Lessons from Charlie Kirk's Shooting

September 10th, 2025, began as a beautiful day in Orem, Utah, about 39 miles south of Salt Lake City. The campus of Utah Valley University was abuzz with activity, a crowd of around three thousand people eagerly awaiting the appearance of Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point, USA, who was scheduled to speak as a part of his “Prove Me Wrong” tour of college campuses across the United States. Kirk was widely known for inviting anyone to step up to the microphone and ask him questions or debate him on political and social issues. Neither Kirk himself, nor any of the members of the audience, were aware that Charlie would soon be asked the final question of his life.

Photo by Gage Skidmore

At 12:23 PM, as Kirk was discussing a question about mass shootings, a shot rang out. Kirk was struck in the neck, and the world was forever changed. A prominent political activist, focused on reaching America’s young adults with the truth of God’s word, had been brutally assassinated in front of a massive crowd of onlookers, which included Charlie’s wife, Erika, and their two small children. As horrific as this event was, what followed was perhaps even more shocking.

Beginning mere moments after the news of the shooting got out, a wave of vile and disgusting comments began to surge online. Social media was flooded with content openly celebrating the murder of a man whose entire livelihood was based on reaching across the political and cultural divide in order to speak candidly, honestly, and above all, kindly with those who opposed his beliefs. Charlie Kirk’s consistent methodology when conducting his debates had been to listen carefully to the questions posed to him and to follow with a well-mannered, civil response. More often than not, his answers drifted into the realm of discussion and debate rather than simple Q&A. It was not at all uncommon for his adversaries to approach the mic with hostility, but Kirk’s replies and rebuttals were consistently kind and well-measured. The same cannot be said of the deluge of vulgar tweets, videos, and comments made by his detractors in the wake of his death.

Jealousy vs Covetousness

Jealousy. Envy. Covetousness. These are terms which mean the same thing: to feel bitterness or hostility because someone else has something that you don’t. They are altogether unacceptable and bad. Right?

Well, sure, from a certain point of view. However, language is a tricky thing, and a fickle one at that. Today, jealousy in a relationship is typically seen as a sign of insecurity or weakness on the part of the one who is jealous. It’s often referred to as the green-eyed monster, and people who act jealously are often viewed as irrational. At least, that’s how the term is typically portrayed in pop culture. In reality, there are numerous shades of meaning which can turn jealousy into something that is not as bad as you may think it is, and, under the right circumstances, into a very good thing.

Donald Trump and the Would-Be Assassin

Today was a historic day - or perhaps infamous would be a better way to describe it. July 13^th, 2024, will henceforth be known as the day that someone tried and failed to gun down former President (and current presidential candidate) Donald Trump. The Bible is quite clear about such actions. There’s even a commandment about it: ”Thou shalt not kill.” And yet, here we are.