Charlie Kirk
/Greetings New Life,
Earlier this week, Charlie Kirk, a Christian and an American conservative political activist, commentator and author was shot and killed while speaking at an open-air rally at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. Kirk was the founder and president of Turning Point, USA, a non-profit organization which advocated Christian values and conservative political views. Through his organization, he established a very large following across the USA on college and university campuses, on podcasts and radio programs, in various public appearances and on other social media outlets. He did not hold a political office and was never elected to serve in any official public capacity. He was a civilian and his murder has sparked an enormous outcry across our country and across the world.
Kirk's pastor, Rev David Engelhardt from Kings' Church (NYC) aptly summarizes what he stood for. To paraphrase and summarize (not a quote), he said Charlie combined absolute truth with moral order. The truth being the Word of God, and morality that was centered upon the core values presented in the Bible. He was strong, he was accurate, he was very intelligent and articulate, always very well prepared; he was unbending in his Christian beliefs. His death marks not only the death of a husband and father and a conservative voice in America and around the world, but also the attempted death and stoppage of a strong, clear and uncompromising Christian voice regardless of political and social ramifications.
My response to this situation is, first of all, murder to quelch an opposing verbal opinion is never acceptable. And, I pray for the many that are unapologetically applauding Kirk's death, to stop. I also encourage all to actually listen to Kirk's abundance of reels, videos, podcasts and other presentations in their entirety before making a decision about what you think of his beliefs. And if there is disagreement, do so respectfully. It is okay to disagree. Many good Christians disagreed with Kirk on some issues, and/or disagreed on his delivery of his positions. Political differences are actually expected and welcomed among the Christian community. Biblical positions, however, even the difficult ones that require strong convictions by the Holy Spirit, should be seen as ground zero for true Christians. These are the areas that will either unite us or divide us; but they should never cause hate to arise within us.
Secondly, as absolutely terrible as the shooting is, the greater issue is the attempt to silence the Christian witness in the public sector. Kirk had created tremendous opportunities for himself to speak forth the truth of God's Word, and he did so without fear and without judgment. He often debated others that held an opposing view, and did so with wit, Biblical truth, and social awareness. He was fearless when it came to speaking the absolutes of God's Word, and wondrously he resonated with thousands of people, young and old in the USA and around the world. As reported in the news, seventeen different countries around the globe held vigils for him today. Unfortunately, many other people hated him for his beliefs. The question now is, will others take up this mantle and speak forth the things of God in the public arena? Or, will fear strike at the heart of the Body of Christ and create distance between personal piety and the public proclamation of the values we privately hold so dear. Certainly, it is the responsibility of every Christian to stand for Christ. But hopefully, and prayerfully, there will be some that sense the call of God to step up to a higher level and do so on a national or world stage.
May we do our best to learn from this tragedy. Differing opinions must not result in violence and murder. Holy Spirit wisdom and boldness will be required of us to move forward and live God's truth in our lives and in our social surroundings. Family values, a Christ centered world view, the love of God and family and community, and the absolute moral truths found in the Word of God are essential if we desire meaningful, productive, and eternal lives.
Kirk's basic premise is found in Romans 3:23, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". Accordingly, his solution to that problem is found in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new". Will we be willing to suffer the consequences of declaring this simple truth to an unbelieving and an unwilling to believe world? Serious days lie ahead. Now is the time to dig deep, pray hard and speak clearly. The great commission still stands, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" Mark16:15.
Please pray for Charlie Kirk's wife and young son and daughter to find and live in God's grace and peace at this time. Pray for our national and local leaders to have Godly wisdom and courage to lead our nation moving forward. Additionally pray for the USA as this week alone there have been several horrific tragedies across our land. The senseless murder of Ukrainian refugee, Iryna Zarutska, on a Charlotte, NC train has come to light; another high school shooting occurred this week at Evergreen High School, Evergreen, Colorado in which two students are left in critical condition and the shooter is deceased, having committed suicide; yesterday there were shots fired at UMAS Boston, thankfully there are no reported deaths. In the midst of all this, on Thursday, we as a nation remembered with sadness the tragic events that took place twenty-four years ago on September 11, 2001 in NYC, Washington, DC and in the fields of Pennsylvania.
May the Word of God bring us direction and hope:
"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
The people He has chosen as His own inheritance."
Psalm 33:12
"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints."
Psalm 116:51
"Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult.
On the contrary, repay evil with blessing,
because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing."
1 Peter 3:9
"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places"
Ephesians 6:12
All For Jesus,
Pastor Rick Amendola