Words are NOT violence… murder is VIOLENCE!

The views expressed in this editorial are the sole opinion of the author & do not necessarily reflect the perspective of JAMZ Collective as a whole or any of its partners or personnel.

During my younger years I had the privilege of meeting & getting to know well known Christian rock pioneer Larry Norman a little bit.

I was at one of his concerts right after it was announced that Osama Bin Laden had been killed by military personnel. Larry told the crowd something that has always stuck with me, defiantly declaring, “It is a tragedy anytime anyone leaves this life without knowing Jesus Christ!”

Such a powerful statement! It is truth that should be self-evident to those professing to follow Christ, but which too often gets lost in the vitriol & rhetoric our modern sensibilities have been submerged underneath.

The day before yesterday Charlie Kirk, a Christian & the founder of a nationwide political advocacy organization was assassinated while speaking to a crowd at Utah Valley University. His murder was a shocking & sudden tremor that reverberated through the the news media, leaving many speechless & shaken. Against the backdrop of a Nation torn by the wounds of an identity crisis, viral videos showing his gruesome death spread like wildfire, inflicting trauma perhaps unknown to everyone who witnessed the graphic imagery.

Politicians, media personalities, & social media influencers wasted little time exploiting this sickening event for the purpose of advancing propaganda intended to divide people on all sides of the political spectrum.

Charlie Kirk was controversial to some… There were both ample supporters & detractors of his views. For some, the totality of his identity was wrapped up in videos they watched on the internet. Perhaps the social-media industrial complex is to blame for this drastic oversimplification of who public figures are? Like each of us, Charlie Kirk was more than his public persona. He was also a husband, father, son, boss, leader, friend, & a human being.

People had every right to disagree with him on any and everything they wanted to. However, this incident is also a symptom of a dangerous ideology that has crept into the American psyche; the notion that words are violence.

They’re not. They can be annoying, frustrating, & even hurtful. They can be true, convicting, & uncomfortable. Ultimately though, NOTHING anyone can say carries the weight of taking the life of another human being. It is permanent & binding.

Equating words with violence emboldens & helps to justify in the minds of the unhinged, actions which are reprehensible & have no warrant. As a society, if we continue to cater to this notion we will undoubtedly witness more of these tragedies.

I probably agreed with more of what Charlie Kirk said than I didn’t. Maybe you disagreed with most of his views? That's okay too. You have that right. At this point, I think it’s irrelevant though.

We should all be able to agree that murdering people we disagree with is NOT the answer and to that end, all of the pontification about cause and effect, political ideologies gone amok, etc. should take a backseat to fervent prayers for the family of Charlie Kirk, and for our Nation because we have clearly lost our way.

Larry’s quote from years ago doesn’t apply exactly to this situation… Charlie openly professed faith in Christ & it’s not for you or I to determine his sincerity. God will be the judge of that. Regardless, Larry’s words are a good reminder that we should not take joy in tragedy or loss of life, whether we share the same worldview as the victim or not.

Please join me in lifting up this entire situation and our culture to God in prayer, asking that He would have mercy on us and His Spirit would draw people to Him. Join me in praying that the family of the deceased would feel an overwhelming sense of peace and comfort that defies any logic in the face of the immense loss they have just experienced. Lastly, join me in praying that whoever perpetrated these wicked deeds would be located and brought to justice, held fully accountable, and would have a sufficient opportunity to lay their actions before God in full repentance and ask for the forgiveness they so desperately need.

May God have mercy on us all in this broken world.