Five Lessons We’ve Learned in the Wake of Charlie Kirk’s Assassination

I’ve started to write this article three or four times, and I hope this version expresses my thoughts accurately. In many ways, I’ve known what I wanted to say since September 10^th, but in other ways, I haven't been able to find just the right words.

The assassination of Charlie Kirk sparked a storm of opinions in the church and the culture. Charlie was a saint and a martyr in some circles. In other circles, he was a bigot and a white supremacist. Most people seemed to pick a side without much interest in nuance or conversation.

That’s why it has taken me so long to write this article. This is about more than Charlie Kirk, but it is not about less than Charlie. His assassination has brought us to a cultural moment, and we must tread carefully. Here are five lessons I’ve learned through all of this.

One: The intersection of faith and politics is incredibly difficult to navigate

Scripture is filled with politics. The prophets confronted the kings and rulers of Israel and every nation Israel encountered. John the Baptist publicly criticized Herod for an ungodly marriage. Jesus exposed hypocrisy within the ruling class of Judea. Revelation is bursting with political implications about the Roman Empire.

Furthermore, the Bible addresses matters of justice, finance, governance, and morality. Consider a few hot-button issues that intersect clear biblical principles: Abortion is the taking of an unborn human life that is created in the Image of God. It is a sinful scourge upon our nation. Marriage, the lifelong covenant relationship between one man and one woman, has been under political attack for decades. The state has no right to redefine what it did not create. Immigration policy must start with the idea that all people are created in the image of God. It must also enforce laws and policies that protect national sovereignty and security. The free exercise of religion is a fundamental right that flows from the idea that our Creator will not force our allegiance to or worship of Him. All these issues are essential, and we have no hope of navigating such issues without clear and consistent direction from God’s Word. It’s hard to imagine how any biblical preacher can defend a ministry absent of political opinions.

Some pastors avoid politics entirely, while others turn their churches into political machines. It is clear that neither of those approaches is the answer. It is equally clear that the messy middle is hard to navigate. Some have proposed a “third way” in which political parties and politicians are essentially viewed as equally righteous and sinful. At first glance, that might seem like a great option. The truth is, however, that political parties and politicians are not equally righteous, nor are they equally sinful. Furthermore, the "third way" renders the voice of the church useless in any real sense. The church essentially says party/politician A is a mixture of good and bad, and so is party/politician B. Vote as you see fit. Through the "third way", the church leaves its members and the culture at large without any real direction on one of the most critical decisions they make as citizens.

At the same time, the pulpit’s primary task is not to win elections but to preach the gospel. God does not pin His hopes on politicians, and neither should the church. The church is the way in which God will advance His Kingdom, not the Whitehouse, State House, or courthouse.

May the Lord guide those pastors and churches who seek Him as we navigate such difficult waters.

Two: We are being divided, and it’s intentional

Do you think of Charlie Kirk as a kind and persuasive warrior for the gospel and biblical, conservative views? Or do you think of Charlie Kirk as an angry and combative provocateur promoting dangerous ideas? Most Americans hold one view or the other, and a person’s view of Charlie Kirk has more to do with algorithms and echo chambers than most of us realize.

Social media algorithms curate different realities for different people. That’s true in the case of Charlie Kirk, Matt Walsh, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and just about any other person or ideology. That’s not to say that all public personas and ideas are equally righteous and equally sinful. Thinking that way is a return to the failed “third-way” approach. We must, however, recognize that we’re all being manipulated. If we can’t admit that, there’s little hope that we can move beyond it.

All Americans, but especially faithful followers of Jesus, must commit to pursuing original sources rather than settling for the political sugar rush of clickbait clips. We must commit to measuring every political idea and every politician against the standards given in God’s Word.

In the case of Charlie Kirk, my wife, Lindsay, and I searched high and low for the worst of the worst Charlie Kirk moments. We also reached out to a few people who labeled Charlie as a racist or white supremacist to ask for their sources. What did we find? Even as I share our findings, I want to encourage you to conduct your own research.

There’s no doubt Charlie was a provocateur. That’s not an insult or a criticism—it was his strategy. What we found were clips of Charlie sharing ideas that would undoubtedly provoke a conversation. We found no proof in our search that Charlie was a racist or white supremacist. We did find evidence that Charlie was a thoughtful (and thought-provoking), kind, caring person who was not willing to back down from closely held beliefs, even if that meant moments of heated debate. 

