On Charlie Kirk's god
I think Charlie Kirk had an absolute right to share his opinions without fear of violence.
I think he and I disagreed on so many other things.
In particular:
I think that political violence should be universally condemned. (This is a low bar.) Kirk has at times excused the perpetrators - see his comments re: Paul Pelosi's attacker, his support for the January 6 pardons, and his support for Donald Trump -- whose love of political violence is well-documented.
More importantly though I think these should be a relationship between stated Christian identity and Christ-like behavior. This is of particular interest because in certain circles Kirk is being celebrated tonight as some sort of Christian hero, or martyr. I can't speak to the state of his soul obviously. When I look at how Kirk engaged people, and how he spoke about people, and the bad faith he used to make his points -- Christ-like is not necessarily the word I would use.
Regardless I want you to imagine for a second, the best case scenario according to our faith: Charlie Kirk dies and immediately finds himself in the presence of the Creator. He is at the heavenly wedding feast, foretold in Scripture. He finds himself seated across from a young Haitian refugee. And she asks him, as a sister in Christ - Charlie, brother, why did you spread a vicious lie about us? Just to win an election?
What does Charlie Kirk say then? Kirk knew that the story was a lie when he shared it. Everyone did.
I'm not saying that the Springfield Haitians deserved special consideration simply because they are largely fellow Christians. A public figure who professes Christianity really shouldn't be spreading virulent lies about any group, after all. Kirk is neither the first nor the last public figure who lied about other Christians when it was expedient. And I certainly don't think Kirk deserved to be murdered because of a lie.
I am saying that Kirk's behavior in life revealed something about his character, and who his god is.
Here's the scenario I think is most likely: Charlie Kirk professed Christ -- but ultimately Charlie Kirk's god was politics. So much of his life's activity can only be understood with that in mind. (He is not alone in this.) He spread "another gospel" -- MAGA, or right-wing populism. And so much of what he said and did was in service to that god above any other. Christ says you should love your neighbor, and even your enemies -- MAGA says you can spread a lie about your fellow Christians, making them a target of the world's hate, if it is politically advantageous. This is not the faith, and we should not pretend that it is.
Charlie Kirk was 31: not young but not old either. Maybe in 50 years, with the benefit of time and maturity, he would have walked back his more inflammatory statements. But that opportunity has been stolen from him, and we have been deprived of the opportunity of seeing what type of person he would have become.
I think that political violence is universally bad, and its consequences can be unforeseeable. I think this is a tragedy, particularly for the people who love him. Kirk was a married father of two. No one should celebrate his murder.
I grieve for those who grieve Charlie Kirk. Simultaneously I think his contribution to conservatism and American political discourse has been largely negative. I don't think he is a figure to be emulated; rather I think he exemplified so much of what has gone wrong with the church's public witness in the age of Trump. That is as much a part of his legacy as his activism.