When we sat down to dinner last night, my youngest son Josh, asked if he could be the one who prays…
“God, thank you. Be with us. Be with all of your children. Be with all of us who are a child of God. Be with Charlie Kirk’s family. We love you. Amen.”
I’ll be honest. Sometimes my kid has more wisdom and grace than I. He knows who each of us is.
Allow us this day to be radically candid…
How does a blogger blog in response to something so atrocious?
How does one respectfully write about an intentional, horrific killing?
How does one speak of someone who killed another most likely because of what they believe? … whose goal was at least in part, no doubt, to silence another because his beliefs and voice were so contagious and effective?
What do we do with the hundreds I’ve personally seen on social media who have celebrated the killing? … who have justified awful, cruel, thoughts-of-deserving responses?
And how, acknowledging all the other acts, do we honestly, painstakingly wrestle with the obvious manifestation of evil?
The assassination of Charlie Kirk this past week was heinous, horrific and evil. I’ve got more words… try wicked, contemptible, immoral, too. Want to address the school shootings? Indeed. Those fit right in. Other political assassinations? Absolutely. All of this demonstrates the worst of our society. As for Charlie, an articulate, intelligent voice known across the country, love him or loathe him, no child of God deserves this. Note: we are each children of the Most High God. Charlie Kirk knew that. It’s what spurred him on.
Charlie’s life was marked by healthy debate, active listening and a bold sharing of his faith in Jesus Christ. He invited dialogue, encouraged respect, added a bit of snark, and always promoted a great hope for the future. He loved and valued all people — especially the younger generation — and even and also especially those who vehemently disagreed with him.
No doubt one of society’s massive, gaping holes of wisdom is our inability to love and value those who disagree with us. We look down upon, claim moral superiority, and cut off and out those who disagree. We find something wrong with them; we find a reason why; we get others in our self-crafted choirs to “like” or “amen.” We attack people instead of ideas. As a current events blogger, my experience is far minimal compared to Charlie Kirk. But let me share that most would be amazed at some of the profoundly awful things people have said to me because we disagree.
So let me address us all, me included…
We act as if we know not just better, but best.
We say “see ya’ when you grow up,” by confusing growing up with thinking just like me.
We claim to love all people and then slam their thinking or ideology — like we are so in touch with the validity of their experience. We are no doubt arrogant and blind at times.
Friends, in this situation, let’s continue with our radical candor. It’s not just the guns; it’s the evil. And we contribute to the problem.
Knowing then that each of us has opportunity to make it better or worse, let us be humbler. Let us sit with those we don’t understand. Like Jesus, let us move toward those we don’t think like. Let us refrain from judgment; let us be curious and actively work to understand, even when it’s hard. Let us realize that we are not each other’s enemies, and the God’s honest truth is that two people can have two totally different views and neither be destroying democracy. Stop the name-calling. Get rid of the insults. Quit using the words “Nazis” and “Hitler” unless it’s in reference to “Nazis” or “Hitler.” Stop the pompous posts that demonize the person who doesn’t share our perspective. Work more to ask questions. Ask some more. And let’s be radically candid still more… It’s not the other; it’s not the fault of the other person, other party or someone else. Rather, it’s us. It’s our vicious infighting that’s destroying democracy; it’s our thinking that we know best and our refusal to humbly submit to a moral code higher than our own. Satan is flourishing in our country. He’s been masterfully creative at getting us to think someone is evil other than him.
Let’s do instead what God calls each of us to do. Let us weep with those who weep, mourn with those who mourn, even rejoice with those who rejoice. Let us live in harmony with one another. Let us not be haughty nor wise in our own eyes. And let us repay no one evil for evil.
Let’s stop playing keyboard warriors on social media; it’s not bold nor even courageous. Let us honor all others. That means all. And let us learn from both Charlie and Josh.
Father God, let good somehow miraculously come from this no good, terribly awful day. Our hope lies best when it’s in you.
Soberly…
AR