INTRODUCTION
It’s been one month since the murder of Charlie Kirk, and I still don’t feel ready to write about it. His departure from that folding chair to the eternal throne was a pleasant surprise for him, but a devastation to the world. It’s a devastation to his wife, daughter, and son, who lost the head of their household after just four years, two years, and one year respectively. It’s a devastation to Christians because he was our brother. It’s a devastation to the conservative movement, which desperately needs true Gospel leadership. And, although they may not know it and often don’t feel it, it’s a devastation to the left because he was one of the few people who invited them to spirited debate in good faith.
Two weeks later, Voddie Baucham stepped through the same door, trading his pulpit for the place where no man shall teach his neighbor. While we are thankful this loss came free of the turmoil that follows bloodshed, it was nonetheless another devastation that his family, church, and widespread community were not prepared for.
Of all the times mentioned in Ecclesiastes 3 that could apply to the present crisis, the church as a whole can only seem to agree that it’s a time for us to mourn. But the last verse in that discourse may find us rather confused. There seems to be a need for all four seasons it mentions to apply at once, which conflicts not only with the polar nature in which the respective pairs are presented, but also with the appearance that there’s no time for any of them.
Ecclesiastes 3:8
A time to love,
And a time to hate;
A time of war,
And a time of peace.
Through my tears, I have been watching. There are many unanswered questions about the state of the church, and perhaps a few unspoken ones about the will of God. Thankfully, when we are tempted to question the decreed will of God, we can take comfort in knowing that His revealed will is sufficient. My goal in writing this article is not to pretend I can answer all our questions, but to suggest Biblical principles that could serve as home base for working through the many challenges that have spawned from the past month. My intention is to say a few words on each subject, glossary-style, in order of when they rose to the surface.
MARTYRDOM
Unlike many conservative voices, Charlie Kirk did what he did because of his faith in Christ. As a political activist, he was more than an evangelist; but he was not less. So yes, he is a martyr. Some may avoid that word for fear of sounding melodramatic; others may shrink away from what it implies about their own safety. But he was murdered for serving the Kingdom. There’s a word for that, and it doesn’t change because America has it better than the early church. In fact, it’s imperative that we start using the word “martyrdom” while it’s still being enacted by civilians, not the state.
When two attempts were made on Trump’s life, few conservatives feared for their own. After all, there’s a reason the secret service exists; and it’s because people try to kill politicians. And because Trump survived, we all started making memes and celebrating as though the whole incident were a good sign. To our shame, we neglected to remember that a more righteous man than Trump was killed in Butler. The bullet struck Corey Comperatore in the head, taking the life of another family’s husband and father. I honored him in more detail in my article “From Roe to Butler,” but will never miss an opportunity to remind the church of his name.
WAR
An advantage of being Christians is that our identity is in Christ. Our political views may fall into the category of the right; but when a movement on the right gets rabies and starts gnashing its teeth, our duty is to put it down by the authority of Scripture. But for leftists who condemn postnatal murder, there is no such higher accountability that can be appealed to when their companions decide to become consistent. Many people on the left would say they don’t want a declaration of war, yet they stand by the rhetoric that enables it. “Nazism, fascism, death of democracy,” etc.
Karmelo Anthony, Robin M. Westman, Decarlos Brown Jr, and Tyler Robinson are this year’s main perpetrators of political violence against civilians. Of those four, only one appears to be potentially getting legal justice. One died by suicide, one is walking free, and one has been given the catch-and-release treatment his whole life of violent crime. In a righteous nation, judges who cause more deaths by releasing murderers would be suspended from the bar—and I don’t mean the bar of justice. But what should we do when righteousness is not carried out, and our families are thus put at risk?
In 2020, a conservative young man walked into streets swarming with rioters in order to offer medical relief to those wounded. For protection, he armed himself. When attacked, he killed two people in self-defense: one domestic abuser and one child rapist. This wasn’t on his itinerary for the night, but now it’s all he’s remembered for. Does the left hate him for being a vigilante? No. They love to pretend to cancel rapists, ruining the careers of anyone accused of any sexual misconduct, proven guilty or not. Kyle Rittenhouse killed a convicted child predator who walked free on a plea bargain. The left hates him because he beat them at their own game.
I have to be careful about saying we need more men like Kyle Rittenhouse, because there are many legitimate ways this could be misunderstood. I do not mean youth should throw firearms over their shoulders and march into the street without sufficient training, which Rittenhouse did. Nor do I mean we should carry out vigilante revenge, which, despite popular narrative, Rittenhouse did not. What I mean is that we should be aware that our criminal justice system is not protecting us, and that we may need to be protect ourselves. Teach the whole family to stick together and bear arms. And if you see a man swing a knife at a woman on a bus, shoot to kill.
DOXXING
I have never been the sort of fellow to report people’s nasty social media comments to their employers. But when I saw the widespread effectiveness of charliesmurderers.com, I decided it was time. This particular doxxing campaign is not a blind vindictiveness. It is public accountability. If I were signing the checks of someone who celebrated Charlie Kirk’s murder, I would want someone to let me know. As a customer and community member, I do not want such people managing my bank account, editing my newspaper, pumping my gas, or shining my shoes.
