Has your pastor mentioned the Charlie Kirk assassination? If not, did you ask why not?
Those in the church who have ignored the horrific, culture-shaping event are reportedly citing a variety of reasons but one more than most – not wanting to bring politics into the pulpit.
Only such a rationale reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of not only who the late Turning Point USA founder was, but also what motivated his effort, and how Christians are called to engage culture.
Charlie Kirk, who accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior at the age of five, often talked about how we needed to care and advocate for good government. He believed this because our personal welfare is tied to the welfare of the nation. Kirk would cite the Old Testament prophets Daniel, Elijah, Jeremiah, and Moses praying and advocating for their nations.
“In fact, Moses was so political that he wrote an entire book of the Torah all about how to set up a government,” reflected Kirk. “It’s the book of Deuteronomy. The Bible is an explicitly political text amongst many other things.”
Pastors who ignore events they fear are framed by politics might be conflating partisanship with policy itself. It’s one thing to champion a person and a whole other to advocate for specific issues in the light of our Christian faith and convictions.
When a high-profile Christian is literally gunned down on a college campus for advocating for biblically sound doctrine, it’s the heavy responsibility of pastors to help congregants understand the difficult circumstances and how to process it all as believers.
It was Jesus who said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10). He also warned, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you” (John 15:18). The apostle Paul likewise cautioned, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12).
Persecution and hatred can take on many forms in the year 2025. Charlie Kirk suffered the ultimate offense, but evilness and wickedness manifest in other ways ranging from criticism to censorship to alienation.
But silence on what happened in Utah threatens to communicate either an indifference or a dangerous disconnect between what we believe and how we implement what we believe in the public square.
“Christ called us to be salt and light,” urged Kirk. “We as Christians should change the environment that we come in contact with by changing the government to be more Christ-like.”
Is that political? Yes. Is it partisan? No.
Charlie Kirk had the temerity to bring his faith into his politics. We should possess and demonstrate that same degree of courage.
Image from Shutterstock.
