The Day Charlie Kirk Lost His Faith

After certain events shake our perception of the world we live in, lots of people are quick to comment. Nothing wrong with that, for sure. It’s to be expected in the digital media world we live in. But quite frankly, I’m not that sharp. My brain needs more time than many do, in order to process my thoughts and figure out what could be appropriate and maybe even helpful. This may be neither, but it’s what I came away thinking after that horrible tragedy. Sorry if it’s over a week late.

“We live by faith, not by sight.” —2 Corinthians 5:7

Seeing what God is doing through this next generation of Jesus-followers has been nothing short of incredible. God is moving globally, in ways that many of us Boomers and Busters never expected. And it looks like Charlie Kirk will remain a huge part of that movement for a long time.

Some events are memorable. So memorable, in fact, that 24 years later everyone over 30 can still vividly remember where we were and what we were doing on the morning of September 11, 2001. 24 years from now, most all of of you who are still alive will remember where you were and what you were doing when you heard that Charlie Kirk had taken a bullet from an assassin’s rifle. You will recall how many of us, still unaware of the details, delayed our anger in order to pray that God would work a miracle and spare his life. To be honest, those of us who follow Jesus simply couldn’t imagine a world that would be better off without Charlie than one with him. A short time later, though, as his death was confirmed, some of us wondered if God was actually as capable as we had hoped.

Save those thoughts and rewind 2,000 years.

Several months before Jesus would be crucified in Jerusalem, Lazarus, one of Jesus’ closest friends, was near death. His sisters sent word to Jesus, hoping He would come and work a miracle and spare their brother’s life. They simply couldn’t imagine a world that would be better off without him than one with him. But Jesus, the great healer, after learning that Lazarus was gravely ill, chose to wait a few more days until after Lazarus had died.

Predictably, Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha were broken-hearted. They wondered if Jesus was actually as capable as they had hoped. When Jesus and the disciples finally showed up in Bethany, only then to attend the funeral, Martha complained that, had Jesus arrived sooner, her brother could have been healed.  

Jesus replied, “Your brother will rise again.” (John 11:23) 

It’s almost as if He just dismisses the reality of the crisis they were going through.

Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:24-26)

That’s the question everyone ultimately has to answer.

On the morning my own mom passed away, I read that exact passage to her. I don’t know if she heard me, but if she did and could have responded, she would have said, “Yes, I do believe that.”

Should Charlie Kirk have been asked that same question, early on September 10, he would have said, “Yes, I absolutely believe that.” Later that same afternoon, though, he would have given a different answer. Because, at 12:23 PM MST Charlie didn’t have to believe it anymore. He knew it. In a split second, Charlie had cashed in his faith. He simply had no more use for his faith. In fact, he will never need it again.

That day in Bethany, the words Jesus spoke were profound, and the question He asked was revealing. It still is. Just reading the second of those four words exposes us for who we really are.

“Do you believe this?”

Let me ask you this. What would cause you to give up your faith in Jesus? A personal health crisis? (After all, the Jesus you’ve believed in for so long could have made sure you avoided that.) How about the death of a loved one? (You know, Jesus could have planned that whole thing differently too, right?)

What would cause you to give up your faith. The good news is, something eventually will, the moment you take that first step into eternity and see things for yourself. For now, though, we’re stuck with the requirement of faith.

BTW, faith is not just for those who have decided to place theirs in Jesus. Those who choose not to believe in Jesus have simply chosen to direct their faith elsewhere. The truth is, we all direct faith somewhere. Even atheists are people of faith. They’re trusting that Jesus is not the resurrection and the life. They have no confirmation of their beliefs about Jesus and the Bible, they just have faith in their assumption that they’re right. Actually, if the evidence seemed to favor their view, more of us would be atheists too. But the evidence for not being an atheist is significant. The evidence for placing one’s faith in Jesus is overwhelming (at least for those who have taken the time to look at it).

But, no matter the object of your faith, whether yours is in Jesus, religion, or yourself, everyone will give theirs up. Eventually, everyone comes face to face with reality and see things for what they really are. “At the name of Jesus every knee (will) bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue (will) acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord.” (Philippians 2:10-11)

All that to say, Charlie doesn’t have to place his faith anymore in the Jesus he so loves. He’s a sight guy now. The rest of us who are in Christ will know what that’s like someday. But for now, like the Apostle reminds us, we live by faith, not by sight.