What my pastor wrote about Charlie Kirk

[ACC]

I thought I would post this. It was written to our church by him about the murder of Mr. Kirk and how as Christians we should handle it. ACC

Like so many of you, I was shocked when I heard that Charlie Kirk had been shot at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. Unfortunately, I also stumbled across a terrible, close-up video of the attack on social media. Thankfully, I’ve since learned that the platform is working to remove these kinds of videos.

When my wife texted me the news that Charlie had passed, I was stunned all over again. I didn’t agree with everything Charlie ever said or did, but the vast majority of what he stood for, I too stand for. Having followed him for years—mainly through Instagram and TikTok—I found him to be a breath of fresh air. He was someone willing to speak truth when it was unpopular, often in the face of strong opposition. And while bold, he generally tried to be respectful, even toward those who vehemently disagreed with him.

As far as I could tell, Charlie was a genuine believer in Christ. He unashamedly studied and proclaimed God’s Word, even in settings where spiritual discussion wasn’t expected. In recent years, he even made it a point to carry a Bible with him at public events.

But if I’m honest, when I first heard the news, a wave of fear struck me. I don’t have a platform like Charlie’s, but I am a pastor who aims to preach God’s Word unashamedly each Sunday. If someone could target Charlie, it’s not impossible that one day someone might target me.

And yet, what came to mind was the very passage I preached from this past Sunday. The message was centered on one of our church’s guiding principles: Grace—we will show compassion and grace to all people. We studied Genesis 1:26–27, where Scripture tells us mankind was created in the image of God. Unlike anything else in creation, we reflect Him—we have intellect, reason, affections, moral capacity, and spiritual awareness.

I’m still processing what happened Wednesday. As a father of four (with another on the way), I ache for Charlie’s family. But as I reflect, here are a few thoughts I want to share:

Political violence is ideological surrender. When we resort to violence, we’re admitting we have no more arguments left to offer. That is both sad and dangerous.
Violence, especially for Christians, is sinful. Vengeance belongs to the Lord, not to us. Scripture is clear: “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord’” (Romans 12:19). Even while we’re here, God has entrusted our earthly rulers as “agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer” (Romans 13:4). However imperfect our justice system may be, it is there for a reason.
We must condemn all political violence, not just violence against “our side.” Every person is created in God’s image and is worthy of dignity and respect. While Charlie’s murder feels especially personal to Christians, any political violence must be condemned.
Our citizenship is in 1) heaven, and 2) the USA. Charlie knew and often said this. God’s Word shapes our entire identity, including our political engagement. It is a good thing to be engaged in the political process, no matter how frustrating it can be. This is part of what it means to care for our community, even while first and foremost, “our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). Charlie knew this. We should know this too.
We need not fear evil. Over and over, God’s Word reminds us not to fear. “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”(Isaiah 41:10). And, “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7).

In that sermon last week, I laid out four spectrums of people created in God’s image:

Male and female
From conception to death
From white to black
From the garden to the prison

In light of this tragedy, I’d like to add one more: from liberal to conservative, and every shade in between. Political differences do not diminish anyone’s worth before God. Every human being matters to Him, and therefore must matter to us.

I understand the anger many feel right now. For most, it’s a righteous anger. But as I said on Sunday, if we withhold grace and compassion from people—even from those whose politics or ideologies clash with ours—we’re saying they might be worthy of God’s grace, but not ours. And that must never be the posture of God’s people.

Let’s pray earnestly for Charlie’s family and close friends. Let’s commit ourselves to walking in God’s way, no matter what may come. Let’s continue to engage passionately in public discourse, but always with respect and compassion. Let’s pray the killer is apprehended and that justice is exacted to the fullest extent of the law. And let’s remember the charge of Scripture: “Be angry and yet do not sin; do not give the devil an opportunity” (Ephesians 4:26–27).

Pastor Ryan

[John Wayne]

There is a lot of good written here by your pastor ACC and worthy of reading 3 times for me. I had already come to 99% of those conclusions. As the Bible states, we are living in the devil's domain and it shows. I hope I can measure up when confronted by evil or will I empty my firearm and change the mag?
JW

[hoodat]

Most of us who love the Lord will already have agreed with this wonderful sermon.

Those who don't know God, or are younger in their faith, might need us to pass some of these truths on to them.

We all need to remember also that Charlie died heroically just minutes after boldly proclaiming his faith in our Lord and Savior. For him, death holds no sting. We should all be so lucky. jd

[dverna]

I offer this:

Deuteronomy 7:2 And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them

God commanded the genocide of the Canaanites.

it will be argued that this was a Devine command by God and therefore justified. But God no longer talks to us directly...only through His word. Do we cherry pick His word so we can justify our actions....I know I do.

I have faced evil and did not depend on God to protect me. I used my weapon to ward off an attack. If that makes me a poor Chrisitan, so be it.

Are we supposed to show grace/mercy to a man who rapes our wife, daughter and granddaughter? What if he kills them? How about an enemy that wants to destroy our country and way of life.

I know my answer will not be the "Christian way". And I have no desire to adopt that way to deal with evil.

I would be interested to hear if your Pastor thinks the man who assassinated Kirk should be executed. Is a life term acceptable? How about 25 years in prison? Maybe 10 years? If this killer writes a letter of remorse and apologizes will that be OK and we can release him immediately. After all we are not to judge, and vengeance is His.

Cherry picking the Bible is a dangerous cancer and we all do it.