The pinnacle of a more than four-hour massive tribute to slain activist Charlie Kirk came when his wife revealed she forgave his killer.
Erika Kirk’s remarks, said while speaking before a crowd estimated at 200,000 that filled both State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, and an adjacent arena Sunday afternoon, brought down the house.
“My husband Charlie, he wanted to save young men just like the one who took his life,” she said, weeping as she remembered when her husband was shot dead 11 days earlier at Utah Valley University in Orem.
“On the cross, our Savior said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they not know what they do.’ That man: That young man,” she looked up, her face crumpling with tears. “I forgive him —” and the crowd interrupted with a standing ovation.
“I forgive him because it was what Christ did, and is what Charlie would do,” she eventually continued. “The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know from the Gospel is love and always love—love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us.”
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The alleged shooter, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, has been indicted on a slew of charges in Utah County, including those which officials say carry the death penalty.
Hours before the memorial, Mrs. Kirk, 36, dicho Robert Draper of The New York Times she would not ask Utah to execute Robinson.
“I’ve had so many people ask, ‘Do you feel anger toward this man? Like, do you want to seek the death penalty?’ I’ll be honest,” she said. “I told our lawyer, I want the government to decide this. I do not want that man’s blood on my ledger. Because when I get to heaven, and Jesus is like: ‘Uh, eye for an eye? Is that how we do it?’ And that keeps me from being in heaven, from being with Charlie?”
President Donald J. Trump, who followed Mrs. Kirk, was less forgiving.
“The depraved assassin who planned and executed Charlie’s killing has been arrested and charged with capital murder,” said Trump, whose speech ran for 45 minutes. “God willing, he will receive the full and ultimate punishment for his horrific crime, terrible thing, because you can’t let that happen. You can’t let that happen—can’t let it happen to a patriot.”
The president also noted that Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, could attract large crowds during his life — and beyond.
“This is like an old-time revival, isn’t it?” Trump said. “He could always draw a big crowd — look at this today, look what’s gone on. This is a big crowd.”
Hours before security checkpoints opened to admit attendees, social media showed masses of automobiles enroute to the venue and thousands standing in line to enter. A long worship service preceded the memorial event, featuring Christian musicians such as Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes, Chris Tomlin, Phil Wickham, and Brandon Lake.
Vice President JD Vance, a close friend who has credited Kirk with helping the then-senator from Ohio become Trump’s 2024 running mate, lauded the gathering as a victory over the motives of Kirk’s assassin.
“The evil murderer who took Charlie from us expected us to have a funeral today, and instead, my friends, we have had a revival in celebration of Charlie Kirk and of his Lord, Jesus Christ,” Vance said.
The Ohioan said Kirk’s very public show of faith inspired him to greater witness.
“You know, I was telling somebody backstage that I always felt a little uncomfortable talking about my faith in public,” Vance explained. “As much as I love the Lord and as much as it was an important part of my life, I have talked more about Jesus Christ in the past two weeks than I have my entire time in public life.”
The gathering, where many attendees were dressed in patriotic regalia, was less like a memorial and more like an evangelistic revival marinated in conservative politics. President Trump walked into a rendition of “God Bless the USA” sung by Lee Greenwood and Turning Point volunteers worked the crowds with voter registration forms.
But the thousands who respectfully listened to the event’s speakers seemed clearly hungry for a message that America’s traditional values would be strengthened and that their faith was not in vain. They sported MAGA hats alongside red “Make America Charlie Kirk” hats, and T-shirts reading “I Am Charlie Kirk.”
Several who might most likely invoked Kirk’s political genius in paying their tributes — Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. — instead went to Scripture. They lauded Kirk’s Christian commitment, speaking minimally if at all about his political activism.
Suzie Wiles, Trump’s White House chief of staff, was one who did focus on Kirk’s political skills.
“President Trump’s victory winning the popular vote and every swing state was powered by young people, most brand new to politics,” she said. “That was Charlie’s army, and he made sure they understood the stakes,” she said.
Wiles’ deputy, Stephen Miller, dispatched a fiery salvo against Kirk’s political opponents.
