Pastoral Reflections on the Murder of Charlie Kirk

We are all grieving and processing the tragic murder of Charlie Kirk, an outspoken Christian evangelist, apologist, and political figure. Navigating this heartbreaking event requires us to turn to nothing else than the foundation upon which we have always stood, the Word of God.

A Fallen World

Charlie’s murder reminds us that we live in a fallen world. Things are not as they should be. Sin has radically transformed the places in which we live. Because of rebellion against God, suppression of the truth of God, and rejection of the Word of God, sin wreaks havoc on our daily lives and leads to all kinds of evil (Rom 1:18-32).

The existence of evil

We are reminded of the reality that evil exists. It is real, and it has drastic effects. It corrupts the mind and everything it touches (Mark 7:21-22). It creates confusion. It causes suffering, pain, and injustice. It leads to murder and death (James 1:14-15).

created in the image of god

We are reminded that we are created in the image of God, with a moral compass built into our nature that cries out at injustice, that senses and knows instinctively that murder is wrong (Rom 2:15).

righteous anger

We are reminded of the reality of righteous anger. The Bible says, “be angry, and do not sin” (Eph 4:26). It is right and normal to be angry at sin and evil and all of their effects. Yet, we are also told not to exact revenge because the Lord declares, “vengeance is mine" (Deut 32:35, Rom 12:19). God is just and he will avenge the evildoer. While we don’t take revenge into our own hands, we trust in the Lord’s judgment in His timing.

weep with those who weep

We are reminded to weep with those who weep (Rom 12:15). We grieve with those who are grieving. We think of the rest of Charlie’s family, his wife, his children, and all of the other families affected by this act of evil. We lift them up to the Lord in prayer and ask for his grace and mercy upon them, upon us, upon our country, and upon the world (Psalm 123).

an even bigger tragedy

We are reminded of Jesus’ words in John 15:18, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.” Jesus was the most innocent human to have ever lived. He was completely perfect, and yet was hated for who he was and for the truth that he spoke. That hate fueled his murder on the cross, the most tragic event in the history of the world. And the same sin that led to Jesus’s crucifixion is the sin that leads people to hate his followers. John 15:19 continues, “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” The world’s hate for the followers of Christ is ultimately aimed at Christ himself.

why we feel solidarity

All those united to Christ by faith feel a sense of unity with others who are also united to Him by faith. Acts of evil committed against Christians are acts of evil committed against all Christians because they are fundamentally acts of evil committed against Christ himself. The solidarity we feel in Charlie Kirk’s death points us to the unity we have as brothers and sisters in Christ because we are all united to Him, members of His body (Eph 5:30). 1 Cor 12:26-27 says, “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”

spiritual warfare

We are reminded of the reality of spiritual warfare. “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph 6:12). There is a spiritual war going on in our world, and the devil will take every opportunity to cause hatred, violence, and division wherever he can. Even within the church, he would love nothing more than to cause division among churches and among the people in those churches through the aftermath of the murder of Charlie Kirk. So, we must “be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet 5:8).

the sinfulness of sin

We are reminded of the sinfulness of sin, the heinousness of it, the gravity of it, and God’s restraining grace upon each one of us. For we are all sinners, and but for the grace of God, the same sin and corruption of mind and heart that led to the murder of Charlie Kirk could just as well have led us to commit this atrocity (2 Thess 2:7, Gen 20:6). As sinners we are reminded of how serious our sin is and what it can lead to and that it infects every person in the world (Rom 3:23). It was our sin that sent Jesus to the cross and held him there until his work was accomplished. This leads us to continual personal repentance and an increased motivation to fight against the remaining sin in our own hearts.

There is hope

But we are also reminded of hope, because Jesus suffered death on behalf of all those who trust in him. He suffered once for all (Rom 6:10). And he didn’t stay dead. He rose from the grave, conquered death, and promises life for all who trust in him by faith (Rom 10:9). While we face the reality of evil in this world, and the reality of death, all that death can do is deliver us to our Savior. There is a world to come for all those in Christ where there will be no evil and no sin. “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Rev 21:4). And we look forward to that day with eager expectation.

the sovereignty of god

We are reminded of the sovereignty of God over all things. We might not have all the answers. We might not know all the reasons. But we know the one who does. God has promised us that he “works all things for the good of those who love him and who have been called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28). Just as God planned the most tragic event in the history of the world, the death of Jesus Christ, for his good purposes, he continues to work his sovereign plan through all things (Acts 2:23-28). No purpose of God can be defeated, no plan can be thwarted. God will accomplish everything he has intended to do (Job 42:2, Isa 46:8-11).

The goodness of god

We are reminded of the goodness of God through pain and suffering. Gen 50:20 says, “you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive.” The evil hurts while it happens, but out of it is woven a beautiful tapestry that magnifies the glory of God. And one day in heaven, we will be able to step back and see the full picture, and it will be spectacular, a sight for all to behold and we will give all glory to Him.

life out of death

We are reminded of the life-giving power of death through Christ. Just as Jesus died to give us life, God continues to turn graves into gardens. Just as Augustine once preached, “The earth has been filled with the blood of the martyrs as with seed, and from that seed have sprung the crops of the church. They have asserted Christ’s cause more effectively when dead than when they were alive. They assert it today, they preach him today; their tongues are silent, but their deeds echo around the world. They were arrested, bound, imprisoned, brought to trial, tortured, burned at the stake, stoned to death, run through, fed to wild beasts. In all their kinds of death they were jeered at as worthless, but ‘precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints’ (Psalm 116:15).”

Be Strong and courageous

We are reminded to be bold and courageous. Just as the Lord said to Joshua, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Josh 1:9), he promises to us, “‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’” (Heb 13:5-6). We do not fear death, but stand firm in our convictions. Jesus is king. The Bible is God’s word. And we ask for help to remain faithful to all that he has commanded us.

— May the love of God, the peace of Jesus Christ, and the comfort of the Holy Spirit be with you all