The assassination of Charlie Kirk is horrific and diabolical. The world lost a pioneer, a civil rights activist, a humanitarian, and, above all, a devout follower of Jesus Christ.
But I also truly believe we lost something even more profound: an evangelist. He carried the spirit of the Millennial and Generation Z evangelist. Everywhere he went, Charlie preached Jesus.
If the person on the other side of the argument is not worthy of dignity, love, or respect, then hate will surface.
This horrific event is also another glaring reminder that the political climate in America is deteriorating. It is tempting to despair and to be discouraged by the enormity of the problem.
Charlie Kirk’s assassination must serve as a moment of reckoning. Whether you agreed or disagreed with his political stance, there is no denying that he was a courageous leader for Christ and a bold voice in our culture today. He stood up when others stayed silent. We need the same courage and conviction in our world today.
So we must ask: What has led to the surge in political violence and division in America today? The Bible clearly states that everyone — regardless of skin color, political affiliation, faith, background, or anything else — is created in the image of God. Full stop. There are no exceptions, and there is no room for disagreement.
Our responsibility is moral, not just social or societal. We are called to recognize and honor God’s image in others, especially those we disagree with. That is the practical import of God’s command in Matthew 5 to “love your enemies.”
This kind of love is fundamentally opposed to what is happening in America right now, where people are reduced to issues and stances and image-bearers are written off as unworthy of love. We are never in a position to make that decision. The whole witness of scripture, the very life of Jesus, forbids it.
Such a view of others naturally infects our dialogue. If the person on the other side of the argument is not worthy of dignity, love, or respect, then hate will surface.
Now translate that to social media, where there are no tangible consequences for the venomous comments and angry tirades. Couple this with the algorithms that are designed to create echo chambers and endless confirmation and affirmation bias. We are served caricatures of the “other side” while sitting alone on our devices instead of sitting down with someone we know and disagree with over a cup of coffee. We trade dialogue for social destruction.
Why? Because we do not have to risk damaged relationships because the relationships were not real in the first place.
The problem is not disagreement. Disagreement is healthy, especially in a democratic society. The problem is how we disagree. It’s the volume, temper, and tone. It’s the cancellation that comes afterward.
No longer do we disagree in the context of respectful relationships. Instead, we have endless networks of “friends” we don’t really know who tell us what we want to hear and join us in our derision of those who disagree. We are seeing the tragic reality that this online existence — which has become the air we breathe culturally — bubbles over into violence in the real world. Violence that, in the case of Charlie Kirk, has now robbed a wife and kids of their husband and father, but also a bold voice who shared Jesus with a generation searching for truth.
RELATED: Charlie Kirk’s death tests America’s moral and civic compass
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The ultimate problem lies even deeper beneath the surface. It is an issue of hope. When politics becomes ultimate and elections are an existential battle for the soul of the nation, we have already lost in the ultimate sense.
There is no political salvation. This world is not permanent. Any hope placed in politics is misplaced. Political participation is important and right. But it won’t save us. Only God can do that. Our focus should be on Him and His agenda.
That doesn’t mean we do not participate in politics, but it dramatically changes how we participate. It means we serve to advance the Lamb’s agenda, not the donkey’s or the elephant’s. It means we love those on the other side of the aisle because we know their ultimate destiny matters more than our disagreements, even over important issues.
And it means that in the face of an atrocity like the assassination of Charlie Kirk, we set aside politics and come together and unite to surround his family in prayer as they grieve. We recognize that our fellow image-bearers are hurting and bear that burden with them.
When we choose to turn on the light of Christ in the darkness, we open the door for America to move forward and truly begin to heal.
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