After the tragic death of Charlie Kirk, there has been a lot of discussion in the nation about whether he was a positive or negative character. I think like most people he was a mixture.
He was not the epitome of evil some have made him out to be, but neither was he the sublime example many others have insisted. He, like many of us, had some good and bad qualities. He supported some ideas that were positive but many others that were detrimental. He may well have been a good father and husband while not being an ideal citizen in other areas.
However, regardless of the “good or bad” of Kirk, what we need to realize is that every leader living in the current moment will be judged by our descendants primarily on one criterion: How complicit were we in the Christian nationalism and cult of personality wrecking our republic and faith.
Will McCorkle
The same truth applies to worship leaders like Chris Tomlin and Brandon Lake who played at Kirk’s funeral. Unfortunately, despite all the positive worship music they have made, in history they may be most remembered for sharing a stage with Donald Trump and Stephen Miller at the peak of them pushing forward a deeply disturbing agenda. Pastors will be remembered for how they either openly embraced the growing authoritarianism, stood by completely neutral as they did not want to get involved in politics, or decided to stand against the hijacking of the faith.
When we look back at Germany under Adolf Hitler, the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin, or Chile under Augusto Pinochet, we measure the societal leaders and especially the pastors, priests and religious leaders by how complicit they were with those regimes. Who stood around silently or even openly supported the regime for political gain?
“We have a choice in this moment while our faith is being hijacked by a twisted form of nationalism.”
In the future, the question of whether Charlie Kirk was racist or sexist will be secondary to the question of whether he helped usher in dictatorial rule. Pastors in 2025 will not be judged in the future by their theology on controversial biblical issues but where they stood with the vulnerable in times of chaos and oppression.
The heroes of the faith will be those like Martin Luther King standing against the fascism of Jim Crow and Bull Connor, Deitrich Bonhoeffer standing against Hitler, or Oscar Romero standing against the El Salvadorian dictatorship. There were many others who were less well known who worked tirelessly and sometimes behind the scenes against oppression, sometimes paying with their own freedom or life.
Of course, the importance of what we do in this current moment does not only apply to Chris Tomlin, Charlie Kirk or the megachurch pastor, it applies to every one of us. We have a choice in this moment while our faith is being hijacked by a twisted form of nationalism.
We can choose to embrace it, which I doubt many reading this publication will choose. However, there is also the more likely danger of just becoming complacent, overwhelmed and distracted by it all and like the seed planted in rocky soil getting strangled out by the troubles of life. We also could be the light under the bushel; we could refuse to speak out because of the fear of what that might entail. Most will choose these easier, broader paths.
We do have another choice: to speak out for the true kingdom of Jesus against the forces that are hijacking it. We will gain a strength we didn’t know we have. We will see the Spirit of God working through us and turning our fear into love.
We can stand with those good and faithful servants like the apostles and saints past and present who said, “We have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back.”
Following Jesus in 2025 in the U.S. means many things on a personal level, but it is certainly entails pushing back on the greatest danger to the Christian faith of our time: its hijacking by a nationalism driven by a cult of personality that has nothing to do with the risen Christ.
Will McCorkle serves as an education professor in Charleston, S.C., and is a board member with Practice Mercy Border Ministries. He writes on the topics of immigration, peace and faith.
Related articles:
7 things to do to oppose MAGA authoritarianism | Opinion by Brad Bull
https://baptistnews.com/article/yes-violence-is-not-the-answer | Opinion by Mark Wingfield
Enough: A Christian response to weaponizing our faith | Opinion by Lydia Carlis