Dark Days, Bright Lights
A Response to the Escalating Violence Against Conservatives
My Tribute to Charlie Kirk
No matter where you land politically, most of America seems to agree on this; Charlie Kirk’s assassination was a turning point for this country. And in these times, every sane, freedom-loving American should be in unison.
We do not kill our enemies for the crime of disagreeing with us. We don’t lock them up. We don’t hurt them. We don’t encourage others to harm them. We don’t harass them. We disagree. We yell. We get loud with each other. We may even throw nasty insults at each other. But we do not escalate beyond that because that is not what Americans do.
No example of the spirit of American discourse could have been better personified than it was with Charlie Kirk. He was a man who debated without resorting to ad hominem. He would state his opinions articulately with the best intentions. He was a man that truly wanted the best not just for his country, but for the individual he was debating. He stood on principle. He kept his cool. He openly loved his God.
And the tyrannical psychopaths couldn’t stand it. He was everything they wanted to be. Calm, intelligent, and ambitious. He also had the truth on his side.
We will probably never see another Charlie Kirk in our lifetime. There are figures in history that are icons of their generation. He was one of them. He was one of the good ones. The kind of grit it takes, not just to understand your beliefs in their entirety, but to hash them out publicly with people who desire the worst things for you, yet still remain stoic in the face of such vitriol, is a kind of grit the vast majority of us don’t possess. We should grieve this loss. We should pray for his wife and two young children. We should pray for our country- the country whose principles Kirk loved and ultimately, gave his life defending.
Now What?
These are dark days. We all feel it. We know things cannot go back to what they were. But we should also know that the pendulums swings both ways.
The response from every patriot needs to be immense. While we should not give into wrath, as that will cause us to sin against God, of whom our nation should be ultimately paying tribute to, though we have long since forgotten Him. Wrath should not be the driver regardless. We love patriots like Charlie Kirk. We love Americans. And that love should propel us into action.
We have to be organizing more. By we, I mean every citizen in this country who does not want to see our nation turned into some third-world hellhole. We need mass (peaceful) protests, boycotts, etc. What does that look like?
For starters, anyone in leadership who does not condemn what happened to Charlie Kirk, who makes excuses for Iryna Zarutska's killer, or who downplays the violence against Christian school kids, our response to them should be not only fundraising for their political opponents, but their primary opponents as well. We might not be able to flip counties, cities, or even states red, but we can start implementing controlled opposition. Find the sanest candidates. If you have the time, campaign for them. Again, you might not agree with everything but you will send a message to every politician that if they want to keep their seats or, at the very least, not have to spend twice as much on their elections, they need to turn down the rhetoric.
Any actor, director, singer, etc. who does not condemn or even encourages violence should have their art or products boycotted. Stop supporting the people who hate you. Stop buying products from companies that hate your values. Get with the people in your family, your church, in your communities, etc. and organize with them. Let them know what is happening and make a plan. Start picking off companies one by one until they either go out of business or they buckle. That is the kind of radicalization we need (Ephesians 5:8-14).
Protest. Start attending them. Be safe and vigilant, but don’t be corralled into hiding. When you’re there, be smart and calm in the face of the opposition. If there aren’t protests or rallies in your area, start organizing them. Yeah, it’s a lot of work. So is Civil War, so... get creative with it. Become the biggest pain in your counties’ necks until they start cracking down on crime. Doesn’t mean blocking roads or starting fights. But it does mean that you and your fellow patriots become the biggest, most obnoxious inconvenience until there is policy change (Luke 18:1-6).
Of course, the most important thing of all, every night before you lay your head on that pillow, pray (1 Timothy 2:1-3). Go to church. Get a job. Be the best American patriot to have ever lived in this nation. Above all else, keep your soul.
Tragedy after tragedy unfolds, and with each one, and the most you can get from conservatives half the time is an immediate demand for some kind of civil war, then they go right back to giving money to the very people calling for the violence. You're not serious people if you continue to fund the very thing you say you’re against. We have the power of the free markets. You want actual change? You want to "take America back" then start here. Start by spending a weekend at protest. Hold rallies. Fundraise for the people in the front lines. Most importantly, go out and vote whenever there is an election. I don't care if it's just a school board election, make the time. Otherwise, forfeit your right to cry about it. If all you want is a White Knight tyrant to "fix" everything while you keep binging Netflix, then you're not a serious person. If all you want is sudden escalation, hoping it will be like something from a movie, you're sorely ignorant. If you want to bury your head in the sand and hope this goes away, you’re lying to yourself.
Love America more than you hate your enemies. Do the right thing no matter the cost. Fear no evil and whatever you do or say, do so for the glory of God. If you want to take America back, and if you want Charlie Kirk’s death to not be in vain, then become active.
May God bless us all.
Praying at all times, with all prayer and petition in the Spirit, and to this end, being on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints- Ephesians 6:18 (LSB)