Full Comments on Memorial for Charlie Kirk

Kirk’s Fairly Mainstream Views

Christians in Utah were deeply impacted by the assassination of Charlie Kirk, happening in our own backyard. The memorial service was viewed by millions of Americans.

Many opponents labeled Charlie Kirk’s views as ‘extreme’ or ‘hateful.’ One of the reasons his death resonated with so many is that his views are not far from the mainstream. It was difficult to find video of him saying things that were actually ‘hateful’ and, many of the quotes people had of him that seemed to be extreme were not all that extreme at all when they were read in their context. 

In Charlie Kirk, many American Christians saw someone they agreed with about almost everything, shot in the neck while doing nothing but talking. It added insult to the injury to then hear his views labeled as extreme, views which looked a whole lot like their own views. Because of this, many Utahns, some of whom had never heard of Charlie Kirk two weeks ago, were tuned into youtube, seeking comfort and joining the nation in mourning.

A Signpost of God’s Forgiveness

At the memorial service, the forgiveness expressed by his wife Erika was beautiful, and embodied the posture of Christ in a moment like this. Choking through tears, Erika said, “I forgive him.” Forgiving our neighbor when we are sinned against is one of the most difficult tasks that Christians are called to. I’m sure Erika still wrestles with deep anger with this young man, and will continue to for the rest of her life.  CS Lewis wrote in Reflections on the Psalms:

There is no use talking as if forgiveness were easy. We all know the old joke, ‘You’ve given up smoking once; I’ve given it up a dozen times.’ In the same way I could say of a certain man, ‘Have I forgiven him for what he did that day? I’ve forgiven him more times than I can count.’ For we find that the work of forgiveness has to be done over and over again. We forgive, we mortify our resentment; a week later some chain of thought carries us back to the original offence and we discover the old resentment blazing away as if nothing had been done about it at all. We need to forgive our brother seventy times seven not only for 490 offences but for one offence.

I know that forgiving this act is going to be a lifelong journey for Erika, as every birthday celebrated, every milestone missed, and every tear filled “Where’s Daddy?” is going to tear at the very fabric of her soul. She began that journey toward forgiveness, though, and she did it publicly and beautifully. Forgiveness is the only way to bring healing. Erika ought to be commended for her step in the journey.

Martyrdom, Missionary, and the Use of Christian Language

Although Christians should rightly celebrate how this forgiveness points us to Christ, it is important to not wed the platform of a particular political party with the Christian Gospel, and some of the interplay between Christianity and the political Right taking place at the memorial should concern us. By the end of his speech at the memorial, President Trump had transitioned entirely to a political speech, and one where he defended the amazing impact of his tariffs and celebrated that he had found the cause of autism. These are fine issues to discuss, but we aren’t talking about the Christian Gospel anymore. Bouncing back and forth between using ‘martyr’ and ‘missionary’ to describe Kirk and using ‘tariffs’ and ‘conservatism’ to describe his beliefs was troubling. I think we do our best when we carefully distinguish the City of God from the City of Man, as Saint Augustine taught us.

Charlie Kirk was a brother in Christ. He often testified clearly to his faith when he was given the opportunity to do so. He died a violent, unjustified death. However, his death should not be labeled a Christian martyrdom. Charlie Kirk never described what he was doing as ‘preaching the Gospel,’ and his vocation was that of a political activist for the Republican Party. There is nothing wrong with being a political activist mobilizing and engaging youth and trying to persuade them to join your political party. It is just not the same thing as converting them to the Christian faith. Charlie Kirk would have readily acknowledged this.

It is dangerous to equate the platform of the Republican Party with the Christian Gospel. The Church must maintain a critical voice in the public square. There are some places where the Republican Party platform aligns with the historic Christian Gospel. However, there are other places where the Republican Party platform opposes the Christian Gospel, and it is dangerous to forget this.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Christians throughout Utah join in mourning the unjust, violent death of a brother in Christ who was murdered simply for his political opinions. We celebrate the picture of Christ’s forgiveness that was present in Erika’s forgiveness of his killer. In doing so, we do not forget that neither the Republican nor the Democratic party reflect the values of God’s Kingdom perfectly, and we continue to proclaim the rule of the only Good King, Jesus.