Charlie Kirk Shot

[temporal1]

i would prefer that Erika be protected from invasive cameras+mics.

Considering she's the CEO of TPUSA, she's probably capable of protecting herself, if she wishes to.

That, too.

[R7ehr]

I thought Trump did bad. He seemed tired and was going everywhere. Erika did well ... again.

My take home was that our Dear Leader likes the sound of sirens.

i would prefer that Erika be protected from invasive cameras+mics. none of this is of my choosing. no one asks me.
i worry about Trump physically over doing things. for a man half his age.

Did you share the videos of her here though?

[temporal1]

My take home was that our Dear Leader likes the sound of sirens.

i would prefer that Erika be protected from invasive cameras+mics. none of this is of my choosing. no one asks me.
i worry about Trump physically over doing things. for a man half his age.

Did you share the videos of her here though?

yes. i often “don’t get my way”. that doesn’t mean i don’t accept reality, it doesn’t mean i don’t appreciate whatever good may be in “what i wouldn’t choose”. little is black and white. i’m not “dug in” that Erika should be silenced. nothing like it. i accept others see it very differently.

i strongly believe the Amish bishops in Nickel Mines got it right when they kindly refused media circus in their time of excruciating pain.

i realize their message is uncommon essentially unheard of.
i think it should be part of open discussion. i think many cA beliefs should be discussed, considered, known.

maybe a lot like CK’s approach? i wonder if MD-MN wasn’t CK before CK?! started by teens.

i’ve long questioned, how can anyone be expected to have any opinion on anything without balanced information?
to me, that’s “just plain” impossible.

as well, i don’t presume CK wouldn’t embrace cA beliefs.
to me, he showed signs of one very possibly headed in that direction. i could imagine him eschewing politics.

in my view, Erika is getting so swept up in “everything”, her poor brain hasn’t much of a chance.
i view it as inhumane. not evil. mistaken. i’ve had a lot more time than she to learn and think things through.

[Robert]

[QuietlyListening]

My sister in law sent us the November/December copy of the ACT Informer. This was the lead article and in my opinion excellent.

In Mourning for Charlie Kirk... and for the Anabaptists
Ellis Miller, September 2025

Today I mourn for a widow who has lost a husband who loved her and who loved Jesus. I mourn for two children who will grow up without their father.

I mourn for our nation divided by the politics of left and right, but united in the pursuit of power and wealth and glory. Able to expend energy in social outrage, but unable to love the “other" neighbor as themselves.

While this is tragic, it isn't surprising and it isn't new. Human nature without redemption will always find an enemy – other nations, other races, other religions, other views.

I mourn for the American churches who have joined the flag with the cross, who embrace the Bible with one hand and the rifle with the other. Who don't live as exiles hoping for a heavenly country, but instead celebrate their leader who promises to make this nation great again.

While this is tragic, it isn't surprising and it isn't new. The church has long been tempted with power and with compromise. Constantine and the crusades show what happens when the church abandons the ways of its suffering Savior and takes up the sword.

But even more, I mourn for my Anabaptist brothers and sisters and our churches. How has it happened that we have kept an identity that is plain but lost our identity as pilgrims? When did we move from living as exiles and ambassadors to embracing conservative politics and political figures as our own (whether we vote or not)?

To be clear, I count Charlie Kirk as a brother in Christ. He unapologetically preached Christ and the gospel. For this I am grateful. He was a gifted communicator who challenged many to reconsider both their personal views and their political views. His skill was admirable.

Yet he also unapologetically pushed an aggressive political agenda and was closely tied to a President whose words and life differ sharply from Christ's commands. He attacked political enemies and called for the death penalty for a former president. He saw the US government as Christian ("This is a Christian state. I'd like to see it stay that way.") and believed that Christ’s command to “Occupy until I come" was an instruction to dominate in government and all of society.

His funeral witnessed the confusing marriage of the church and state. His widow gave a moving testimony pointing to Christ and speaking of forgiveness. Other speakers clearly preached the gospel. But the stage was also shared with a political party to preach their agenda. It is clear that this version of Christianity is deeply joined to a particular brand of politics. The two are inseparable in life and in death.

What if instead of hours of politics, the time would have been given to Christ and the cross? What if committed Christians from across the political spectrum had laid down their differences and together preached the risen Christ? This could have been a moment for the church to stand together. Instead, the unity of political views trumped the unity of Christ.

We aren't here to discuss Charlie Kirk. While I count him as a fellow believer, he was from a different faith tradition. His teachings were the clear outworking of his beliefs.