“To those trying to incite violence against us, those trying to foment hatred against us, what do you have?” he asked. “You have nothing. You are nothing.
“You are wickedness. You are jealousy. You are envy. You are hatred. You are nothing. You can build nothing. You can produce nothing. You can create nothing. We are the ones who build. We are the ones who create. We are the ones who lift up humanity. You thought you could kill Charlie Kirk . . .
“You have immortalized Charlie Kirk, and now millions will carry on his legacy, and we will devote the rest of our lives to finishing the causes for which Charlie gave his last measure of devotion.”
Many speakers alluded to Kirk, who was 31 when he died, as a martyr in almost biblical terms whose death has galvanized conservative America.
“Without Charlie Kirk’s presence, they pulled off the largest event in Turning Point’s history,” said Rob McCoy, an emeritus Calvary Chapel pastor and co-chair of the TPUSA board in remarks opening the event.
McCoy then said Kirk wanted attendees to understand why the activist did his work.
“I’m here to tell you the why of what Charlie did,” McCoy said. “From the thin veil of heaven, Charlie declares to all earthly powers and principalities who will gather here, they have come into the presence of the God of all creation. Charlie wanted his Savior to be the guest of honor. He wanted all of you to receive this gift from him, the why and what he did.”
An unknown but apparently substantial number of people stood as they responded to McCoy’s appeal for salvation. Volunteers with TPUSA Faith offered resources to those who received Christ during those moments.
“They called them ‘Campus Tours,’ (but) now I know they were really tent revivals, complete with a tent,” said Andrew Kolvet, executive producer of “The Charlie Kirk Show” daily radio broadcast. “I see it now clearly that Charlie Kirk was a prophet, not the fortune- telling kind that could predict the future, but the biblical kind. He confronted evil and proclaimed the truth and called us to repent and be saved.”
“Fight for Charlie Kirk,” podcaster and former TPUSA staffer Benny Johnson declared to the crowd. “Who feels the Holy Spirit in the house tonight? Who can feel that revival happening right now? How does it always work? What man intends for evil, God intends for good. Evil thought that there’d be a funeral today. God has created a revival right here in this house right now.”
“If you take out a tyrant, his power goes away,” Johnson added. “You cut down a martyr, his power grows.”
Johnson compared Kirk to the New Testament martyr Stephen, claiming, “(He) was the same age as Charlie Kirk when he was martyred.”
Rep. Ana Paulina Luna, Florida Republican, compared Kirk to two other assassinated American leaders.
“His name will stand etched in the history besides the likes of (President John F. Kennedy), who boldly challenged a generation to ask what they could do for their country amid the shadows of the Cold War,” she said. “And (the Rev.) Dr. (Martin Luther) King who marched into the jaws of hatred, sacrificing his safety and ultimately his life, to bend the arc of history towards justice.”
Conservative activist Jack Posobiec, hoisting a rosary, sounded a defiant note when he told the crowd, “Charlie Kirk was my friend. Charlie was my brother. And we will never, ever let the left, the media, or the Democrats forget the name of Charlie Kirk.”
The Human Events columnist said Kirk “was on the top of a mountain, and Charlie Kirk led us there, and Charlie Kirk has brought us to the promised land.”
One of the most poignant moments of the memorial came when Christian apologist Frank Turek, who was standing 25 feet from Kirk when the shooting took place, described what happened after the bullet struck.
“When that shot rang out, I took a step toward him, but his security team was on him immediately,” Turek recalled. “Charlie, being like a son to me, I ran toward the security team, and we ran to the SUV together.”
Turek, who said Kirk’s widow wanted this anecdote shared, said, “I want you to know that we did everything we could to save Charlie, but Charlie was already gone. His face was looking at mine, but he wasn’t looking at me. He was looking past me, right into eternity. And if it’s any comfort at all, I learned later that Charlie felt no pain. He died instantly, but we had to try and bring him back. We couldn’t, we couldn’t save him.”
A nine-hour Turning Point USA video of the memorial and the preceding worship service can be found online here.
