The Murder of Charlie Kirk and the Light of Jesus Christ

Photo of Charlie Kirk by Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Violence has once again broken through into public life in a shocking and tragic way. On September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk, the conservative leader and founder of Turning Point USA, was gunned down during an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. It happened in broad daylight, at a gathering meant to bring students and citizens together for debate and discussion. His death is senseless and disturbing, a painful reminder that we live in a fallen world where sin and darkness often seem to have the upper hand.

A Man of Passion, Mind, and Faith

Charlie Kirk was a man of great passion. He poured himself into the causes he believed in, working tirelessly, traveling, speaking, debating, and organizing. He was also a man of superior mind, quick on his feet, able to discuss and argue at a high level across a wide range of subjects. He had a unique ability to enter into a conversation without hesitation and offer clear, persuasive reasoning. This was part of what gave him such influence among young people and in the broader conservative movement.

But Charlie Kirk was more than just a skilled debater. He was a professing Christian who built his worldview on the foundation of Scripture. He saw his political work not as a separate compartment of life but as an extension of his understanding of God’s truth and God’s world. He was known as a hard worker, a family man, and a leader who was willing to sacrifice his own comfort for what he believed to be right. His boldness and influence naturally created enemies, but that never stopped him from speaking out.

His life has now been cut short by a wicked act of violence. We mourn this loss, and we grieve with his family, his colleagues, and those who admired him.

A Nation Assaulted by Violence

What happened in Utah is not an isolated tragedy. It comes in the midst of a growing wave of violence across our nation. Recently a Democratic state lawmaker and her husband were murdered in Minnesota. Within the past year, there have been multiple assassination attempts against former President Donald Trump. We hear of shootings in schools, in public places, in neighborhoods, and at community events.

This constant cycle of violence is an indication of the deep darkness of sin that plagues humanity. Scripture tells us that sin is not a minor flaw or an occasional mistake but a pervasive corruption of the heart. The prophet Jeremiah put it this way: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jer. 17:9). Jesus said that “out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander” (Matt. 15:19). What we are seeing in our streets and in our news headlines is nothing less than the outworking of this reality.

The Darkness Behind the Violence

Mark 5 records the story of Jesus encountering a man possessed by demons in the country of the Gerasenes. I recently preached several sermons on this text and remembered how shocking and glorious the story is. The text says the man had an unclean spirit and lived among the tombs. No one could bind him because he broke the chains. He cried out night and day, cutting himself with stones. When Jesus asked the demon’s name, the reply was “Legion, for we are many.” This man’s life was the picture of chaos, destruction, and torment.

But then Jesus cast the demons out. With a word of authority he freed the man who had been bound for so long. The townspeople later came and saw the man “sitting there, clothed and in his right mind” (Mark 5:15). The power of darkness could not stand before the authority of Christ.

This story is a window into the human condition. We are enslaved to sin, corrupted by darkness, and powerless to free ourselves. Violence is, at its root, demonic. It is the outflow of the kingdom of darkness. And only Christ has the power to cast it out.

Christ the Light of the World

The Gospel of John declares that Jesus is the true light, the one who shines in the darkness, and that the darkness cannot overcome him (John 1:5). His entire mission was to destroy the works of the devil and bring salvation to sinners. Through his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus has already struck the decisive blow against the powers of darkness. He is now reigning at the right hand of the Father, and he will one day return to banish sin and death once and for all.

This is our hope. The killing of Charlie Kirk reminds us of the horror of sin, but it also points us to the desperate need we have for the Savior. Politicians cannot solve this. Policies will never cure it. Education cannot root it out. Only the gospel of Jesus Christ can transform hearts and overcome the powers of violence and death.

A Call to Prayer

In times like this we are called to pray. We pray for Charlie Kirk’s family, that the God of all comfort would be near to them. We pray for our nation, that God would heal our divisions and restrain the tide of evil. We pray for our leaders, that they would pursue justice and righteousness with humility before God. And above all we pray as Jesus taught us: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

We long for that day when swords will be beaten into plowshares, when violence will be no more, and when Christ will reign in perfect peace. Until then we pray, we wait, and we trust in the God who hears.

A Call to Action

But prayer must be joined with action. We are called not only to lament violence but to stand against it in every form. That means speaking out against wickedness in society, but it also means looking inward. Violence is not only something that happens out there. Jesus said that anger in the heart is akin to murder (Matt. 5:21–22). The seeds of violence reside in every one of us.

So we must repent of the hatred, bitterness, and malice that can take root in our own hearts. We must confess our sins and seek the grace of Christ to change us. We must also pursue peace actively, showing love to our neighbors, forgiving those who wrong us, and extending mercy even to our enemies.

The church has a unique calling here. We are to be a city on a hill, a community of light in the midst of darkness. We are to live out the gospel in such a way that the world sees an alternative to hatred and violence. Our witness is powerful when we love one another, when we forgive as we have been forgiven, and when we proclaim Christ crucified and risen.