Southern Baptist Convention leaders released a “Statement of Lament and a Call for Justice” Sept. 13 in response to the assassination of far-right political advocate Charlie Kirk.
Previous examples of SBC leaders issuing public calls for justice have related to racial issues, such as a 2020 statement on the death of George Floyd and a 2020 statement that called for justice and repentance for systemic racism. Most public statements on issues come from resolutions adopted by messengers at SBC annual meetings, not from convention officers.
Clint Pressley
The statement on Kirk’s murder was promoted over the weekend by SBC President Clint Pressley, a North Carolina pastor. The statement is signed by him, the first and second vice presidents and presidents of all 12 SBC entities.
“Scripture calls God’s people to hate what is evil and cling to what is good and to do so in the name of the Lord Jesus. We believe this statement is a way we can do that while upholding the gospel,” a preamble states. “Southern Baptist pastors and leaders are invited to sign the statement below and pray for our nation as we commit our gospel work to the Lord.”
The text of the statement says SBC leaders “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.”
It says all people of goodwill “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.”
Although Kirk was not a Southern Baptist, the SBC leaders praise him and his “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.”
The statement does not address Kirk’s more combative rhetoric that blasted even well-known Baptist pastors such as Rick Warren and denigrated women and Black people.
Nor does the statement address any other political violence in word or deed. It does call all Southern Baptists and Christians “to recommit ourselves to the defense of life, liberty and biblical morality in our nation” and to “pray for an end to political violence in any form. We condemn any retaliatory violence.”
Overall, SBC pastors and leaders have been most often aligned with support for President Donald Trump and his MAGA movement. Few SBC leaders have spoken about or condemned the president’s own incendiary rhetoric or incitement of political violence.
Shortly after the events of January 6, some SBC leaders condemned the storming of the U.S. Capitol. The SBC president at the time, J.D. Greear, called for peace and prayed for safety. He emphasized that peaceable transitions of power are part of honoring government authority, even when the outcomes are not one’s preference.