Mark A. Kellner is a reporter based in Mesquite, Nevada. He most recently covered statewide elections for the Correo de Nueva York and was for three years the Faith & Family Reporter for el tiempo de washington. Mark is a graduate of the University of the Cumberlands and also attended Boston University’s College of Communication.
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58 Responses
As one who is thoroughly turned off by today’s conservatives, Mrs. Kirk’s public forgiveness feels like the sun breaking through the clouds. I pray all of our hearts are softened.
I feel the exact same way. I am praying it was a wake up call for some faithful Christians who have become caught up in that movement to see the contrast between light and darkness.
“Darkness” is the party that promotes the mass killing of unborn children and the trans lunacy.
All darkness is rooted in sin; and sin often starts with idolatry. This includes political idolatry and national idolatry, which has led one party to the darkness of conflating the gospel with nationalism and political affiliation. (Hint: it’s a relationship with Christ that saves you, not being a patriotic American or a conservative/Republican).
That being said, both sides have darkness; perhaps it’s time to look to the gospel for light and not a man made political party?
Very well stated. Thank you.
Well said Marin. That is what should be heralded.
I think the breeding ground for darkness is when we forget our first love and allow contempt and malice towards our fellow human beings to metastasize. There is no ideology that can fight against that. Rather, simple trust and obedience to what Jesus actually taught is where we find life and light. That Mrs. Kirk demonstrated this in her own imperfect way was encouraging.
This means MAGA also. As of 2023, over 64% of all abortions in the USA were done by using abortion drugs. This number has risen since then. President Trump made us clear that he would NOT move to ban abortion drugs, or impose a nationwide Federal law banning abortions.
As to the intersex issue. them. LORD JESUS said, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For there are eunuchs who were born that way,” Matthew 19:11-12. LORD JESUS spoke Aramaic. In that language, eunuch was not confined to just males. So before one hates on people who are not like others, please learn why they are different. It is easy to hate, but harder to love.
Unfortunately there is a great deal of misinformation and hysteria about intersex individuals. After original sin corrupted all of nature, gender was corrupted.
Human biological science affirms it. Up to 3% of the US population has extra chromosomes and other conditions. These individuals are not simply XY or XX. Some people are XXY, XYY and many other permutations. Then there is a condition know as CIAS that can also affect a percentage of XY (biological) males. When this happens, the male person’s body does not develop normal male characteristics and female characteristics develop instead. Jackie Blankenship is one such person. You can watch and read about this person’s situation has on Youtube and the internet.
There is also a documentary movie called “Everybody” which tells about intersex individuals. But this is human biological truth. This movie was a very tough watch for me, but it is the life these people have to live, and LORD JESUS commanded HIS followers to love one another.
Will follow HIM?
How can Erika Kirk forgive her husband’s killer when the killer is completely unrepentant? this exposes a false teaching in the American Church. Unconditional Forgiveness without Repentance. Even God does not forgive unconditionally. Even God demands repentance. If you look at the model for forgiveness and repentance throughout the Bible, repentance and restitution is required for forgiveness. One should not have hatred and bitterness and anger but forgiveness can only happen when there is genuine repentance. Otherwise there is no justice. Pastors and preachers take snippets of verses to tell their congregation to ‘simply forgive’.
Jesus prayed on the cross, “Father forgive them”. But he did *not* pray, ” Father I forgive them”.
Jesus was simply asking God not to destroy his murderers. God answered his prayer to forgive the murderers by allowing them to repent and get salvation and only then, forgiveness.
“Simply forgive”: That’s how abuses manifest in the church and flourish and grow because the abusers simply tell the victims, ‘simply forgive and move on’. There is no confession, no repentance, no justice, no restitution – this is in contradiction to what the Bible teaches.
I couldn’t agree with you more. Well said.
Luk 17:3 Take heed to yourselves. And if your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.
I agree. There are steps to forgiveness. First rebuke, then they repent and then you forgive.
Look up the word brother in the greek, “adelphos” means fellow disciple. Now I’m guessing here but I don’t think Tyler is a Christian. Maybe a study bible or commentary might help you some.
