How Shall We Respond to Evil

There are so many of us who have been deeply troubled, and our hearts broken, by recent acts of violence in our nation and in the news, including the assassination of Charlie Kirk. This murderous act of violence has caused a huge response, as you have probably noticed—and for good reason. Charlie Kirk was fearless and articulate in his positions on moral and spiritual issues. In addition, he had an enormous following on social media with more than 9 million followers on his TikTok account, 5.8 million follow his account on X, and 4.5 million people subscribe to his YouTube channel. A video from Utah before his assassination had more than 138 million views.

Questions come to mind, at this point, as to what should we think of this and how we should respond to it. Let me remind you that Scripture calls for us “to hate that which is evil and cling to that which is good” and to do so “in the name of the Lord Jesus.” This we should strive to do always in the aftermath of terrible acts of evil. As you seek perspective on this matter and try to frame your response to it for others, it may help you to know that our own leadership of the SBC (the largest protestant/evangelical denomination in the USA) has issued an important public statement and one that I have signed on and endorsed. Here is our response to this tragic event—

A Statement of Lament and A Call for Justice—

As leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention, we lament the assassination of Charlie Kirk and we mourn his death. Political violence is a grave sin and it represents a threat to our nation and its government. The murder of Charlie Kirk is a grave warning to us all as we consider the health of our nation and society.

All persons of good will must condemn this premeditated act of violence and see the depth of evil in this murder and in a spirit of violence that will undermine our ability to function as a nation.

Christians are rightly grateful for Charlie Kirk’s public witness to Christ and for his courageous defense of the dignity of the unborn and a host of other moral issues. We rightly appreciate the profound impact Charlie Kirk has had on our young people, inspiring them to live with bold conviction and take righteous action.

We mourn with his wife, Erika, whose husband has been so murderously taken away, and for their precious children, now left without an earthly father. We pray for them, and ask our Heavenly Father to protect and console them.

We call for righteousness and justice and for the lawful prosecution of the assassin and urge Southern Baptists to join us in praying for his repentance and salvation. We also call for Southern Baptists and all Christian brothers and sisters to recommit ourselves to the defense of life, liberty and biblical morality in our nation, and we pray for an end to political violence in any form. We condemn any retaliatory violence.

We call on all our brothers and sisters in Christ to bear faithful witness to the good news of Jesus Christ—the world’s true King and our only hope—who was crucified and raised so that sinners might be forgiven and have eternal life.

May God have mercy on our nation, and may we be found faithful in our generation.

Amen and Amen!

Devotedly yours,
Pastor Ron