A Modern Martyr


One reason I’m thankful for being an American is religious liberty. The First Amendment of the Constitution guarantees our freedom of speech and to peaceably assemble. In recent years, there have been increasing threats to those freedoms. Some individuals resort to violence against those they disagree with. This past Wednesday, 31-year-old Charlie Kirk was assassinated while speaking at a public debate on the Utah Valley University campus.

I hadn’t closely followed Charlie, but I now have a greater appreciation for his Turning Point USA organization. Their founder has become a martyr like Stephen in the book of Acts. The word martyr comes from the Greek word mártys, meaning “witness.” Since the resurrection of Jesus, many other believers died for their faith in Him. All the original twelve apostles were martyred except for John. The book of Revelation mentions Antipas in chapter 2, a group of martyrs in chapter 6, and the two witnesses in chapter 11. Protestants who were tortured and killed by the Catholic Church are chronicled in the classic “Foxe’s Book of Martyrs.” There’s currently a ministry called Voice of the Martyrs that raises awareness of persecuted Christians around the world .


A couple of disturbing developments have occurred regarding Charlie’s death. Some individuals are condoning and even celebrating the murder like what will happen with the two witnesses in Revelation 11:9-10. Fortunately, many of them have received pushback and even lost their jobs such as MSNBC’s Matthew Dowd and an Office Depot employee in Ohio who refused to print Charlie Kirk posters for a customer.


There are also numerous hoaxes circulating that claim various celebrities are commenting on and/or donating money to Charlie’s widow and children. One of my friends posted this tweet supposedly from Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger: “Charlie Kirk news got me SICK! Jesus is coming soon!!!” I checked Mick’s X page. The above quote does not appear there. The last tweet made by the “Sympathy for the Devil” singer was a week before the shooting. I wish more Christians would take a few seconds to verify these stories instead of spreading fake news.


I once had a girlfriend who talked about her willingness to die for her faith and often quoted Job 13:15, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him.” I concur that we should be prepared to sacrifice our lives for the gospel. There is a crown of life awarded in heaven to martyrs. However, I believe it’s God’s best plan for us to have long lives on Earth (as mentioned in Psalm 91:16) so that we can win more souls for Him.


In the meantime, I pray for Charlie’s family to be comforted and for his death to awaken sleeping giants to take a stand for Judeo-Christian values. At a recent FlashPoint event, Roberts Liardon declared, “With the martyrdom of Charlie Kirk, let it not just cause us to be sad, but to have a new determination. Let us get louder, bolder, and refuse to back down.” In less than a day after Erika Kirk spoke on national TV, Turning Point USA doubled in size by receiving 18,000 new chapter requests. Charlie’s supporters haven’t responded with vandalism and looting like what happened after George Floyd’s death five years ago. 


I also pray that assassin Tyler Robinson will get saved before possibly facing the death penalty. As Stephen got stoned in Acts 7:60, he prayed, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” I believe Charlie would say something similar regarding Tyler.


“I want to be remembered for courage for my faith. That would be the most important thing. The most important thing is the faith in my life.” - Charlie Kirk

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