I did not want to write this. The assassination of Charlie Kirk left me angry and deeply grieved. At first, I thought there was no reason to add to the noise, but my wife reminded me that silence in moments like this is part of the problem. So here I am, speaking.

Charlie Kirk was assassinated. We may never know all the details of who ordered it or why, but it was no random act. Charlie was targeted because of what he represented. He defended Israel, Christianity, the unborn, traditional values and the idea of truth in an age that despises it.

Some will want to turn this into gossip or conspiracy. Others will jump immediately to political blame. Still others, disturbingly, are celebrating. I have seen the comments, the posts, even they applause at his death. If you find yourself cheering when an assassin’s bullet stops a man’s words, do not fool yourself into thinking you stand for free speech or peace. You have become the very thing you claim to oppose.

This is not the first time America has faced this kind of tension. In the 1970s, liberals defended the right of Nazis to march in Skokie, Illinois. They despised the marchers but valued free speech more. Today that same instinct is gone. Many in our culture would rather celebrate a death than tolerate disagreement.

And here is where we must stop lying to ourselves. Violence has not only crept into our politics. It has been invited. We embraced it when we stayed silent twenty or thirty years ago as truth eroded and extremes were normalized. I know I was silent at times when I should have spoken. Maybe you were too. Silence is never neutral. It is participation.

I was asked why I am speaking about this assassination and not every other tragedy. Why not every school shooting? Why not the Ukrainian woman murdered in war? The answer is simple. Grief hits differently when it is close, when it represents something personal. I interviewed Charlie. I spoke with him. I share the values he championed. Seeing the tragic video of his murder seared the reality into me in a way statistics never could. That is not indifference. It’s human.

But more than personal connection, there is a greater issue here. If Charlie can be silenced by a rifle for what he believes, then so can you. So can I. I have spoken out on controversial matters. I have even received threats. Until now I brushed them off. But this assassination forces us all to ask: will we let fear muzzle us, or will we become watchmen on the wall, willing to speak truth no matter the cost?

God told Ezekiel that a watchman who sees danger and stays silent will be held responsible for the blood that follows. Each of us bears that same responsibility today. You may not have a large platform. That does not matter. Edward Kimball, an obscure shoe salesman, once shared the gospel with D.L. Moody. That single act rippled out to influence Billy Graham and millions more. If you speak truth to one person, you have already made a difference.

So what do we do now? We pray for Charlie’s family, for our country, for the shooter and even for whoever may have ordered this crime. Prayer is not a cliché. It is power. We speak for truth, for life, for morality, even if it costs us jobs, friendships or comfort. We live standing boldly, refusing to be spectators in a culture collapsing under its own hatred.

Wrong is wrong. Violence is wrong. Celebrating death is wrong. These are not partisan claims. They are moral truths. If we remain silent, we will only inherit more assassinations, more division and more chaos.

The question is simple. Will you watch quietly from the sidelines, or will you speak while you still can?

Peter Demos is the president and CEO of Demos’ Brands and Demos Family Kitchen. A Christian business leader from Tennessee, Demos uses his biblical perspective and insight gained from his own struggles to lead others to truth and authenticity in a broken world. Demos is the author of “On the Duty of Christian Civil Disobedience” and “Afraid to Trust. To learn more, visit peterdemos.org.

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