How Do We Respond to What Just Happened?

By Dr. Josh Mulvihill

We all feel a mixture of emotions about the killing of Charlie Kirk. I have two college-aged sons, and his assassination hit our family hard. In our family, there have been many tears, grief, anger, and many questions about what our country has become and what this means moving forward.

On the day of Charlie’s murder, my phone rang, and on the other end of the phone was a 50-year-old man who was weeping. He asked me, “How do we respond to what just happened?” It’s a question many of us are asking, so I thought I would provide some thoughts that may be helpful for you if you are asking a similar question:

#1. We can take comfort that God will take what was evil and use it for good. The murder of Charlie Kirk reminds me of Stephen in the book of Acts. Stephen was declaring truth and winning arguments with people, the Pharisees, and Saul (who was to become Paul). Saul, who was losing the battle for truth, encouraged the people to stone Stephen. After Stephen was murdered, Jesus confronted Saul and asked him why he was persecuting Jesus. We all know the end of the story: Jesus saved Saul and made him Paul. It’s an incredible plot twist! The death of Stephen reminds us that a seed must die in order to produce great fruit. Stephen was that seed, and I believe Charlie is as well. Paul was fruit from Stephen’s death that led to even more fruit than Stephen produced himself.

I believe there will be fruit like Paul from Charlie’s death. In the midst of the horrific murder, we can take comfort that God is still good, He is still in control, and He is sovereign over all that happens. While we do not fully understand why something tragic like this happens, our faith in God is the bedrock to provide hope and peace in turbulent times, and this evil act functions as a wake-up call for all of us that eternity is certain and our days are short, so we have a great work still to do.

#2. We can be angry. It is good for us to have the moral clarity to call what happened evil and wrong. Our world tries to tell us that good and evil are cultural constructs, but that secular worldview evaporates when something horrific happens, like the murder of Charlie. As Christians, the Bible tells us that we are not to sin in our anger. There is a form of anger that is good, acceptable, and not sin. This form of anger is a righteous indignation when we see something evil, such as the murder of Charlie Kirk. We must not give in to the flesh and seek revenge. In this instance, God has given the government the sword to bring about justice for his murder, and I believe the death penalty is appropriate for the government to pursue in this instance. Pray that justice will occur.

#3. We must speak and teach the truth, starting in our homes, churches, schools, and relationships. George Orwell once said, “In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” We need bold, courageous truth tellers. Do not silence your voice. Do not live in fear of man. Do not live by lies. While there is a cost to telling the truth, let us respond, “Here am I, Lord, send me.” Charlie showed us that the truth wins hearts and minds, and that lies can be opposed. And that it can all be done with a big smile. Charlie’s murder is ultimately an attack against God and His good design of life (faith, family, gender, civil government) that the killer hated so much. It is an attack against the American way of life, free speech, the value of human life, and so much more. Teach your children the failure of the secular and Marxist worldview. We just witnessed the ugly fruit of this worldview displayed. Teach children God’s good design for marriage between one man and one woman, what it means to be a man and a woman, how America and western civilization were built on biblical principles, the biblical meaning of equality and justice, and so much more. These truths give life, they bring freedom, and result in liberty. Charlie Kirk stated, “Once people drink from the stream of liberty, they will want to know its source.”

#4. We need to ensure ungodly people do not have access to our children’s minds, including education and media. From all appearances, it looks like Tyler Robinson came from a solid, loving, conservative family. Yet, his educational influences and years hanging out with the wrong crowds in Antifa Discord rooms online were enough to radicalize him. He took photos of communist shirts. He argued with his family over dinner that Charlie was a fascist and a threat to America. He made a plan to kill Charlie and engraved Antifa sayings on the bullet casings. Voddie Baucham said it best, “If you send your children to Caesar, don’t be surprised when they come back a Roman.” Children educated by the state, which is public education, have a high likelihood of adopting secular values instead of their parents’ values. This is what happened to the killer. Choose an education for your children that teaches God’s truth in all areas of life. Radically limit and monitor your child’s media intake. These are serious matters that impact their soul, so treat them with this level of care.

The assassination of Charlie Kirk seems to mark a new era, a world of radicalized youth who lack hope and seek violence as a solution. It is a world no one wants, but may very well be here. When a young father is murdered for simply debating ideas and mobilizing young people to vote for a party that represents half of America, it feels like some sort of invisible line has been crossed that many of us didn’t even know was there. Charlie’s murder is a tragedy for all of us in ways we will only understand as time unfolds. Whatever it means, we trust that God has a plan, and He has invited us to play a part in that plan to share the good news of Jesus Christ and the truth of God’s Word to a lost and hurting world.

God has raised RenewaNation for a time like this. We are more committed than ever to helping you raise children and grandchildren with a biblical worldview and unleash them into this world to transform culture, and we invite you to share in this mission with us.