Charlie Kirk!

That name says so much, now.

I am sure that we should be very careful about adding our comments to the sad story of a recent killing. I have a neighbor who is a Christian, like me, and he liked to follow information from and about Charlie Kirk, before he was killed. My neighbor is now very sad, and I respect him.

In general, Charlie Kirk was a successful activist and a persuasive speaker, and now that he is dead, there are some huge arguments. There are many people who seem to be happy that Mr. Kirk is now dead, and they seem to be celebrating. That is not my opinion.

There is at least one website where people can report ghoulish people who are making happy comments about the death of Charlie Kirk. You can find more, with a search, but it’s a topic I don’t want to drill into.

I can report that many people have lost their jobs, and are facing other serious consequences, because they seem happy that another human being is now dead.

We will hear more news in the next days and weeks.

• READ: After Charlie Kirk’s death, teachers and professors nationwide fired or disciplined over social media posts

I am writing as a Christian, and there are two things we should know:

1) We don’t have to fix every problem, and correct every wrong person. There is a verse in the Bible that explains: “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful to even speak of the things that they do in secret.” (Ephesians 5: 11 and 12)

We should shine light on the dark things that some people say, but we should keep ourselves out of those swamps. Just let the whole world know. That seems to be happening, on the Internet and in the news.

2) It is also true that what happens to other people, will someday come on us. The critics can come for us all if we do two things; tell the truth that we know, and live long enough. Trouble will find an honest person, if they give it enough time.

There is a famous statement by a Christian pastor, Martin Neimoller, who lived in Nazi Germany. This is one variation of the quotation:

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me.

First They Came – Wikipedia 

I believe that we should all pause and tell ourselves the truth; someone was killed because their ideas were different from someone else’s. We don’t need much logic to know that was wrong.

And then we should do what Martin Neimoller did; we should make it personal. The last person that he talked about was himself.

The reason that I identify as a Christian is because I took a careful look at my own life. I was raised with strict religious ideas, and I knew how to stay on the good side of that. There is an endless supply of things done by other people, that I can criticize or agree and applaud, but my life changed, when I saw myself. Not every part of me was good, and I had to ask what good I was doing in this world. 

The questions that I asked are still important, to me.

This may sound strange, but I believe that much good can come from a tragedy like the death of Charlie Kirk. One thing that we can do is to stop and look at ourselves. We are part of the humanity that produced this tragedy, and many of us are part of the culture that is divided and close to a civil war. That divided culture has brought us to this place, and it will take us much further, down that road, if we don’t apply the brakes. 

I believe that the change starts with me.

Now, at this stage in my life, these words show me the truth, about myself:

Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4: 22 and 24)

I hope the sad news, and the arguments that follow will inspire us to look for something better, in ourselves.