Charlie Kirk’s Assassination…

The sin is as old as Cain and Abel.  It wasn’t as though God didn’t warn Cain.  “Anger,” God said, “is crouching like a lion at your door.”  Cain was jealous that God approved of his brother’s offering, but not his.  So out in the field one day, Cain answered anger’s knock, rose up, and killed his brother. 

What justifies killing a person who has done no wrong?  When we decide we are the authority, that we can determine what is right and what is wrong, then we take a step toward deciding what punishment fits the alleged crime.  In other words, if I appoint myself as the legislator, the jury, and the judge, I can easily justify a sentence that eliminates those who offend me.   

This idea escalates quickly in the Bible.  A few verses later, Lamech is bragging to his two wives, “A man brushed up against me and I killed him.”  He seems to brag that he got away with it. 

Before long, nations justified going to war over tiny slices of land, killing in the name of King and country.  For most of human existence, Earth has been a violent place.  Darwin was not right about everything, but he was right about this: The strongest seem to be the ones who survive.  Maybe that’s why Muhammad had no problem going to war to convert people to his religion.  Maybe that’s why Islam and Hinduism still fight bloody battles over whose God is the right god.  

I know Christian’s do not have the best record when it comes to violence.  Plenty of violence, murder, and war have been committed in Jesus’ name.  Jesus was probably hollering from heaven, “NO!  This is not my will.  Don’t do this in my name!”  He came to teach care for the least of these.  He famously taught us that hate was the root of anger, and anger was the root of murder, so don’t even go down that road. 

Most of us would say we do not hate anyone, but when we begin to see people who disagree with us as the enemy, we are hating.  When we belittle people on social media, we are hating.  When we attack people’s intelligence and character, we are hating.  When we question another Jesus follower’s relationship with God because their doctrine does not line up perfectly with ours, we are hating. 

Until last week, I had never heard of Charlie Kirk.  His assassination was caused by sin.  Whether Charlie Kirk was a liberal or a conservative, he had the right to speak his opinion without fear of being gunned down.  I do not know the thinking of his murderer, but like most shootings of this nature, I can imagine he thought he was the authority, that he had the right to end Charlie Kirk’s life, because he (the shooter) alone could determine right and wrong. 

Whether we are talking about Charlie Kirk, the Minnesota legislator, and her husband, or President Trump, murdering someone because you disagree with them is a result of perverted thinking and reasoning. 

I am disappointed by the reaction of commentators.  Some said Charlie Kirk deserved it because of his rhetoric.  The same was said of Huey Long in the 1930s.  Some defended him as a saint or a martyr.  I think those judgments belong to God, not me, and certainly not to anyone with a TikTok account.  Maybe I’m just another voice, adding to the hailstorm of perspectives. 

But please allow me to make a comment on the big picture.  When a culture cuts itself loose from the belief in absolute truth, when a culture rejects the idea of God who holds people accountable, when a culture embraces the concept that every person is their own authority, then people will choose to decide for themselves what is right and wrong and will justify their actions.  We have created a cultural stew that cuts people loose. 

The Book of Judges repeats a line over and over: “In those days, each person did what was right in his own eyes.”  That’s where our culture is now. 

What do we do?  We pray against violence.  I believe prayer is mightier than the sword.  We share the story of Jesus.  A life given to Jesus accepts his authority.  We grieve with Charlie Kirk’s family.  There is a wife who is a widow at too young an age.  There are children who will grow up without a dad.  Don’t lose sight of that in all the debate. 

Most of all, we do not lose hope.  Jesus came into a world just as violent as ours, perhaps more so.  He never backed down on speaking truth to power.  But he never attacked anyone, never went to war, never harmed another person.  An old song puts it this way: “He came to love, heal, and forgive.”   

We have hope because the way of Jesus prevailed over death.  His way changed the world.  Since his resurrection, his people have risen to the occasion many times.  We can do it again.  His hope is stronger than violence.