Why the alleged assassin killed Charlie Kirk

The public memorial service for Charlie Kirk was held Sunday afternoon in Phoenix, Arizona. It was one of the largest memorial services for a private citizen in American history. In addition, every major US television network broadcast the service.

In light of the global outpouring of grief and passion following Mr. Kirk’s murder, consider the motive behind his death. When the alleged assassin’s parents asked their son why he shot Mr. Kirk, he said, “There is too much evil and the guy spreads too much hate.”

If silencing Charlie Kirk’s message was his alleged killer’s motive, in light of Sunday’s service, we can say he obviously and massively failed.

Therein lies my point.

“It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming”

One of our most common reactions when a criminal takes an innocent life is hopelessness. Anyone can kill anyone, it seems. If evil people can kill good people seemingly at will, what hope is there for our broken world?

But before we yield to despair, let’s remember the lesson of history when evil attacks good. We encounter this theme across Scripture:

• After saving them from famine, Joseph told his brothers who enslaved him, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today” (Genesis 50:20).

• The persecution described in Acts 8:1 “scattered” the early Christians and fulfilled the mandate of Acts 1:8 that Jesus’ followers would be his witnesses “to the end of the earth.”

• The religious authorities’ persecution of Paul forced him to “appeal to Caesar” (Acts 25:11), which led to his transportation to Rome and sharing the gospel in the capital city “with all boldness and without hindrance” (Acts 28:31).

• John’s imprisonment and exile on Patmos led to his reception of the Revelation (Revelation 1:9–10).

• Most of all, of course, we think of Jesus’ crucified death on Good Friday, leading to his resurrection on Easter Sunday and atonement for us all (Romans 5:8).

We can find this redemptive theme in American history as well. For example:

• On April 11, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln gave a speech advocating for Black people to be able to vote. Enraged by his remarks and intending to revive the Confederate cause, John Wilkes Booth assassinated the president three days later. Five years after, the Fifteenth Amendment granted Black voting rights.

• In late 1963, President John F. Kennedy’s civil rights bill was languishing in Congress. After his assassination, President Lyndon Johnson declared that the bill should be passed to honor Mr. Kennedy’s memory. After Democrats gained a huge majority in the 1964 elections, largely as a result of Mr. Kennedy’s death, the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1965.

Our pain and grief in the midst of tragedy can be horrific, but the bad news need not be the last news. As a preacher said with regard to Jesus’ death and resurrection, “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming.”

“There are only two kinds of people in the end”

The psalmist prayed,

Though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever; but you, O Lᴏʀᴅ, are on high forever (Psalm 92:7–8).

He added: “The Lᴏʀᴅ reigns; he is robed in majesty; the Lᴏʀᴅ is robed; he has put on strength as his belt” (Psalm 93:1). This is a present-tense fact, no matter the circumstances of the moment.

Paul could therefore testify regarding his trials and tribulations: “This light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen” (2 Corinthians 4:17–18). He knew that God redeems all he allows and uses great evil for even greater good.

Our part is to proclaim the gospel, forgive those who reject us and our message, and trust their ultimate outcome to God. Paul was adamant: “See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone” (1 Thessalonians 5:15). Note that the apostle wrote these words to believers living in a city where he and his associates had been threatened with violence (Acts 17:1–9) and he was forced to leave “by night” (v. 10).

CS Lewis was right: “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done.’” If our Lord honors their free will, so must we, knowing that he will ultimately judge us all (2 Corinthians 5:10; Hebrews 10:30).

As AW Tozer noted, “Justice is not something God has. Justice is something that God is.”

A martyr’s death echoes today

John Coleridge Patteson was a missionary to the South Pacific, where he worked to stamp out the slave trade in the region. However, after slave raiders attacked an island, when Patteson and several companions visited the area, they were assumed to be connected with the raiders.

On September 20, 1871, Patteson’s body was floated back to his ship with five hatchet wounds in the chest, one for each native who had been killed in the earlier raid.

The death of Bishop Patteson caused such an uproar back in England that the government was moved to take firm measures to stamp out slavery and the slave trade in its Pacific territories. His martyrdom was also the seed of a strong and vigorous church in the area to this day.

A mentor of mine once summarized Christian service this way: “Tell the truth and trust the Lord.” Let’s do both today, to the glory of God.