Charlie Kirk Shot

[Grace]

A young husband and father has been killed, a family is shattered, and most of us are shaken. Whatever our views of Charlie Kirk, we can share in mourning.

At the same time, I think it’s worth keeping a few things in mind as we talk together:

• Many are already presenting Charlie Kirk as if he were a saint or martyr for our common faith. I doubt that’s the reason, and we simply don’t yet know the shooter’s motives.
• We can grieve the loss of a husband and father without immediately debating what Kirk stood for, or assuming his faith expression was a fully Jesus-centered, Kingdom-first faith. That’s a bigger conversation, and maybe not one for this moment of raw grief.
• It’s worth remembering that many people preach openly on campuses every day without facing violence. This tragic act, while devastating, should not be taken as the automatic outcome of public Christian witness.
• And when it comes to the flood of tweets and videos, we really don’t know who produced them or how they were funded or amplified. Some are surely personal and heartfelt; others may be coordinated or boosted by groups with political interests. Weirdly, Twitter has made it really hard to track these things down, it used to be much easier.

We can honor the grief without rushing into hagiography or being swept away by online narratives.

I hope we can keep compassion at the center—grieving with those who grieve, while also exercising wisdom and patience before drawing larger conclusions.

Pointing out Charlie Kirk's Christian faith isn't hagiography, if it points people to Christ. I think we need allow the Lord to use Charlie Kirk's life, even in death, to win people to the Lord and not diminish that work or his testimony. Even though we might have theological differences with Charlie Kirk's interpretations of scripture, we cannot even fathom how God can still work using Charlie's life/death.

[Robert]

[Robert]

[Robert]

[JohnL]

'We Are Charlie Kirk!' South Koreans Take to the Streets in Global Show of Support

[temporal1]

Things can change quickly.

[JoyE]

Here's an idea. Perhaps some of you can get together and compile two lists of all the things Charlie Kirk and Jim Dobson got wrong. Then you can present it to God and make sure He knows what kind of men He's dealing with when He hands out rewards.

Good luck with that.

[JohnH]

Apparently the Oregon Ducks were his favorite team.

[Robert]

[Robert]