It may now seem surprising to many United Methodists, and even more Baptists, that for most of our histories in the United States, all Methodists and Baptists were regularly designated as evangelical denominations. The most important reason is that both...
The assassination of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University is undoubtedly going to lead to a lot of conversation about our identity as a nation, the nature of our problems and how we pursue justice. One of the contexts for…
In the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, public employees across the nation are being suspended, investigated and even fired due to their social media posts about Kirk and his death. This backlash is part of a larger conservative movement to…
The editor of Riforma, an Italian-language newspaper published by and for Baptists, Methodists and Waldensians in Italy, invited me to contribute a 5,000-character front-page article for this week’s edition sharing my perspective on the shooting of Charlie Kirk and American Christian…
John Lennon and Selena Quintanilla-Pérez were charismatic performers killed by shooters. What do their assassins have in common, and what do each of us have in common with the assassins? Lennon and Quintanilla-Pérez both were killed by obsessed fans who…
Jerry Falwell Sr. was a fundamentalist pastor who became engaged in politics. Charlie Kirk was a political activist who wrapped his speech in evangelical garb. There is a big difference between the two. Falwell, the legendary pastor of Thomas Road…
In the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s tragic and wicked assassination, I’ve found myself seeking to understand the scope of his influence on young evangelicals. My husband and I recently hosted a former student of ours and her roommate, both of…
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…
The idea of making Charlie Kirk a martyr never would have occurred to me because he espoused an ideology I find unacceptable and un-Christian. He didn’t deserve to die, but dying doesn’t make one a Christian martyr. The idea was…
The assassination of right-wing influencer and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk has driven me into a period of deep reflection. Kirk’s killing — allegedly by 22-year-old Tyler Robinson — is unjustifiable and should be condemned by all Americans. Yet,…
A “minister” played a role in reporting Charlie Kirk’s accused assassin, according to President Donald Trump. Kirk, the Christian nationalist founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot Sept. 10 while leading an “American Comeback Tour” at Utah Valley University…
All the comments below were either said publicly or posted on social media by Charlie Kirk, many of them in the last weeks of his life. Kirk called Martin Luther King Jr. “not a good person.” At Turning Point…
Over the past several weeks, my mind has called back to the words of 1 Corinthians 13:6 over and again as high-profile death announcements flash across my feeds: “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth.” I…