Bless your heart, in your attempt to “be right,” you missed the point completely!. We must forgive. We have no right to demand repentance. We are not God. Find me a place in Scripture where we are instructed to demand repentance from anyone. It’s NOT there. You must cease your legalistic approach to God’s Word. When we forgive, we take our imperfect hands off those who hurt us and leave them to the justice of a perfect God.
an important part of the lords prayer “forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us……….. for if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly father will also forgive you. but if you do not forgive others their sins, your father will not forgive your sins.” – nothing in there about the need for repentance of an offender for forgiveness to take place in the offendeds heart. Reconciliation isn’t always possible or appropriate, but personal forgiveness needs no repentance, and it trusts ultimate justice to the living God. That can be left between the offender and Christ for judgment to be carried out. I disagree with your statement. Without forgiveness, bitterness and hatred have plenty of room to blossom. Yes forgiveness without repentance within the body can possibly lead to abusive situations. But I don’t think that’s what was happening with Kirk’s wife. She showed a beautiful heart that believes the Gospel of Jesus and forgiveness while trusting Justice to the living God.
Anil, Jesus and the Father are one God, in the unity of the Holy Spirit. And God’s undivided wrath is reserved for the unrepentant, rest assured. As for us, forgiveness is hard and may have to be practiced repeatedly for years after a wrong done to us. But if we truly forgive someone, even if they don’t ask or see the need to be forgiven, it can at least help us move on and live our lives.
Given the moment, I think what Erika Kirk offered was important and needed. I know nothing about the rest of her beliefs, and am opposed to Christian nationalism, but I’m in full agreement with her stated reasons for forgiving her husband’s killer. The state will deal with him in this life, and God, who sees the heart, will deal with him in the next.
Harboring bitterness, even when that bitterness is justified, can deform our souls to the point where we might begin to seek justice in reckless ways that disregard the unintended consequences of a “win” for us, be it judicial or extra-judicial. Sooner or later, when zero-sum thinking becomes widespread, it destroys civil society and can lead to social breakdown.
Think about the extremes this can lead to: Would very many of us want to live anywhere in the world where honor killings are not only condoned, but expected? Bring back eye for eye, tooth for tooth, or move somewhere where this is still the norm? As it is, we already live in a society where online mobs roam about, seeking whom to dox and devour. Isn’t that already bad enough?
Well said Jay, the verse after Matthew 5:38,39 says: But I say unto you,That ye resist not evil: but whosever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
I forgive you for your too-hard stance on this matter.
Anil, she is speaking about her side of the matter. She forgives him and though it is true they can’t have a unified relationship until he repents and asks for forgiveness the matter is settled from her side of things. I thought when she did it that this has to be the hardest thing for a person to do.
Romans 5:6-8 and also Jesus‘ own words in John 23:34.
Hi Bryson
Which verse in John’s Gospel are you referring to? (Obviously there’s no chapter 23).
Anil, think about Matthew 18:21-22
“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times”
Jesus doesn’t condition this forgiveness on repentance here. It’s about an attitude – limitless forgiveness, reflecting God’s mercy toward us.
That said, I think there’s a difference between limitless forgiveness and a deeper forgiveness that leads to reconciliation, and restoration of a relationship. That’s on a different level and I think that’s why there is some tension there.
“Jesus doesn’t condition this forgiveness on repentance ”
Of course he does. Did you read earlier in the chapter?
Matthew 18 NLT
15 “If another believer[d] sins against you,[e] go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. 16 But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. 17 If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.
Yes I did read earlier on in the chapter before I shared. I don’t think it’s changes what I said.
When the Bible talks about forgiveness it isn’t just in one dimension.
Forgiveness / Turning the other cheek is one-sided, something you do within yourself before God.
Jesus calls us to forgive, not to hold onto bitterness or vengeance (Matt. 5:39, Matt. 6:14-15).
This doesn’t mean you pretend the wrong didn’t happen — it means you choose not to retaliate or repay evil with evil. It is a heart posture, and frees yourself from resentment, and to entrust justice to God.
Forgiveness that leads to restoration on the other hand, is two-sided, going both ways. It requires repentance, confession, and change (as outlined in the passage of scripture you quoted)
Yes, very well biblically said. My husband and I were just today discussing this. Mrs. Kirk missed the genuine and true part of repentance.
