I write these words on the Lord’s Day, Sunday, September 14 -- a day meant for rest and worship, yet overshadowed by tragedy. It comes in the shadow of the cold-blooded assassination of Charlie Kirk on a Utah college campus. Like millions of others, I find myself wrestling with anger, sorrow, grief, and confusion -- searching for meaning in a moment that defies it.
We have long known that we live in a fallen, godless, and debauched age. Yet last week, that grim truth was displayed in stark relief on a college campus -- an institution that should nurture learning and virtue but instead became the stage for barbarity.
I call Charlie a martyr because he was killed for his convictions -- for his unflinching defense of truth and his fearless witness to Christ. He spoke for millions of young people desperate for clarity in a world where woke classrooms and even woke pulpits leave them spiritually starved.
Charlie was not an elected official, yet he carried himself with a statesman’s brilliance. A masterful debater, he could summon Scripture and the Constitution from memory. Many of us believed he had the intellect, vision, and courage that could have carried him to the presidency one day.
The radical Left saw the same potential -- and feared it. They recognized that Charlie was a singular figure: principled, persuasive, and deeply rooted in faith. His integrity and God-given ability to connect with young people threatened the woke ideological stranglehold on our culture. That was a threat his enemies could not tolerate. Now it falls to us to carry forward his fight with sharper minds, stouter hearts, and steel spines.
Charlie was vilified because he loved the Bible, loved his country, and stood for objective truth. Above all, he was hated because he followed Jesus Christ. As John’s Gospel reminds us, the world loves darkness and rejects the light. Christ Himself warned in John 15 that His followers would be hated and silenced precisely because they proclaim the truth of God’s Word.
Across America and around the world, Christians are asking today: What will we do with this moment? How will we respond?
First, pray for Charlie’s wife, Erika, and their children, whose loss is beyond words. They will grow up without their father, unable yet to grasp the hatred that stole him away.
Second, recognize the danger we face. To be a faithful Christian who engages the public square is now to risk one’s life. Charlie’s murder was not random -- it was a warning to silence truth-tellers. In such times, we must pray for courage and boldness to speak God’s truth without fear.
Third, plead with God for mercy on our broken nation. As Romans 8 declares, creation itself “groans.” We saw that groaning in the vile flood of comments that mocked and even celebrated Charlie’s death.
Fourth, pray for leaders -- that they will have the moral clarity to bring justice to the wicked and fulfill their God-given charge to punish evil and protect the righteous.
No single column can capture the life, goodness, and impact of Charlie Kirk. More must be written, and will be. For now, let us bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2).
May we never again witness such a week in America -- or endure another Lord’s Day clouded by such tragedy.
Dr. Sam Currin (drstcurrin@gmail.com) is a former judge, United States Attorney, and law professor. He holds degrees from Wake Forest University, the UNC School of Law, and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Image: Gage Skidmore