Charlie Kirk and the Death of American Civility

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

The Bible has a lot to say about what got us to yesterday and the unfortunate circumstances around Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Passivity is a choice in the face of violence but not necessarily a wise one. We live in a godless culture that is inhabited by a specific faction that hates truth. It hates alternate opinions and above all it hates God. If Charlie was anything he was a Christian. He was immensely influential and was attempting to reach that godless faction the right way. He did it through dialogue and debate. The other side returned his grace with gunfire and malice and put him in an early grave. With Charlie, civil discourse was resoundingly rejected with a bullet. Do we return the favor in kind? No. We do not go on the offensive. Do we roll over and play dead just taking more gunfire and punches to the face? Absolutely not! Note the distinction. Violence for violence’s sake or violence for self-preservation.

In this past week’s violent one-sided exchanges, we can see the good and the evil clearly. The result is two dead beauties in Charlotte and Auburn and one dead Christian apologist in Utah. The idea that Christians and good people should somehow continue to ‘turn the other cheek’ is a tad trite and irritating. By all means be peaceful as doves but be as shrewd as vipers. I also know the Bible says that we’re not to return evil with evil. So, what are we to do? Do we fight back? The problem is that if evil remains unchecked it expands and consumes even more ground eventually taking over the culture and society as we’ve witnessed over the last twenty years. So just allowing this doesn’t seem like the wise or prudent step to take in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s death.

What to do?

I read my Bible. Here is what the Bible said about dealing with unjustness and evil violence at the meta-narrative or overarching level. No cherry-picking here, I offer the unambiguous view from the entirety of Scriptures to paint a clearer picture.

Mind you, this answer is not the trite and truncated sound-byte of Scriptural cherry picking invoked by posting verses like 1 Peter 3:9 that teaches Christians not to retaliate with evil for evil or insult for insult, Instead, they should respond to mistreatment with by offering a positive statement (blessing) or, more deeply, by praying for God's favor upon the offender. By all means do so because the people that murdered Charlie are the same type of people that murdered Iryna Zarutska & Dr. Julie Gard Schnuelle. They and their motives were immoral and wicked. Pray that these lunatics see the light as this is the only way to deal with this violence which is now rampant and pushing us all towards a very uncivil war.

Firstly, Christians can protect themselves from a violent culture by balancing spiritual principles with practical wisdom. Literally to be peaceful as doves but shrewd as vipers. While they are called to live peaceably, Christians also need to recognize the legitimacy of self-defense for themselves and the vulnerable, requiring careful discernment. Peter warns us to be ready to suffer for doing good as Jesus did but nowhere in this passage does it say that this has to be the default mode in every violent situation. That’s just dumb. It does not say that one cannot or should not protect oneself. It is in this subtle difference that the verse hinges. If the situation allows, be peaceable and pray for the salvation of your attacker. It is clear their lives took a drastically wrong turn somewhere. Conversely, you also have an obligation to protect the temple that the Holy Spirit resides in. You, your body and your mind are God’s and their preservation is paramount as you’ve been made in the image of God and efforts should be made to preserve that image if only to honor God.

God knew his people would be put in harm’s way. The Bible is rife with passages that allude to this fact directly or indirectly. Paul speaks of the aggressive proactive nature of the mental battle we all face every day confronting a hostile world that seeks our demise. What did he say?

2 Corinthians 10:3-6 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

So, in this passage a Christian is called to literally fight mentally to keep the world and the demonic out of our heads. This is not a passive, rollover and play dead passage. It is taking an aggressive approach to protecting your mind. It logically follows that where the mind leads the body follows. This therefore proactively protects the person physically by proxy. Within this passage we see the impetus of every other action we’ll need to take when faced with violence. How we react starts in our mind or as the ancient Christians and Jews said, in our ‘hearts’, the heart being the seat of our conscience.

The Bible presents a complex, view on self-defense, distinguishing between righteous protection and personal vengeance. While emphasizing peace, mercy, and non-retaliation, it also includes instances where defending yourself and others is not only permitted...it is commanded. Nowhere in the Bible does it say a person is to initiate violence. To the contrary all passages defer to God’s vengeance. The Christian is always to first seek peace, and love for enemies whenever possible. 

In fewer words: What is your intent and motive?

