Why This Tragedy Shook Me—and Why Christians Can’t Stay Silent

Witnessing the Unthinkable: A Christian Response to the Charlie Kirk Assassination

I am a millennial. Though only in my thirties, my life has already spanned what the world keeps calling “historic” and “unprecedented” times. I watched the towers fall on this day 24 years ago. I endured three crushing recessions. I saw the world grind to a halt under the pandemic. And now, yesterday, I heard the unthinkable: my brother in Christ, Charlie Kirk, was gunned down.

With only a few clicks, the digital age carried me straight into horror. I watched the blood of a husband and father spilled before thousands of terrified college students. It seared my heart and burned my soul.

As a student of history, I know the depths of human depravity run far darker than even this. But the celebration of such an atrocity online—the glee, the jeering, the mocking of a man’s death—cut me deeper than I expected. I knew hatred was real. But seeing it laid bare in such raw, shameless cruelty has unsettled me to my core.

I know there is a movement that does not merely want to win elections, but to silence, destroy, and eradicate. They do not just oppose ideas; they want to annihilate the people who hold them. They hate the convictions we hold: that marriage is sacred, that God made us male and female, that parents have a God-given right to raise their children, and that every life—no matter how small—is sacred. These convictions have been branded “violent,” and now they are being answered with actual violence.

Charlie Kirk was not a man of hate. He spoke truth. He debated ideas. He was a husband, a father. And he was slaughtered in front of his wife and children for daring to live and speak his faith.

Last night I wrapped my arms around my kids and held them close. I thought about that morning 24 years ago when the towers burned. Back then, I knew it was evil, but I could not yet feel the full weight. Today, as a husband and father, I do. We live in a post–Genesis 3 world. We live in days where evil is not hidden but celebrated.

Yet even as the darkness deepens, I know my God has not abandoned us. He has given us a mission—not to meet violence with violence, but to proclaim His kingdom. I will stand. I will protect my family. I will protect my church. I will use the strength God has given me to defend the innocent. But my greatest and first weapon is not steel or lead—it is the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword…” (Hebrews 4:12)

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, take up this sword. Take up the Word and truth of God. Stand unflinching in a world that celebrates death. Defend human dignity. Defend sanity. Proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ without shame. Be willing—even unto death—to stand for truth.

Do not be swept into hate or violence. Instead, anchor yourself in the love and authority of Christ. Stand your ground. Protect your family, your church, and the truth. Take up the cross, and if called upon, be ready to lay your life down.