I have heard this stance too, and it took me a while to understand it – and in a sense, I do agree. I look at it as vertical (giving it over to God) forgiveness and horizontal (inter-relational) forgiveness. I believe it is of utmost importance to hand those who have sinned against us over to the Lord to relieve us of all the burdens that come with unfortiveness. Furthermore, when we give others over to God, if they have not repented, God will deal with them better than we ever could. It’s actually why we should continue to pray for them to repent – not for us, but for themselves!
I also agree with not extending horizontal forgiveness to someone who does not want it, is unrepentant, and may even be glad they sinned against us. Perhaps a better way of saying it is “not reconciling with” or “maintaining firm boundaries with”, because it isn’t good to just sit around and hold onto the pain or anger caused. That is what the release to God is for – for the offender (as stated above) and for the offended (to heal our hearts and “let it go”); vertical and horizontal forgiveness are not completely siloed.
Thank you for sharing, Anil, and for all of the follow up comments. Made me revisit and reflect on this.
Correct. The theological terms for horizontal and vertical forgiveness are called transactional forgiveness and positional forgiveness.
Anil Philip:
Romans 5:8:
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
John 3: 17:
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
Forgiveness can be offered to those who wrong us REGARDLESS of whether they repent or not. It is an act of faith that God will handle the rest. Jesus often forgave others before they came to him. Interestingly, It was often his act of forgiveness that led them to himself.
If we do the right thing, God will “fill in the blanks.” Abusers in the church can be forgiven by victims, but that definitely does not mean they should not face the consequences (I recommend prison) for their actions.
“Forgive and move on” does not apply here. Forgive and let the justice system do its thing does apply.
My reply to those who replied to my comment (I wish there was a notification feature so we can respond to replies to our comments).
1) Please look at all of the scripture verses involving repentance, justice and forgiveness.
That is the correct and accepted way to interpret scripture.
People who want the Bible to say what they want it to say, will cherry-pick a passage that does not explicitly mention the word repentance – even if it was understood to be a necessary step in the forgiveness process.
2) To those who teach “simply forgive”, I challenge you – if a crime is committed against you or a family member, do you report it to the police? If so, why? Forgiveness removes punishment.
3) Luke 19. After the encounter, Zacchaeus’ life was changed. He stood before Jesus and declared he would give half his possessions to the poor and repay four times the amount he had defrauded anyone. Jesus’ Response was *after* this declaration of repentance: Jesus declared that salvation had come to Zacchaeus’ house, fulfilling the mission of the Son of Man to seek and save the lost.
Luke 23. Thieves on the cross. If forgiveness without repentance is biblical, then why didn’t Jesus tell both the thieves and also those who crucified him and the crowd mocking him that they would all be with him in paradise? Jesus only told the repentant thief, “Today you shall be with me in paradise”.
4) I believe that those who vehemently preach “simply forgive”, either have crimes and sins that they have not confessed to nor repented to the victims.
I would like to add to your point which is essentially correct. When Jesus was on the cross his arms were spread out. One thief was forgiven, the other wasn’t. Of course, Jesus did sufficient to deal with the sin of the whole world but he didn’t forgive all. What He did was to open His arms wide, offering forgiveness. We are in no position to dispense forgiveness to those who don’t want it but we should offer it. I would call it positional forgiveness. That means we have laid aside every hindrance and are ready to forgive. Forgiveness is not difficult when we have received it and understand that the grace God will empower us.
Many counselors have caused damage by instructing hurting people to unconditionally forgive, when the perpetrator is unrepentant and doesn’t want forgiveness.
“What He did was to open His arms wide, offering forgiveness”
That is a beautiful picture. Thank you.
Not entirely Anil. Jesus’ words in Matt 5: 44 (in short) are clear..”love, bless, do good, pray for those who hate and spitefully misuse you.” While the word ‘forgive’ is not explicit, these actions would suggest so. Esp if you pair it with Jesus words from the cross: Father forgive them…” (Luke 23: 34). We as humans are to forgive, it is not based on another’s behaviour or their response to God’s offer of salvation.