That said, we should not forget to make a place for forgiveness if someone repents. After Tweeting a false claim about Kirk’s view of homosexuals, Stephen King apologized repeatedly, expressly acknowledging his wrongdoing and taking responsibility for it. To my disappointment, many Christians have continued to berate him after the fact. I’m not saying Christians shouldn’t stop reading his books; but that might have been a good idea a long time ago.
MELISSA HORTMAN
Minnesota’s Democrat Speaker of the House, Melissa Hortman, was murdered on June 14. Because she was not a nationally known figure, and because the killer denied right-wing motivations, there was not a particularly long commemoration on a national level. But now that the conservative world is grieving the public murder of Charlie Kirk, the left has suddenly decided that the eulogy must go on for Melissa Hortman.
This coming Tuesday, a Charlie Kirk vigil in my area is going to pray for the Hortmans as well. How many prayer vigils has the left had for her? Or is her gravestone nothing more than an Uno reverse card to them? We should absolutely care about the fact that her life was heinously taken; but we do not have to allow leftist exploitation to manipulate us into treating it as though it were just as personal to us or has the same implications.
FORMS OF GRIEVING
Some of the most disgraceful legalism on display this past month has come from people turning up their noses at the way others grieve. By all means, if someone is sinning in the way they cope, open up the Bible and prove it. But do not publicly mock someone because their tears don’t match yours.
Erika Kirk has been accused of flippancy because she laughed and smiled on The Charlie Kirk show. But if she had cried, the same busybodies would have complained that she was prolonging her grief and seeking pity. She’s already been accused of that for crying at the memorial service—a place where tears are expected. If you are making it your concern how a widow grieves, especially if you’ve never experienced anything close to what she’s going through, please avail yourself of the soonest possible opportunity to shut up.
Exodus 22:22
You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child.
FORGIVING
Should we forgive the unrepentant? I’ve addressed this in detail in my article “Amnesty: The World’s Replacement for Repentance,” but I’ll briefly provide an application here as well. When Erika Kirk forgave her husband’s murderer, she wasn’t saying he shouldn’t get civil justice. He should, even if he does repent. She was telling the world that she will not be consumed by a vengeful spirit and that, by implication, she hopes he comes to the same salvation as Saul of Tarsus. This is an example worthy to be followed by all of us.
CONSPIRACY THEORIES
Early on, I saw someone on social media post a still from a video taken moments before Kirk was murdered. Readers were told to look closely at the pixels, and there it was, plain as day: a nearby audience member was the real killer, and the FBI had it all wrong. “Conspiracy theory” would be a flattering term for this. It was a feckless accusation of murder.
Since this low-profile post, things have only gotten worse. People with large platforms have turned this tragedy into a Scooby-Doo mystery, peddling morbid anxiety to emotionally vulnerable mourners. I’m aware of Kirk’s fear for his life over his change of stance on Israel, and I’m not saying our government would be above lying about this. But authentic whistle-blowers would know the danger of what they’re dealing with and thus avoid public attention before obtaining conclusive proof.
CONTINUING HIS WORK
While I believe unity should be a priority as we mourn, this does not mean we should compromise on sound doctrine or qualifications for leaders. If anyone asks, we should be prepared to express our disappointment with The Charlie Kirk Show for hosting the renegade preacher Mark Driscoll. Someone on the episode mentioned that Kirk liked one of his books, which is equally disappointing; but notwithstanding, we must humbly expect better.
As for Steven Crowder, it would appear his demeanor has improved; but I would argue that he should never be allowed to make a comeback. Even if he were to repent of how he treated his wife, colleagues, and perceived rivals in the past, the consequences of such behavior should disqualify him from taking the spotlight again. This may not be a Scriptural absolute like qualifications for elders, but there is still wisdom in applying the principle.
There have also been questions as to whether Erika Kirk should have been made CEO of Turning Point, since God’s design is for the men to lead and the women to be their helpmeets. These folks are missing an obvious piece of the puzzle: God’s design does not include the men being murdered. Given the circumstances, at least for now, Mrs. Kirk filling her husband’s position is in no way inconsistent with the Proverbs 31 woman. She has plenty of strong and resourceful male support, and it’s highly unlikely her children will have to go without a mother present in the home.
DIFFERENCES WITH KIRK
When Kirk was alive, I was one of those fans who wasn’t afraid to be vocal about my differences with him. He was far from innocent of clickbait video titles. I think it’s a waste of time to debate ethics while agreeing to set aside Scripture. I wish I could have met him at the microphone to debate him on what New Covenant Israel is. I then would have thanked him for all his work, told him some of my favorite videos of his, and politely declined a MAGA hat as I left.
But now that he’s been glorified, these secondary issues need not interfere with how I honor him. On the contrary, his imperfections should encourage all of us to harness his momentum and make the necessary improvements. This is how the Kingdom of Heaven goes forth on earth.
GO AND DO LIKEWISE
Charlie Kirk was easily the best conservative voice we had. In a world of Catholics, Judaizers, and lukewarm evangelicals who launch conservative brands of brash rhetoric and one-way discourse, Charlie Kirk met people where they were at. He was quick-witted and firm, but always had a big smile on his face. Above all, he was unashamed of the Gospel. He left a legacy of fertile ground, and wherever he had shortcomings, God has a church that can fix them.
Matthew 25:21
His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.