News is flying fast, and the video footage is gut-wrenching. Here are 10 ways to think faithfully about Charlie Kirk’s murder.
- Our hearts should hurt and feel heavy. We love life and we love people.
- Anger is also a part of how God designed us, because we have a God-given desire for justice and the protection of life. Righteous anger is not sinful; sinning in anger is another matter. Feel your anger, but then be wise in how you respond to it.
- A lost and dying world hates truth, and while Charlie Kirk was not perfect, many of the things he defended and stood for find their foundations in a Christian worldview. Non-Christians are NOT all the same. Some respect biblical Christianity and the conservatism it produces, while others find it intolerable. Jesus told us this would happen, because it happened to Him.
- Sadly, in some situations, people are so evil and depraved that they resort to committing violence on another, because they hate what he/she believes or teaches. This is NEVER permitted for Christ followers. Regardless of one’s beliefs or views, we believe every person has a right to live and be protected.
- There are only two times in Scripture where a Christian is permitted to do harm to another person: In self-defense when one’s life or the lives of others are threatened, or if called upon by one’s country to defend it in a just war. And even in those situations, violence is a last resort.
- In the shooting today, a conservative activist who is a professing Christian was shot and killed while he was talking in a public forum. He was making no threats or attempting to harm anyone. The person responsible most likely did so because he hated what Charlie represented. This does not mean all people who disagree with us will resort to violence. But anyone who does or supports this type of activity should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of our law.
- You will notice that people have all kinds of reactions. You are not responsible for what others say, think, feel, or do. But if you are serious about honoring the Lord, make sure your words are chosen carefully. You can and should condemn this terrible act of violence. You can also agree that often people hate the truth, but then you need to spend most of your time loving your neighbor and talking about how knowing Christ is the only hope. Christ is the “why” behind the conservative values.
- Christ and His Word teach repeatedly that all life is precious from conception to natural death. He not only made us in His image, but our souls are so valuable that He shed His blood that we might be saved.
- God created through Christ and made humans male and female, thereby establishing their binary existence and the reality that gender is a choice of God, not man.
- Christ saw the honor and beauty in marriage so much that He went all the way back to Genesis and quoted God saying, “A man shall cleave to his wife,” thereby reaffirming the biblical definition of marriage as between one man and one woman.
- Christ and His apostles consistently taught personal morality and responsibility for one’s own life and well-being.
- The list goes on…
- Christians should not be “conservatives” because we’ve chosen it as one popular ideology among many. We believe God’s Word and love God’s Son. So, we desire to obey Him. Obeying Him in a lost and morally decaying world will automatically make us look very conservative.
- Do not live for a cause such as conservatism. Live for Christ. Yes, you’ll be conservative, but most importantly, you’ll be spiritually alive with love for your neighbor, courageous in holding your convictions, respectful for the law, have strength for the struggling, and empathy for the hurting.
- I hurt for Charlie’s family today, but Christ is Lord. And, on days like today, that reality is still enough. Based on his open profession of faith, Charlie is with Jesus. We press on, pray, and long a little more for the Lord’s return.
-Pastor D.J. Horton