Grief is the Only Response

Since I heard the news that Charlie Kirk died from the gunshot wound, I have been fighting back tears. I did not agree with his politics or social views, but he was a child of God, a loving family man, and he stood for what he believed in, as the Constitution gave him the right to do so. This type of tragedy should never happen.

The very first posts I saw on Facebook after he was shot, and even before he was pronounced dead, was from my Democrat friends. They were shocked and stunned. “No, no, no,” they lamented. “We want change, but not like this. Violence is never the answer.” They expressed their heartbreak for Kirk’s family left behind, the children who would never know their father.

My more moderate friends were also distressed. They mourned for our country, the violence society is descending into.

Then the vitriol began. Prominent MAGAs made despicable statements, blaming the Democrats, even though, as of this writing, the shooter has not been identified. A few I found at X are seen in the following image. Click HERE to see more.

I began seeing some reprehensible posts as I scrolled down my Facebook feed. The extreme left were saying that Kirk got what he deserved. The MAGAs were blaming liberals and trans people for this loathsome act. Both extremes are vile.

I leave you with this message I saw on Facebook. It was attributed to Pastor Benjamin Cremer, although I couldn’t confirm that he was the source.

Today, Charlie Kirk was shot while speaking at one of his rallies, and he has died from his injuries.

My heart is heavy. Violence is never the answer. It does not heal, it does not restore, it only multiplies grief and perpetuates violence. Tonight, Charlie’s wife and children will face a table with an empty chair. His community will feel the shockwaves of his death. We should grieve this loss, because every human life bears the image of God, and whenever a life is taken, the whole world is made a little more fragile.

This is not a simple grief for many. Charlie’s rhetoric was grievous in itself. As a pastor, I watched first hand as it perpetuated nationalism, racism, disinformation, dehumanizing rhetoric, and caused harm to many, especially marginalized people. We must be honest about this and understand that all will not be grieving this moment in the same way.

We must also be honest about what our faith calls us to: not to celebrate harm, not to become numb to death, not to gloat when someone we disagree with falls. Jesus wept over the city that rejected Him. He healed the ear of the man who came to arrest Him. He prayed for those who crucified Him. To follow Jesus is to refuse the logic of revenge, spite, or indifference.

Our reality is, multiple acts of gun violence took place across our country today, including multiple school shootings. More families, like Charlie’s, will go to bed tonight missing someone they loved. More lives were ended by a uniquely American epidemic that has become all too tragically normal.

We are not called to approve of harmful ideas or remain silent about the systems that perpetuate this violence. We must name the truth about our culture’s idolatry of guns and its endless cycles of hate and fear that is being repackaged as “Christian” and “truly American.” But we are also called to lament.

We grieve for Charlie Kirk.
 
We grieve for his family.
 
We grieve for every person harmed by his words.
 
We grieve for every victim of gun violence today.
 
We grieve for a nation so hardened that we argue about whose pain is “deserved” and “worthy” of our grief.

Grief is the right response, not bitterness, not gloating, not resignation. True grief opens us to the Spirit’s work of healing, justice, and peace. True grief keeps our hearts soft in a world that would rather grow hard. True grief keeps us human.
So today, I lament. I lament the death of Charlie Kirk. I lament the systems that make gun violence inevitable. I lament the hate and division that run so deep in our country. And I pray: Lord, have mercy. Teach us to mourn with those who mourn. Teach us to hunger for justice without losing compassion. Teach us to walk in the way of peace.