Pastors have a sacred duty. They are shepherds of flocks and responsible for discipleship, biblical teaching, spiritual counseling, and the administration of sacraments. It’s a high calling.
In recent days, pastors from all across the nation did something they might not do at a “typical” church gathering: They preached based on what happened last week, helping their congregations process the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
‘I’m sad. I’m mournful. But I’m not in despair, because we serve a God of hope.’
And how could they not?
Speak to almost anyone — aside from the liberals celebrating Charlie’s death — and they will tell you that something about this tragedy feels different. It’s heavy in a way we cannot understand, process, or describe. Charlie’s murder represents the collision of good and evil: a loving husband, father, and man of God so violently and unjustly murdered under the influence and inspiration of demonic forces.
We cannot ignore the spiritual warfare taking place in our country. Charlie certainly didn’t, and neither did countless pastors who knew it was necessary to guide their flocks through unfathomable tragedy.
Here is a roundup of how pastors addressed Kirk’s murder.
How could this be, God?
Pastor Luke Barnett of Dream City Church answered the question he received from many, including his own board members.
“Pastor, what are we going to do? What are we going to do? Charlie is gone to be with the Lord.”
Barnett answered, saying that it was his role, and the role of followers, to double down. “We’re going to feed more people,” he explained, save more people, and call out a sin when it is a sin.
The pastor explained that Kirk was not only a friend to him but a lover of Jesus Christ and an American patriot.
“He loves the United States of America. He not only loves it, he’s vested. He’s bled for it. He died for it,” Barnett said.
Not only has Kirk been a motivating factor for living his life and showing his faith unashamedly, but he has been a role model for those in the faith who have been afraid to preach the truth.
“How could this be, God?” Barnett repeated. “This man’s being used by you to shape and mold the young minds of America. How could this be, God?”
This turning point, as Barnett called it, should be a point to rise up and defend faith like it has not been defended for decades. It’s a time to defend traditional marriage, to defend the fact that God chooses your gender, and to harness the explosion in faith that is to come after Kirk’s death.
RELATED: Charlie Kirk sparks viral Christian revival: ‘I’m going to go take his seat for him’
You might have pulled the trigger yourself
Bishop Patrick Wooden Sr. warned followers at the Church of God in Christ that once people are put in office and then viciously demonize their political opponents, they, figuratively speaking, may have pulled the trigger themselves.
Calling out the media’s inability to criticize religions other than Christianity, Wooden cited politicians like Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) for inciting political confrontations in public against those who disagree.
“When you start saying stuff like that, calling your political opponents Nazis, fascists, stuff like that. Well, sooner or later, a kook is going to hear that. A crazy person is going to hear that, and they’re going to act on it,” the pastor explained.
A lack of logic and consistency among those who oppose Kirk, including his assassin, are showing that they “don’t know God,” Wooden continued, focusing on the sheer audacity of taking Kirk’s life over a disagreement.
“I pray that our country has not degenerated to the point that if you cannot overcome someone’s point of view, someone’s stated position,” he said. “I hope we haven’t degenerated to the point where the response is, then you shoot him with a gun.”
People may disagree, and they should stand their ground, Wooden added, but they should never turn to violence.
RELATED: Grieving Charlie Kirk: How to cling to God in the face of evil
You’ll see it in their eyes
Pastor Michael Clary of Christ the King Church rightly revealed that pastors can expect to see many first-time visitors in their pews following Kirk’s death.
“Perhaps even many non-Christians, who are seeking answers and guidance as they process their anger, sorrow, grief, and confusion,” Clary said.
Describing Kirk as a “threat the left cannot tolerate,” Clary described Kirk as a martyr, “unusually gifted by God,” and so uniquely attractive to young people that he could lead a spiritual movement and shift what it means to be Christian for an entire generation.
Kirk gave his life identifying good and evil, the pastor went on, appropriately drawing attention to that which is tearing the United States apart and “sending people to hell.”
As such, Clary advised that pastors give their parishioners the medicine they seek in mourning Kirk’s death.
“So give them Jesus. Give them the Bible. Give them the gospel. Give them hope. Help them apply God’s word to their lives. Give them a vision for the supremacy of Christ in all things.”
More alive than ever
Pastor Rob McCoy from Godspeak Calvary Chapel spoke of Kirk’s character, and as his pastor, he said that in death, Kirk would be more alive than ever.
“He honored those who disagreed with him. He’d let them go to the front of the line because he knew that debate and and the use of words would stave off violence,” McCoy said, echoing comments that have been shared across the globe.
Kirk even traveled to South Korea with McCoy a week before his death, a report a churchgoer revealed.
“I’m running out of tears,” McCoy, reportedly said, fighting to harness his emotions. “I didn’t think I could cry that much … but I’m crying.”
Many shared the feeling, including McCoy, that Kirk did more for Christianity than any minister in modern-day America. The key was being unafraid to have Christ in the center of his politics and to bring God into the town square where he shared his views.
Kirk is an example of why truth-tellers are targeted, McCoy continued. But “the truth is never afraid of a lie.”
Armed with the truth, prophets, apostles, and faithful others are silenced with bullets instead of reason, McCoy said at one point.
“I’m sad. I’m mournful. But I’m not in despair, because we serve a God of hope.”
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Charlie kirk, Christianity, God, Jesus, Charlie kirk assassination, Pastors, Faith
