Be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. (Ephesians 6:18 NIV)
[Although it has been almost two months since Charlie Kirk’s assassination, the need to continue to pray for our nation has not diminished. We must continue to pray against any and all political violence, and pray that this “house divided” will be able to come back together as people interact and talk with each other. Pastors have a beautiful opportunity to help congregants process the grief of the assassination, but also to call people to a higher level of living. Pastors must not politicize, but must humanize the events of our day. What follows is most of an op-ed from The Epoch Times and a prayer I wrote.]
In the wake of the shocking assassination of prominent conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, it seems that some church leaders have chosen to remain conspicuously silent, much as they did after the attempted murder last year of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. Their reluctance to address the recent assassination likely stems from fear of stirring controversy or alienating members of their congregation who may have disagreed with Kirk’s political views. Rather than addressing the profound moral and societal implications of such acts of violence, these leaders are opting for neutrality. Afraid of offering statements they think could be divisive or offensive, they willfully abandon their traditional roles of providing spiritual comfort and moral guidance during a time of national trauma.
Kirk’s single shot to the neck mid-speech was captured in crystal-clear footage that flooded social media. It was a moment that seared itself into the national psyche, replaying over and over again in our minds. An oft-repeated phrase, “I wish I hadn’t watched it,” is easily found on an internet search. A Wall Street Journal op-ed advised, “Don’t Watch the Charlie Kirk Assassination Video…I did, and I wish I hadn’t.”
Kirk’s murder was unlike the assassination of President John F. Kennedy—the graphic head shot on the famed Zapruder film wasn’t shown to the general public until 12 years later. It was also different from other videos of random violence because Kirk was a beloved public figure that most Americans had at least run across in their social media feeds. Kirk’s assassination was immediate, unfiltered, and inescapable. For Christians who followed Kirk and shared his morals and faith—it wasn’t just a political tragedy; it was a visceral blow to the soul.
Soon after Trump was wounded in the assassination attempt in Butler, I documented that church leaders were deciding not to offer up prayers for fear of stirring up strife. Sadly, the same thing is happening following the (unfortunately successful) Kirk assassination. And I’m not the only one to notice it.
Mark DeJesus is a Christian author, mentor, and teacher who outlined the emotional fallout from our “national trauma” during arecent livestream. He said Americans have experienced shock, anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and unexplained tears—even among those who barely knew Kirk. “I wish I didn’t see it, but now I can’t unsee it,” he confessed, his voice thick with emotion.
In a follow-up conversation with this writer, DeJesus elaborated on the church’s response: “I’ve asked those I’ve communicated with if their church made any mention, to even pray for the hearts of those grieving or to pray for our nation. Too many are saying little to nothing.” Such silence underscores a deeper crisis—one that demands urgent pastoral action to alleviate the pain of national grief and trauma.
DeJesus observes that pastors have largely sidestepped the depth of this pain, sometimes only offering “a quick prayer, and kind of moved on.” Why? Fear of offending congregants who disagreed with Kirk’s staunch Trump support or his stances on cultural flashpoints like life in the womb, marriage, and trans issues.
This hesitation, while understandable, is misguided. DeJesus explained, “The church has boxed itself into a corner where we have a world of political sensitivity that governs church life,” he explained. Pastors don’t need to politicize every sermon, he contends, but this event transcends partisanship.
The assassination’s uniqueness amplifies the need for church engagement. “This is the first assassination we have witnessed like this in history in this vivid manner, in which all the world saw it,” DeJesus emphasized, contrasting it with the JFK footage, which surfaced in detail only decades later. “This was raw, cold and demonic.” Its immediacy reverberated beyond Kirk’s fan base, with even casual observers feeling the sting of his death.
“There are shockwaves taking place in people’s hearts,” DeJesus told me. “I believe because this was an act of someone being martyred. And that has a widespread impact. It’s a spiritual thing, because on one hand, a dark and demonic act took place, and that wave of darkness is felt by believers right now. But on the other hand, it shook the hearts of so many in an organic way to walk more committed to God and step up to make a difference in this time.”
Kirk was an outspoken Christian, championing biblical values while expressing compassion for students he debated on college campuses. “Because Charlie was a believer, this affected the whole body of Christ,” DeJesus said. For fans, the grotesqueness intensified the terror—here was a compassionate Christian walking with God who was very graphically and very publicly silenced.
“America has been historically friendly to Christianity… But that is changing rapidly,” DeJesus reflected. “This event traumatized our sense of safety in being able to share what we believe, even though others disagree. What Charlie experienced sent waves of messaging that Christianity is no longer safe.” Drawing from John 15:18, DeJesus shared that he is “coming to terms with what Jesus said when he said they hated Him, so they are going to hate us too.”… He explained how current national trauma can be a trigger affecting mental health, exacerbating anxiety, despair, intrusive thoughts, and loneliness.
Pastors must guide here, rejecting spiritual bypassing to embrace biblical grieving. “We can grieve, but we don’t have to grieve as a people who don’t have hope,” DeJesus said. “It’s okay to go through the valley of the shadow of death. It’s okay to go through that sense of darkness, that sense of like heaviness. It’s okay… believers that allow themselves to go through that, they become stronger for others.”….Meanwhile, the Kirk assassination must compel church leaders to shepherd holistically to injured minds, bodies, and spirits. He observed:
“Our modern political world has caused us to lose our sense of humanity, to the point that we cannot agree as humans that someone being publicly assassinated is wrong, no matter the political affiliation.”
Pastors, the pews await your voice—not to politicize, but to humanize. Now is the time to transform our national grief into communal grace. The Body aches; will you bind it or bypass it?
God of Love,
Thank you, Lord, for choosing and appointing us to make an impact in this world. Thank you for showing us the perfect example of sacrificial love. Help us to love ourselves and one another in the same Christ-like way.
We recognize that the world around us will not easily embrace your Kingdom principles, so we ask that your Holy Spirit would stir the hearts of the leaders within your Church. Give them boldness to speak truth in this time. May their courage be evident as they interpret the events of today through the lens of your Word, your Spirit, and your Truth.
Remind your people that your desire is not for us to worship politics, power, or ideology, but to love—just as you have loved us.
Today, we pray in the name of Jesus against all forms of political violence. We ask that every person would recognize the God-given worth of every human life, regardless of politics, race, sexuality, or religion.
We pray for a rebirth of righteousness in these deeply divided “United States of America.” Let revival begin in your Church and bring reformation to our culture. Where darkness has ruled for too long, we declare: no more! We release the light of the Lord Jesus Christ into every sphere—government, media, arts and entertainment, business and economy, education, family, and your Church.
Finally, Lord, help your people to grieve their losses, and use that grief to lift us into a higher way of living in you. In Jesus’ name we pray. AMEN.
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other. If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. (John 15:12-19 NIV)