We should all pray for the assassin asking Him to send someone to preach the gospel to him especially if he gets the death penalty and such graciousness from Erika and as Christian we should do the same
He grew up in a thoroughly religious and conservative home. Do you think he doesn’t know the gospel inside and out?
Having a Mormon upbringing, probably not. Church going doesn’t necessarily mean a person knows and understands the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
He is from a devout Mormon family in southern Utah. When asked, LDS church members will affirm “yes, we’re Christians, and The Book of Mormon is another gospel of Jesus Christ.” Their core beliefs contradict the Bible, especially Galatians 1:8.
I love Mormons, yet their gospel is not the truly good news of Jesus and His love — it’s a system of strict obedience to numerous rules of conduct in a lifelong quest to become worthy of exaltation as a god in heaven.
Yes, let’s pray for this young man to hear the message of forgiveness and find hope from God.
There are increasing concerns about whether the young man Kyle is the 100% alleged shooter. Many people recognize that those alleged text messages sound AI generated and not typical of the text msg language used by a 22 yr old. And Tonight Nationally Kash Patel delivered an update on the State of the Investigation. More to come.
I expected to see comments, but as yet there are none here. I will only advise Christians to look deep into Scripture while in prayer and in an openness to the Holy Spirit. That means yielding our pre-conceived attitudes to be able to sort truth from error. That means being wary of the tactics of persuasion that might seek to confuse us and tempt us to see good as evil and evil as good. That means looking through Biblical accounts of others who have been misled, or made wrong choices, or who caused others to do the same. That means seeking with all our heart God’s guidance through Scripture and the Holy Spirit and asking for the gifts of discernment, patience, and especially trust in our faithful God to bring His light into this season of increasing darkness.
@Susan Clarke What exactly are you referring to in your comment? It is so vague that it can refer to almost anything under the sun :)
Her journey to healing will be easier by forgiving him. Bitterness & hate pollute our walk. Off point, I am troubled that Charlie’s mom & dad are barely being acknowledged. Only his wife. I lost my son; I know the pain. She birthed him, nurtured him. Why only Erika spotlighted? I don’t understand.
Just a thought, they may not be comfortable with the attention or they may have some fears for their own safety.
Joy, they have not been mentioned. I have no clue who they are and where they are. Maybe they shun the spotlight? I don’t know.
I agree with her not advocating for the death penalty. It costs several times more to prosecute a death penalty case than a non-death penalty case in addition to extra incarceration costs, etc. Is the death penalty the best use of our tax dollars or is there a better use for the money associated with those extra costs? It can take years or decades to actually carry out that sentence and many times it’s never carried out. This means the family and friends of the victim are promised something they never actually receive. Death penalty convictions get much more media attention, potentially retraumatizing the family and friends of the initial victim.
Surprisingly no political or negative comments. Good job guys!!
Seems all staged and scripted to me, like Butler was, to get the religious right on board with a political agenda. Sure is working.
Exactly. Bad stuff. Very sad.
Thank-you, Erika Kirk, for trusting Jesus above the pain: it was a powerful testimony to the lost and those who don’t know Jesus at all.
I live in a country where there is little Christian heritage and forgiveness is almost non-existent (unless it’s a member of the family).
As a result, bitterness can be handed down through generations, short and long-term grudges corrupt people’s minds and the desire for vengeance is seen as acceptable.
That’s NOT God’s will for our lives. God is Love and the concept of forgiving and blessing those who hate us is 100% Christian: Matthew 5:38-39, 43-44.
These words of Jesus (from the heart of God) are not only for the good of our enemies, but for our OWN good: for our peace of mind – and that of our families and societies – and the wellbeing of our souls.
Forgiveness is for the VICTIM more than anyone else, so that the spiritual stranglehold the perpetrator has over the victim is broken.
You guys are discussing if she biblically should have forgiven? Really? Out of everything she said and everything going on, Christian’s are dismissing a fellow sisters act of forgiveness? It’s for her! Not him! It helps work through the bitterness and rage. She will have to do it over and over and over for years. Sadly, you guys missed 99% of what the world heard and is responding to.