Three: Politics inhabits the pews and is a challenge in the pulpit

Church people are talking about politics at their dinner tables, in their workplaces, and on their social media feeds. They talk about it Monday through Saturday; they talk about it on the way into church, and they talk about it in the church lobby. It seems counterproductive to shut down the conversation once “the most important hour of the week” begins. When the church ignores political issues altogether, it becomes the only place where politics are not addressed.

Church people need to be discipled and guided in political matters. But the expectation that pastors can give an instant theological response to every breaking news story is unrealistic. Practical theology is the application of theological ideas to current issues, and that takes time. It also takes grace and patience. A good, gospel-centered, biblical pastor will occasionally get it wrong. We need space and grace to work through complicated issues. As pastors, we must also extend grace and patience to pastors who handle issues differently.

The week after Charlie Kirk’s assassination, some social media personalities gave this advice, “If you’re pastor didn’t say anything about Charlie Kirk this Sunday, find another church.” That’s ludicrous. Perhaps “If your pastor didn’t preach the gospel this Sunday, find another church” is more appropriate.  

Four: Supporting someone is not the same as agreeing with everything they say

We live in a tribal moment, and tribes function like the fan bases of college football teams. I am an Auburn fan, and that means I surrender all logic and reason in support of Auburn football. We have a rule in our family—if the referee’s call was good for Auburn, it was the right call. If it hurt Auburn, it was the wrong call. That’s the way fandom works. Tribalism is similar.

Too often, support is equated with total agreement. Disagreement, even in part, is treated as betrayal. That’s not biblical. I can affirm the things Charlie Kirk stood for, without necessarily agreeing with every word he spoke or the way he said it. And I can recognize that someone I usually disagree with may occasionally be right. I can also allow room for a brother or sister in Christ to critique Charlie Kirk without attacking them for such critiques. Time and place are important, and the days immediately following the assassination were not the time for critical remarks. In the current national moment consumed with all things Charlie Kirk, however, we must allow critique of his ideas. We can’t write off a brother or sister in Christ with a different viewpoint about second and third-level issues Charlie so often debated. 

I reserve my full allegiance and support only for Christ and His Kingdom. I fully support and endorse every word of Scripture. Outside of that, I cannot offer such wholesale agreement. If I read or hear something from Scripture that I disagree with, the problem is with me. If I read or hear something I disagree with from any other source, I must evaluate it in light of Scripture. Christian pastors must never give support to any politician or political party that requires full loyalty and agreement with no room for private and public critique.

Five: Persecution creates a platform for the gospel

Charlie Kirk lived his public life at the intersection of faith and politics. In the recent past, the gospel seemed to become an even more central part of his message. It is unclear whether the shooter targeted Charlie for his politics, his faith, or both, and in some ways, a line cannot be drawn between the two. What is clear is that the death of Charlie Kirk created a platform for the gospel to be preached to millions.

At his memorial service, the gospel was proclaimed again and again—pastors, worship leaders, and even politicians preached the forgiveness of sins through the crucified Christ. The service itself was saturated with Scripture and testimony, and Erika Kirk’s forgiveness of Charlie’s murderer captivated the heart of the nation. More than 100 million people watched the memorial and heard the gospel. By some estimates, the gospel was presented to more people at the Charlie Kirk memorial than at any other event in history!

And the fruit is already visible. People are returning to church. Young people are examining the truth claims of Christianity. One of our pastors heard from a young man who had long admired Christianity’s moral framework but rejected its truth claims. He reached out to the pastor to let him know that he had given his life to Christ in the wake of these events. Stories like his remind us that the gospel is not bound by politics, persecution, or even death. God’s Word will accomplish its purpose. Persecution does not silence the gospel. It amplifies the gospel.

We may never navigate these waters of politics and Christianity perfectly. We will disagree about when to speak, what to say, or whom to support. But we must not lose sight of the bigger picture. The gospel is going forward. The Kingdom of God is advancing.

That is the hope we cling to. That is the tribe we belong to. And that is the privilege we cannot surrender.

We recently released a C2 Life podcast episode where we discuss these ideas. You can listen to that episode here.