How Should I React? The Assassination of Charlie Kirk

Last week was the 24^th anniversary of 9/11, as I wrote in my post, Remembering 9_11.

Just the day before, Christian political activist, Charlie Kirk was shot dead while speaking at Utah Valley University.

How should I react to this shocking event?

I wonder what’s going wrong with the world. Who is to blame? What has happened to free speech? How should I react? Personally, I didn’t know much about Charlie Kirk. Hubby had shown me a few of his videos where he debated with university students on controversial issues. Since his assassination, I’ve watched more videos. But I have deliberately not watched the actual shooting.

It’s awful. No matter whether you agreed with him or not, whether you liked his style, or thought he was brash and arrogant, the manner of his death is wrong. We should all be saddened at Charlie’s death. We don’t have the right to take the life of another person. Murder is wrong.

Can there be Objective Morality?

Or is it?

In one of the videos I watched, Charlie was asked by a student, ‘Fred’ (I don’t know his real name) if there was any objective morality, and how could we know? Charlie explained that if one didn’t believe in God, then there was no objective truth or morality. He asked Fred, “Is murder wrong?”

Fred said that it might be OK in some cultures. He said it might be OK to have child sacrifice if that’s what was done in your culture.

Charlie asked whether the holocaust was wrong. He explained that in the Nuremburg trials, the argument was used that it was OK in German culture. But this argument was rejected. Our consciences tell us that murder is always wrong.

Charlie said that truth and morality were linked to belief in God. Fred asked how we could know which religion was true. Charlie said that Christianity was true, and Fred asked how he knew that. Charlie said that the amazing creation pointed to God; there was ample historical evidence to prove the existence of Jesus, and his death and resurrection.

Charlie believed that everyone would need to make their own choices about right and wrong. He said,

“Because at some point, people are going to have to make a decision about what is good and what is bad. What is permissible and what is not permissible. And I think the church, or Christianity, should inform those decisions.” USA Today Charlie Kirk Christian Beliefs

How Should I React?

Charlie was asked if murder was always wrong. He said it was. Yet, he was murdered. How should we react?

Perhaps we should look for blame, and then punish those who caused this evil deed. Perhaps we should rise up in anger and seek out anyone who is happy about this murder. Then we can condemn and punish them too.

Or perhaps we should bunker down and go into hiding to protect our own skin. Perhaps we should never speak out about what we think is objective truth, because then we’ll be in danger of upsetting those with different views. We don’t want to hurt anyone, and we certainly don’t want to be rejected by other people as some sort of weirdo.

Perhaps we’re wrong. Perhaps there is no right or wrong, and everyone is entitled to their own view of reality.

Perhaps we’ll just wring our hands in distress and ask what the world is coming to. We’ll wish for the good old days when things were better. Or we’ll say it’s just the way of the world, and we can’t do anything about it.

We may be overwhelmed with sadness. But we’ll get over it eventually, and then just be grateful it wasn’t us, or anyone we know.

We might just stay quiet and confused and hopeless. Or we might fall into total despair and think about ending it all. After all, what’s the point?

There is an Answer

Charlie Kirk’s aim was always to point to Jesus. He was doing just that when he was murdered. Charlie had advice for our troubled world and how we should react:

“When things are moving very fast and people are losing their minds, it’s important to stay grounded. Turn off your phone, read scripture, spend time with friends.” Christianity Today

What does God say?

God doesn’t say that Christians won’t have any more problems or enemies or trouble. He doesn’t say that we’ll live in a perfect world if we are Christians. Actually, He says just the opposite:

In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

John 16:33b

God has an answer to “How should I react?”

He doesn’t want us to be angry at our enemies.

Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you. 

Luke 6:27

That’s really difficult! I think I might need to explore this a bit more in future blogs.

God does not want us to be afraid of people:

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 

Matthew 10:28

He does not want us to take revenge:

Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 

Romans 12:19

He does not want us to be hopeless:

We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Romans 5:3-4 

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.  

Romans 12:12

Charlie Kirk was once asked what advice he would give to someone who had 30 seconds to live. This is his answer:

What about you?

How did you react to Charlie Kirk’s death?

None of us knows when we will die. But it is certain that sometime we will die.

We may like to think that we’ll have plenty of time to think about where we’ll spend eternity, but none of us knows how much time we have left.

Do you think you’ll go to heaven?

Why/why not?

I’d really like to hear your comments – you can put them in the box below.