My question is whether our faith tradition will live out our beliefs. Or are they still our beliefs? This message of joining church and state is not unfamiliar to us as Anabaptists. However, it was not the message of our spiritual ancestors, it was the message of their persecutors. It is alien to the way of the kingdom Christian.

We wince when we see a buggy in the lane and a Trump sign in the yard. Yet these symbols too closely represent the hearts of many in our churches. We have brothers who are listening to Fox News more than the Bible, to Tucker Carlson more than Menno Simons.

A friend recently told me that unless we unapologetically embrace and speak about our identity as citizens of another country, it will disappear in the onslaught of social media and conservative political culture.

For those of you who do not embrace this marriage of Anabaptism and politics, we are at a place where silence is probably not the right option. We must prayerfully, graciously, humbly, courageously speak up for Christ and his kingdom.

We are at a turning point.

How will we respond?

Will we embrace Christ's words that “my kingdom is not of this world"?
Will we embrace the instructions of Peter to live as exiles and sojourners?
Will we accept the call to be ambassadors of another kingdom both in this country and throughout the world?
Will we love our enemies and pray for them?
Will we become passionate followers of Christ or will we remain the comfortable quiet in the land?
Will our people be steeped in Scripture and prayer or in social media, entertainment, and distraction?
Will the heritage we pass on to our children be one only marked by hard work and the blind pursuit of prosperity? Or will they have seen us sell all in order to gain the greatest Treasure of all?
Will the Master say “Well done!" when we stand before Him?

Background: I am a member of an Amish Mennonite church in Kansas. This article was written in response to the political perspectives I have seen in the past weeks among those of my faith tradition, the conservative Anabaptists. I pray that it can be an encouragement to others as well in their journey of faith.

[barnhart]

I appreciate that response.

[JohnH]

Background: I am a member of an Amish Mennonite church in Kansas. This article was written in response to the political perspectives I have seen in the past weeks among those of my faith tradition, the conservative Anabaptists. I pray that it can be an encouragement to others as well in their journey of faith.

The Beachys in Kansas have always been a bastion of liberalism/progressivism. Not at all surprising to see this.

[Jazman]

Background: I am a member of an Amish Mennonite church in Kansas. This article was written in response to the political perspectives I have seen in the past weeks among those of my faith tradition, the conservative Anabaptists. I pray that it can be an encouragement to others as well in their journey of faith.

The Beachys in Kansas have always been a bastion of liberalism/progressivism. Not at all surprising to see this.

I'm not sure what you read in the article, but I read a Christ-centered commentary on a current past event. (Thanks QuietlyListening for posting...it's a really good, wise Anabaptist perspective and coda? to the thread here)
It appears that the writer's community, the "Beachys in Kansas" as you refer to them, have a right-wing political problem/drift...not a liberal/progressive one.

[mike]

Background: I am a member of an Amish Mennonite church in Kansas. This article was written in response to the political perspectives I have seen in the past weeks among those of my faith tradition, the conservative Anabaptists. I pray that it can be an encouragement to others as well in their journey of faith.

The Beachys in Kansas have always been a bastion of liberalism/progressivism. Not at all surprising to see this.

I'm not sure what you read in the article, but I read a Christ-centered commentary on a current past event. (Thanks QuietlyListening for posting...it's a really good, wise Anabaptist perspective and coda? to the thread here)
It appears that the writer's community, the "Beachys in Kansas" as you refer to them, have a right-wing political problem/drift...not a liberal/progressive one.

What stood out to me in that piece when I first read it a few months ago was "While I count him as a fellow believer..." In my view, this makes much of what the writer has to say irrelevant. If we as Anabaptists are going to openly count Charlie Kirk as a fellow believer in Christ, we can say whatever else we want, but the message we send is that the differences between Anabaptists and American evangelicals are not that significant. I do view this like JohnH as a liberal/progressive perspective within Anabaptism, and what is likely to happen is that Anabaptist young people will make the easy switch between this perspective and the garden-variety evangelical viewpoint. There's not that much difference left anymore between the two in some quarters. I've written about my thoughts on this in article format, and if anyone is interested, PM me for a link.

[R7ehr]

The Beachys in Kansas have always been a bastion of liberalism/progressivism. Not at all surprising to see this.

It appears that the writer's community, the "Beachys in Kansas" as you refer to them, have a right-wing political problem/drift...not a liberal/progressive one.

I'm not talking specifically about the Kansans. But I think in the conservative Mennonite context, it would be quite expected to see right-wing political problem/drift, as in fact a hallmark of one becoming more liberal and progressive. When first generation Plain people "drift/become liberal" that rarely means they are attract to left-wing politics at all (that comes later or in different environments), but rather we see them becoming more in love with right-wing issues over the traditional aloofness of their churchs doctrines.