a way that only he can!
