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| Charlie Kirk Image by Gage Skidmore on flickr |
When Violence Silences a Voice
Psalm 46:1 NKJV: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
The post that was meant for today will come out tomorrow. Today, I want to focus on the senseless assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Yesterday, a tragic shadow fell across the U.S. and the world. Charlie Kirk, a familiar voice in the world of politics and culture, was shot and killed while speaking at Utah Valley University. As reports confirm, it was a targeted attack, carried out by a sniper who struck him while he was simply answering questions during a public forum.
He was just doing what so many of us take for granted: speaking, sharing, and engaging in the exchange of ideas. And now his voice has been silenced.
I don’t bring this up to stir fear or to add fuel to the already burning fires of division in our country and world. My heart aches, and I know many of yours do, too. Instead, I want us to pause together and reflect on what such a senseless act means—for our nation, for our communities, for the world, and for our own hearts.
Remembering Charlie Kirk and What He Stood For
Charlie Kirk was first a Christian, then a husband, and a father. He loved the Lord and had a faith that drove him to serve young people. He was a courageous truth-teller, passionate for bringing his faith and convictions into conversations, and a mentor to countless young people navigating college campuses. However, some saw him as a controversial figure whose sharp wit and words often sparked debate and division. Division was the last thing he wanted.
Beyond the headlines and labels, Charlie Kirk was someone who believed in the power of God and ideas. He founded Turning Point USA with a vision of equipping students to think critically about politics, culture, and faith. He challenged what he saw as cultural drift and sought to encourage a rising generation to engage with peace, respect, and conviction.
Charlie Kirk lived with purpose. He was committed to speaking boldly, shaping conversations, and standing firmly for the truth.
In moments like these, we are reminded that even those we may see differently are still fellow image-bearers of God. Each of us deserves dignity, compassion, and prayer. His sudden death underscores not only the fragility of life but also the need to see one another as more than just positions or arguments.
Violence Cannot Be the Answer
Political violence doesn’t just strike down one person—it wounds us all. It sends a chilling message that disagreement is dangerous, that words are not answered with words but with weapons and violence. That’s not how a healthy society survives and thrives.
When I think about this, I’m reminded of James 3:5-6 NKJV: “Even so, the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.”
The truth is that our words can bring healing, or they can deepen wounds. But no matter what, when words are answered with violence, the very fabric of trust between people is torn apart.
We must be honest about what happened: a life was taken because of what Charlie Kirk represented, what he said, and what he believed. And when violence takes the place of dialogue, everyone loses—supporters and opponents alike, with divisions widening and deepening between us all.
One more word: when someone we don’t care for passes away, it’s kinder not to say anything negative about them or rejoice in their death. Passing such judgment eventually comes back to haunt us. We’re reminded of this in Romans 2:1-3 NKJV: “Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things.” Let’s remember this.
Our Call as Followers of Christ
For those of us who follow Jesus, this is a moment to look inward. How are we using our words? Are we speaking life, or are we tearing others down? Are we adding to the cycle of bitterness, or are we breaking it with love?
Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9 NKJV).
The world desperately needs peacemakers right now—not people who ignore the truth, but people who speak truth with gentleness and compassion. People who refuse to see opponents as enemies, and who resist the temptation to repay hate with hate.
Romans 12:21 NKJV challenges us with these words: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
What does it look like to overcome evil with good in moments like this? It may look like prayer for the grieving (yes—there is power in prayer!). It may look like guarding our own hearts from hatred. It may look like listening with humility, even when the voices clash.
Forgiveness and Justice
Forgiveness may be one of the hardest words to bring up in the wake of such an attack. How can we speak of forgiveness when someone has committed such a terrible act? And yet forgiveness is central to the gospel message.
Forgiveness doesn’t mean ignoring justice. Scripture is clear that God values justice: “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8 NKJV).
Justice seeks accountability, truth, and righteousness. Forgiveness, on the other hand, frees the heart from the poison of hatred.
In this moment, we pray that justice will be done—that those responsible will be found and held accountable. But as believers, we must also pray that our own hearts don’t become hardened, that we would not let bitterness take root.
Hope Beyond Violence
When violence steals a life, it can feel like hope has been stolen, too. But as followers of Christ, we know that even in the darkest valleys, hope remains.
Romans 8:38-39 NKJV gives us this assurance: “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Violence may silence a voice, but it cannot silence God’s love or end His work. Death may take a life, but it can’t take away the hope of the resurrection we have through Christ.
This is the hope we cling to in moments like this: that God is still at work, still redeeming, still calling His people to live as witnesses of His light in a dark world.
Choosing a Better Way
The assassination of Charlie Kirk is a painful reminder that some may hate so much that they are reduced to killing and suppressing the voice of anyone who doesn’t align with their beliefs. They also choose to rejoice at the death of another human being, who is an image-bearer of the living God. This is evil.
Instead, let’s choose a better way and practice Christ’s love:
- Pray for Charlie Kirk, his family, his friends, and all who are grieving.
- Pray for our nation, that we might turn from anger and division toward wisdom and peace.
- And pray for ourselves, that we would be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry (James 1:19).
Because if violence continues to be normalized in our society, we lose far more than this man’s voice—we lose our witness, our civility, and our ability to love one another as Christ commanded. This applies to everyone on all sides and of all persuasions.
We are to love one another and to root out sin—we’re encouraged to examine ourselves, pray, and go to the sinner and speak the truth in love (Matthew 7:3-5; Matthew 18:15-17). Read the words of Jesus in these verses to see what He has to say.
A Final Word
Today, I feel the weight of grief at the death of a great man. Yet I also hold onto hope. Hope that God can take even moments of darkness and use them to call His people back to the way of peace. Hope that we can be light-bearers in a world that too often reaches for the dark.
Let’s honor Charlie Kirk’s memory by recommitting ourselves to be people of peace, people of courage, and people who reflect the love of Christ in a broken world.
God bless,
