Fight Darkness with Light: My Thoughts on the Assassination of Charlie Kirk

I guess I’m not interested in how. We could analyze that all day. I have theories and opinions, but I’m not interested in a debate about what events did or did not lead to how we got here. The fact is, we are here. This did happen. When I think about where we are as a nation right now, my heart breaks. My stomach feels sick. That was true before the assasination of Charlie Kirk. In fact, for my own mental health, I have been quite literally ignoring the news, but I watched Charlie’s content, and it was impossible to not see or hear the updates as they came in. 

This particular act of violence feels precedent setting. We have a number of ways that we can respond as a nation, as the church, as neighbors, as human beings, whatever the category is that you fall into, and my heart is telling me that whatever that response looks like is about to determine the trajectory of so much.

I don’t care how your political opinions or religious beliefs align or don’t align with Charlie’s. I don’t care how you feel about the second amendment. I don’t care who you voted for. I have views and beliefs  surrounding all of those, however, I know that’s not what this is about. It all feels so irrelevant to the actual conversation we should be having. Charlie and his team taught passionately about the fact that we have lost the ability to have loving conversations with people who disagree with us. Somehow respecting other people with human decency has become a rare acquired skill as opposed to a basic human expectation. 

I don’t need to waste your time or add to the media fatigue. I don’t need to spend time telling you my feelings about the issues Charlie took particular stances on. I do feel obligated to talk about love though. I do feel obligated to take a strong stance on the way we should be treating one another. Because some of what I’ve witnessed these last few days isn’t okay. 

On Thursday morning, a man, a husband, a father, someone passionate about his beliefs, was shot and killed in broad daylight in a space that is supposed to encourage new knowledge and the sharing of perspectives. I couldn’t care less if he was a radical leftist or hyper conservative. He was a human being, whose platform promoted peaceful, civil discourse and the peaceful practice of our freedom of speech. He could have been teaching witchcraft and rallying flat earthers. I don’t care. 

I do care that he was murdered in cold blood in front of his wife and children. I do care that the video of his violent killing was recorded and now middle school students have access to it on their own screens. I do care that a person was murdered. I do care that this murder is being talked about flippantly and thoughtlessly being tossed in front of people who are emotionally unprepared. 

I woke up Saturday morning to a Facebook status from someone I went to school with that said, “Rest in piss.” Someone I walked the halls with several days a week for many years, was celebrating Charlie’s death. I shouldn’t have to explain why that is problematic. I shouldn’t be living in a world where there is an accepted and celebrated group of people that see the death of anyone as something of political or social gain. 

The fact is, Charlie Kirk was a human being who was murdered. He was practicing the basic rights he had as an American citizen. It was tragic that he lost his life. It feels monumentally violating that someone was publicly executed for acting on their basic rights. That alone feels big, even historical, for the United States. It’s indescribably foul that this tragedy is seen as something positive in any way. I hate that this kind of evil even exists and is not only accessible but celebrated. 

There used to be a preacher that frequented my college campus to shout and make a spectacle. Often, large crowds of passionate students would form around him in anger. I would watch random Snapchat videos of his arguments with roaming students regularly, and I even heard of a few instances when he was invited into classrooms by professors for interviews. I didn’t like him. I didn’t appreciate his tactics, and as someone very new to and very passionate about her faith, I had a deep dislike for the way he represented Christianity and Jesus. I remember the angry pit that would form in my stomach just walking by him on his milk crate with his mega phone. 

But never in my life could I ever imagine wishing him dead. I certainly never would have celebrated a violent act against him like that. Arguing with him was pointless because he appreciated the worked up crowds. It’s what he was aiming for. The best, most effective method I ever had in showing the world the Jesus I knew, was to represent Him with my life. I fought my battle with this outspoken believer with silent love and grace because I believe that’s how Jesus would want me to handle it. Love was the most powerful weapon I possessed and still is. Despite my dislike of that man, he had people who loved him, I’m sure. I would never wish him any ill will, let alone death. 

Martin Luther King Jr once said, “Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” I think we’ve strayed so far from this truth, on all sides. 

I don’t know what happens next, but I do know the Jesus that Charlie Kirk followed. I do know what that Jesus said about loving your enemies and praying for those who persecute you. I know what he said about doing good and not growing weary. So I’ll keep doing my best to walk in that. I’ll do my best to focus on my corner of the world, hold the people I love close, and extend all the kindness I have to the people next to me. I’ll probably stay off the internet and maybe end up turning comments off on this post.

We’ve all become so desensitized to this stuff, but please don’t forget that it’s not normal for your soul to be exposed to a weight like this and just move on. This is a big deal. It’s okay if it feels that way. I believe it’s less of a moment to lean in and get righteously angry and more importantly a moment to lean into self reflection and decide what you can peacefully do from right where you are sitting. 

First, please take care of yourself, my friend. Surviving is hard these days. It only seems to get harder really. I pray you join me in holding onto and fighting for hope and love. 

You are truly and deeply loved. Please, for the love of humanity, be kind, especially to people you don’t like or agree with. We’re all just people trying to figure it out. 

P.S.

Thank you, Charlie Kirk, for your inspiring faith in Jesus. We met people at church this morning who have been away from the Lord for 20 years who stepped through the doors because you led the life that you did. As someone who follows Jesus, I admire your courage and vulnerability. We may not have seen eye to eye on every little thing, but I don’t 100% agree with any human. My word, even God and I disagree sometimes. We feel your loss on this side of Heaven, and God is already using this horrible reality for His infinite glory.