My thoughts on Charlie Kirk
I was finishing up mowing my lawn last Wednesday when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. It was a push notification from one of my news apps. The headline read “Charlie Kirk Has Been Shot During a Rally in Utah.” A few moments later, another notification came through: “Charlie Kirk is Dead at the Age of 31.”
A torrential wave of thoughts and emotions flooded through my body in that moment. I thought of the vast reach and influence Kirk had on our nation— particularly young people—and the ripple effect it would have. I wondered what the fallout of this event could be. I lamented over the loss of life and what this says about our political climate. I was saddened by the toxic rhetoric that would certainly echo through our digital landscapes.
The more I dwelt on all of that, the more anxious I became. But even if I knew the outcome of all of that was flowing through my mind, the solution would still be far beyond my ability and capacity. My hands cannot fix what’s wrong in our country. No human being can.
But the one thing I can do is learn from this. Really, that’s all any of us can do at this point, isn’t it? We can choose to reflect, commit to growth, and turn our attention back to Jesus. He is the only one who can carry the weight of our fractured world. We can anchor our souls to the supremacy and sovereignty of God and find hope that whatever is out of our hands is still in His.
Over the last week, that’s what I’ve been doing my very best to do. This post is simply my best effort to share what I’m learning out of that, as I’m still processing this event. Please extend grace to me as I’m doing my best to articulate my thoughts here. I commit to extending that same grace to you as well.
I also want to be clear that this post is not meant to be political. It’s not meant to stir up strife or controversy. So please, resist the urge to take what I say and assume all of my moral, theological, and political stances.
digital media and fractured bonds
We live in an age where most of what we “know” about people comes from 30-second reels, viral clips, and out-of-context soundbites. But is that truly knowing someone? Psychologists tell us that digital media is not only shaping how we see the world—it’s actually changing our brains.
A recent study from the American Psychological Association found that heavy social media use is strongly linked to rising levels of depression, anxiety, and aggression, especially among young adults. The Pew Research Center reports that 70% of Americans feel worn out by political arguments online, yet we keep going back for more.
At some point, we should ask ourselves why.
This digital ecosystem doesn’t just inform us—it forms us. And more often than not, it forms us into people who are more suspicious, outraged, and divided than ever before. It feeds us caricatures of one another, not the fullness of who we really are.
Violence doesn’t start with a trigger being pulled. It starts with a breakdown in seeing the humanity in one another. When we reduce people to their worst moment, their most controversial soundbite, or their sharpest criticism, we dehumanize them. And history tells us that when people stop being human in our eyes, violence is never far behind. Last week’s events are a tragic reminder of that.
Who was Charlie Kirk?
I’ve been asking that question more since his passing. Maybe you have too.
I know he was a staunch, vocal right-wing political activist.
I know he openly proclaimed Jesus Christ in the public square.
I know he had a platform and reach among young people that few of us can imagine.
But unless you knew him personally, you don’t really know. Not fully. Neither do I. But I am making an effort to learn what I can.
I learned that he was very young when he founded Turning Point USA. He was only 18 years old. When I was 18, it was a good day when I remembered to put on deodorant AND make it to my classes on time. In a stage where most of us were stumbling through late adolescence, Charlie was leading a national movement. With that came a platform far larger than most of us will ever have, along with all the inevitable scrutiny and pressure that comes with it. From where we are, it’s easy to criticize or idolize someone like him.
Over the last week, many arrived at a definitive conclusion about Charlie based on a clip or a post from a fan or critic. Let me encourage you to resist that urge and allow time to reflect instead.
A CALL TO SELF-EXAMINATION
A friend of mine posed a helpful question on Facebook, and it’s one we would do well to consider: “Do I disagree with what [Charlie] ’s saying because it isn’t truthful or because I don’t like it?”
I hope this tragedy helps believers, no matter how they felt about him, to know the difference between subjective feelings and objective truth. We shouldn’t give a tacit endorsement for what someone says because we like them. Nor should we default to hating everything they say because we don’t.
Most importantly, Jesus also calls us to self-examination before we arrive at a conclusion about someone (See Matthew 7). That includes both fans and detractors of Charlie. Was Charlie right in everything he said? No. None of us are God, including Charlie. Was he wrong in some of the things he said and how he said them? Of course. All of us are human, including Charlie.
But reels and posts do not fully represent a human being. They just don’t.
Would it be right for you to be remembered only for your unkind and foolish words? Or your kind and helpful words? To some degree, both represent you, and they should, because neither one nor the other gives the full picture of who you are.
The first part of arriving at an accurate conclusion about someone else is not going into keyboard warrior mode, defending someone’s name or decrying the injustice you believe they perpetuated, but setting your own life—all the good, bad, and ugly—before the revealing and transforming grace of God.
Jesus told us to deal with the plank in our eye before we deal with the speck in someone else’s. Imagine if every Christian took those words seriously. How would that reshape society for the better?
On extremes and idolatry
Here’s the danger for Christians: we can be tempted into extremes. Some will only remember Charlie for what they loved about him. Others, only for what they hated. Both miss the fuller, more complicated truth.
But there’s a deeper danger: the temptation to idolize him—or any other public figure. Christians are not called to worship leaders, politicians, influencers, or culture warriors. We are called to worship Jesus. And Jesus alone.
Paul wrote in Colossians 1 that Christ is “before all things, and in him all things hold together.” When we place our hope in human leaders—whether they inspire us or enrage us—we set ourselves up for massive disappointment. Only Jesus, the one to whom all authority over creation has been given, is worthy of our ultimate allegiance.
Open Dialogue
In an age where disagreement is often equated with hatred, Charlie still chose to engage in dialogue. That’s a commendable and courageous thing. That doesn’t mean he was always right, but it does mean he modeled a kind of public debate that our society needs more of. Ideas should rise and fall based on whether they’re good, true, and beautiful—not because someone tried to silence the messenger of those ideas through violence.
For followers of Jesus, this is a moment to return to Jesus as our center. His words in Matthew 5 are as countercultural as ever: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” And Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6 that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world.”
When we walk in humility, when we love even our enemies, when we carry ourselves with grace—it’s compelling in a world that is under the influence of the evil one and consumed with hatred and offense.
HOW WE CAN PRAY
I am also learning what I need to pray for. Here are three things I’m praying for, specifically for the church:
That we would resist the pull of digital outrage.
That we would see every person, even those we disagree with, as image-bearers of God.
That we would anchor our lives not in reels, headlines, or platforms—but in the unshakable love and truth of Jesus Christ.
I invite you to join me in prayer for these as well. In an age where “truth” feels open to interpretation, what the world needs most is the truth, goodness, and beauty found only in Christ Jesus.
I pray for Charlie’s family. I pray for our country—that violence would cease, that we would seek understanding, and that we would remember to see every person—even those we vehemently disagree with—as fearfully and wonderfully made, divine image-bearers.
Grace & Peace,
Mike Wrigglesworth
