I heard from a friend of mine who pastors in Tennessee that he had planned to address the Charlie Kirk murder at the end of their worship service this last Sunday. However, several people got up and left angry beforehand because it had not been addressed as part of the service or the sermon. The irony was that many churches had high attendance this past weekend as people flocked to church in response to the tragedy, while many also walked out of churches because they felt the tragedy was not appropriately sermonized.
This reaction stems from big-platform pastors using the tragedy to make incendiary indictments of other churches and pastors, such as this tweet from Mark Driscoll:
“If your pastor doesn’t address the demonic assassination of one of the greatest faith leaders of our time its time for them to resign.”
That’s right, a well-known pastor called for every other pastor to either handle the Kirk assassination exactly like he would or quit altogether. Of course, this type of rhetoric put expectations in the minds of conservative churchgoers all over the USA. If and when those expectations were not met, they stirred division in those churches by walking out or publicly decrying their own pastors and leadership.
At FBC on Sunday, we utilized our prayer time to ask God for his mercy on Kirk’s family and grace for us as a church to process the very public nature of the tragedy in a way that would bring glory to God. However, our concern (as always) was the spiritual health of our particular local church body and not trying to fit into any nationwide messaging or propaganda.
Without a doubt, the killing of Charlie Kirk (and the broadcasting of it on social media) was horrific and unsettling. Those of us who are Christians are correct to see this kind of public evil as utterly sinful and an attack on one of God’s image bearers and outspoken fellow follower of Jesus. There are many who have seen Kirk’s death as a martyrdom similar to Stephen’s in Acts 7 - a martyrdom that caused the church to disperse and spread the gospel to further reaches of the Gentile world. I truthfully hope they are correct, and that the gospel of Jesus Christ does begin to spread and take root in unlikely places.
However, it is still the gospel of Jesus Christ and not the gospel of Charlie Kirk. There is still only one death that Christians must rally around, and it occurred on a cross outside Jerusalem 2000 years ago. If our attention terminates on Charlie Kirk and not on Jesus, then we reveal something about what we truly believe. It is especially noteworthy to me that no martyrs are listed by name in any of the New Testament epistles, though many were being killed for their faith in Jesus in the first century. Even Paul, who was converted to faith soon after he ordered the killing of Stephen, never mentioned Stephen in any of his letters. Yes, Hebrews 11 and Revelation 6 & 12 mention martyrs in general, but still never by name. I think that is very important, because the NT refuses to venerate any martyr, but returns again and again only to the name of Jesus.
I do hope that God uses this tragedy for good and for the spread of the gospel. But, our message should never have Charlie Kirk - or any other human person - at the center, but should align with Paul as he writes, “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”
There is a death that churches must address every Sunday. And if that death is not mentioned, parishioners have a right to walk out and pastors should resign. But, it is not the death of Charlie Kirk, it is the death of Jesus Christ for the salvation of sinners.
- Josh Light
This reaction stems from big-platform pastors using the tragedy to make incendiary indictments of other churches and pastors, such as this tweet from Mark Driscoll:
“If your pastor doesn’t address the demonic assassination of one of the greatest faith leaders of our time its time for them to resign.”
That’s right, a well-known pastor called for every other pastor to either handle the Kirk assassination exactly like he would or quit altogether. Of course, this type of rhetoric put expectations in the minds of conservative churchgoers all over the USA. If and when those expectations were not met, they stirred division in those churches by walking out or publicly decrying their own pastors and leadership.
At FBC on Sunday, we utilized our prayer time to ask God for his mercy on Kirk’s family and grace for us as a church to process the very public nature of the tragedy in a way that would bring glory to God. However, our concern (as always) was the spiritual health of our particular local church body and not trying to fit into any nationwide messaging or propaganda.
Without a doubt, the killing of Charlie Kirk (and the broadcasting of it on social media) was horrific and unsettling. Those of us who are Christians are correct to see this kind of public evil as utterly sinful and an attack on one of God’s image bearers and outspoken fellow follower of Jesus. There are many who have seen Kirk’s death as a martyrdom similar to Stephen’s in Acts 7 - a martyrdom that caused the church to disperse and spread the gospel to further reaches of the Gentile world. I truthfully hope they are correct, and that the gospel of Jesus Christ does begin to spread and take root in unlikely places.
However, it is still the gospel of Jesus Christ and not the gospel of Charlie Kirk. There is still only one death that Christians must rally around, and it occurred on a cross outside Jerusalem 2000 years ago. If our attention terminates on Charlie Kirk and not on Jesus, then we reveal something about what we truly believe. It is especially noteworthy to me that no martyrs are listed by name in any of the New Testament epistles, though many were being killed for their faith in Jesus in the first century. Even Paul, who was converted to faith soon after he ordered the killing of Stephen, never mentioned Stephen in any of his letters. Yes, Hebrews 11 and Revelation 6 & 12 mention martyrs in general, but still never by name. I think that is very important, because the NT refuses to venerate any martyr, but returns again and again only to the name of Jesus.
I do hope that God uses this tragedy for good and for the spread of the gospel. But, our message should never have Charlie Kirk - or any other human person - at the center, but should align with Paul as he writes, “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”
There is a death that churches must address every Sunday. And if that death is not mentioned, parishioners have a right to walk out and pastors should resign. But, it is not the death of Charlie Kirk, it is the death of Jesus Christ for the salvation of sinners.
- Josh Light