17/09/2025
Charlie Kirk: Saint or Sinner; Martyr or Muckraker? [Opinion piece].
I'll be completely honest. before last week I had never heard of Charlie Kirk. Then my social lit up with all the reactions. And it was clear that commenting was going to be... say we say, dangerous?
So here's my dilemma - maybe yours as well. My friends, mainly white Christian and right leaning (sometimes quite a long way :)) saw this man as a hero. A true christian martyr who stood bravely in his faith and challenged the 'woke' left and perhaps more importantly called young men to find purpose in their lives. He challenged them not to waste their lives in causal s*x, drink and drugs and give themselves to God. The man himself was clearly adored by thousands of young people and was a great husband and dad. I have no doubt that his faith was very real.
However... then I read the posts from some other of my friends on the left... and the quotes that they provide. To these friends, Mr Kirk was a white supremacist who encouraged gun violence and hatred of the left and directly fueled the growing divide - almost civil war - in the US.
To make things worse, the alleged shooter is described by my friends on the right as a extreme left wing activist living with a hatred of MAGA.... or from friends on the left as an extreme right wing fascist and part of a group called Groyper (?). I would love to believe that American justice will uncover the truth......
What does really concern me though is that this one killing might be the US's Franz Ferdinand moment. The US feels like a powder keg waiting to explode. There are 125 gun related murders each day in the US, yet this one death has sparked a backlash not seen since the George Floyd murder - and perhaps much worse. Thousands have already lost their jobs for 'uncivil' comments online. activist are actively collecting names of anyone who may have posted inappropriately. Musk has posted 'death to the left' which he appears to mean fairly literally. No doubt the posts that enjoy Mr Kirk's murder are heartless and unkind, but it has been the Tech Bros including Musk who have demanded complete 'freedom' on what people post - so the reaction against them feels strange at the same time.
My comments here are not to make judgements on Mr Kirk or any political movement. But I want to encourage us all to consider what Jesus Christ taught. LOVE your enemies. Do GOOD to those who hate you. TURN the other cheek. Things that Jesus very literally did as an example for us to follow. Christians are taught in the bible to ACCEPT suffering for doing good. (1 Peter 3) and to exercise the ministry of reconciliation. (2 Cor 5).
We all know that, these days the way to get heard on social media is to be EXTREME in everything. OK, so as followers of Christ, lets be extreme in our LOVE, KINDNESS, FORGIVENESS, COMPASSION and yes our desire for true JUSTICE.
Yes, pray for Mr Kirk family. Yes pray even for the accused. Yes pray for all the other victims of violence everyday including those just down your street who do not find their way onto your socials. But most of all get out of your social Bubble that only has one opinion and start talking to one another.
In Love.
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