Some of you need to get over yourselves.
Not that this will get posted, but I find interesting that Trump’s and Miller’s speeches were the complete opposite of Charlie Kirk’s widow said. Yet the attendees loudly clapped for both. The cognitive dissonance and delusion of these so-called “Christians” is yet another reason I want nothing to do with the faith. Not to mention is painfully obvious that Trump is NOT a Christian from what he disagreed with Charlie and his equally deluded followers think that he is. So stop pretending that he is.
Hi Charles, you’re far from alone in your concerns about the remarks by S Miller & the Pres. I remember that Christ Jesus was not for hypocrites either… recalling how he called the Pharisees “white-washed tombs.” And Jesus reminded us that “my Kingdom is not of this world.” Perhaps there is a place for faith among a different flavor of Christianity… and not this type so tied to the Political Right.
The President was being self-deprecating in comparing himself to Charlie and praising him. And considering that he was the only speaker to come close to what happened to Charlie when he came within a quarter inch of being shot in the head by someone with the same motivation as Tyler Robinson, the fact that he’s not instinctively in a forgiving mood is quite understandable.
Eric Paddon (1991-Wheaton College)
“the fact that he’s not instinctively in a forgiving mood is quite understandable.”
Yet it’s not Biblical. We are not called to forgive when we feel like it. We are told to forgive in spite of how we feel.
Hi Charles. If you look to Christian Nationalism and its brand of Evangelicalism as an example of who Jesus was, I appreciate your antagonism. On the other hand if you look to others such as William and Catherine Booth who founded the Salvation Army in Britain in the middle of thec19th century who followed Jesus example of love personified in their actions by fighting against grinding poverty, addiction and believed in the equality of women, one hits closer to the mark. (To which the SA lives for to this day) Look to Jesus alone. I love how He is portrayed in the series “The Chosen”. Esp his regard to women and others needing His help and healing. How the writers create back story. For example, how lonely and difficult life was for the woman with chronic bleeding, the isolation of the Samaritan woman at the well. To give you a glimpse, these short clips are in You tube.
Herod questioned Jesus and to his questions Jesus gave no answer. To see a four hour long effort to bind Christian faith to a particular political party was unnerving, to say the least. Mrs. Kirk shows remarkable character both in offering forgiveness and in declining to ask the state to execute the shooter. I hope she and her children will find healing and peace.
I’ve been very critical of Charlie and maybe I’ll end up being the same with Erika when she takes over TPUSA.
However, absolutely credit where due to Erika Kirk for exhibiting Christian grace and forgiveness at such a difficult time. She may have had to share the stage with Steven Miller’s ethno-nationalism and Trump’s “Hate” but there is always real hope that folks on both sides will find her statement of forgiveness, love for one’s enemies and desire to imitate Christ as the most compelling takeaway for their own lives.
Acts 7:59 – 60
“While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.”
We are commanded as believers to forgive others. Period.
God requires that we repent and turn from sin, but He also requires that we forgive those who wrong us. We don’t sit around as believers waiting for those who have wronged us to ask for forgiveness first. When we forgive those who have wronged us, in effect we give them directly into God’s hands. It is God who ensures justice in the end. And it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God…
What you’re saying is not supported by scripture. I would like to say to you that consider the possibility that you may be misinterpreting the Bible passages. If what you say is true, then Jesus was contradicting himself by saying in one passage, requirement of repentance and in another passage there’s no requirement of repentance. Study all the passages in their entirety and don’t selectively pick out verses. Consider that it would have been understood to the hearers of the verses the requirements for forgiveness.
How odd that a congress woman of mixed Latino heritage would compare the murder of Charlie Kirk deserving the rank of comparing his death to that of Martin Luther King’s. Where ICE has hustled many of Latino blood into detention (jail) without due process. Where Kirk espoused that Black people were better under Jim Crow laws. This strikes me as cognitive dissonance. It reminds me of a quote in my Bible by a rabbi: “How odd of God to love the Jew. But not as odd as those who love the Jewish God and hate the Jew”.
This page has 57 comments while the report on the massacre in Nigeria has 2; where are our priorities?