The Old Testament contains laws and narratives that illustrate the permissibility of defending life and property using physical aggression. In the case of a burglar in Exodus 22:2–3 there were nuanced rules for confronting a thief. Killing an intruder at night was not considered murder because one could not be certain of the intruder's intent. However, if the incident occurred during the day, it was not justified, as the threat was more visible and a non-lethal response was possible.

In Nehemiah 4:14, when rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, Nehemiah encouraged the people to fight for their families and homes against undefined threats. You have the right to life, to your property and the right to defend it.

The Bible clearly states a believer in the context of a war can and should train for battle. Psalm 144:1 praises God, who "trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle," acknowledging that preparedness for conflict is sometimes necessary.

In the New Testament Jesus' teachings on non-retaliation are seen alongside passages that acknowledge the need for protection in a hostile world. In the context of preparing for violence Jesus clearly mentions buying a sword in Luke 22:36, "The one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one." This is often understood as recognition that they would face danger and would need to be prepared for protection, not as a command to use violence recklessly. Defense is in view here, not offensive aggression.

Jesus rebuked Peter in Matthew 26 for using a sword to defend him during his arrest. In this context, Jesus knew that resorting to violence was against God's plan for His crucifixion and showed that violence is not the means by which his kingdom advances. But…when the servant of the High Priest is struck Jesus says, “Put your sword back in its place.” The implication here is that the sword has a proper place and a purpose. Sometimes it needs to be sheathed and at other times, unsheathed and used. Jesus is not forbidding the use of violence in perpetuity; he is noting that there is a time and place for everything. Remember Ecclesiastes 3 ??? There is a time for everything… “a time to be born and a time to die…a time to kill and a time to heal… a time for war and a time for peace.”

Violence in the protection of others is not only acceptable, the Bible emphasizes the duty to protect the weak and vulnerable. Violence in the act of protection in this situation literally needs to be seen as an extension of ‘love your neighbor as yourself’. You’d protect yourself, you need to protect others from wanton violence too. Proverbs 24:11 urges us to: 

"Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter" 

The words "rescue" and "hold back" are imperatives and active commands to intervene and not be passive observers. The danger is described as being led to "death" or "slaughter," which can be interpreted literally as physical execution or figuratively as spiritual destruction. 

It emphasizes the importance of protecting innocent life and taking action to prevent harm and loss of life. The following verse in Proverbs 24:12 is a hammer to the pacifistic nature of some in Christian faith. There is a consequence for our inaction in the face of violence. God states that those who ignore this duty will be held accountable by God, who "weighs the heart" and knows if people are aware of the situation. That means the people that sit in view of violence and are able to do something about and do not act are in fact, as guilty as the killers. The other people on the train in Charlotte. The media aiding and abetting a culture of unsolicited violence and fear. A government that not only does nothing to protect its citizens but actually encourages more of this wicked behavior in their irresponsible inflammatory rhetoric. Yes, the Bible literally says you’re as bad as the perpetrator for either encouraging or doing nothing about wanton violence.

So where do we end this discussion? 

In the New Testament violence as aggression or offense is a no-no. Violence as retaliation is frowned upon too. Violence in protection of self and neighbor is not only valid; it’s a duty and responsibility. Non-violence is not the same as non-retaliation. In the New Testament, I fail to find calls to non-violence. Instead, I find a call to non-retaliation. Jesus tells us to turn the other cheek (Matthew 5). Paul calls us to non-retaliation when he tells Christians to stop suing each other (1 Corinthians 6). Peter calls us to repay curses with blessings (1 Peter 3). Jesus did not retaliate and, because of this, we now walk in forgiveness and new life. Yet, he most certainly flipped tables in an indignant manner in the Temple in righteous anger when confront with evil.

Again, I note, I am not encouraging violence but the Bible does not forbid violence. Realize also that killing and murder are two different things that hinge on the person's intent. The sixth commandment says thou shall not murder תִּֿרְצָֽ֖ח in the Hebrew. It doesn't say 'do not kill'. The intent was to prevent premeditated murder. Violence as a necessity of survival is another issue entirely. Peacenik errant teachers of Scripture that opt for passivity have the right to not act. I am not one of those people and nor does Scripture require that I be. When violence becomes a duty to protect yourself or others as it is in Proverbs 24:11-12, failure to do so can be understood as disobedience. If you are wantonly and wickedly attacked like Charlie Kirk by all means protect yourself. Be sure of your target and its backdrop. Practice gun safety at all times. Be careful not to hurt innocent people.

[My prayers of peace and comfort to Charlie's widow and children.]