Shocked by evil

In the days since Charlie Kirk’s murder, there has been a flurry of takes and counter-takes about his politics. Yet when Kirk himself was asked how he wanted people to remember him, he answered without hesitation that he wanted to be remembered for his Christian faith. Numerous prayer vigils, rallies, and memorials across the country have ensured that his wish is honored. What Kirk couldn’t have predicted is that his death would not just spark memorials, but some kind of revival. 

While many have danced on Kirk’s grave, others are voicing their horror at the murder and its celebratory aftermath. Some are vowing never to cast a “blue vote” again after seeing such widespread inhumanity. However, these conversion stories are far from merely political. People are not just being repelled by the godless left. They are feeling what more than one person independently describes as a “pull” towards God, the Bible, and church. One young man is typical: A long-time Kirk fan, he only discovered the speaker’s more Christian-focused content after the murder, and it moved him to tears. He has “never believed in God, ever,” but he doesn’t know how to make sense of his emotional response. He holds up the cheap NIV Bible he just bought. “I guess this marks day one of me trying to read the Bible and see what it’s about.”

“Alright Christians,” asks the husband and father behind one popular, anonymous Twitter account, “help an ex-atheist and former Democrat out: Can I just walk into a church and sit down?” He doesn’t want to “start a denominational argument.” He just knows that his family needs to go to church. Fellow seekers echo his curiosity in the replies. Christians chime in to assure everyone that they can, in fact, just walk in and sit down.

British evangelist Glen Scrivener has collected just some of these encouraging stories in one thread, and there are more where they came from. He even shares reports about Kirk-inspired church visits on his own side of the pond. One couple knew little about Kirk before the murder, then began binge-watching his content and were so impressed that they felt compelled to find the nearest church. Another couple showed up with their children and said they “needed a church which told the truth about life, without any fluff, like Charlie.” They found what they were looking for and intend to keep coming. Meanwhile, an American man posted a picture of a church he would “never even have considered” walking into a week before. He reported back that the congregation welcomed him with “open arms,” and he too intends to return.

Some of these seekers have Christian family members who have already been witnessing to them, like this woman who was finally inspired to pick up her husband’s Bible. But Christians should be mindful that others might step into a conservative church at great social cost. One woman covered in tattoos, who identifies as gay and laces her story with earthy language, speaks vulnerably about her fear of losing friends if she refuses to tolerate their hate towards Kirk. If she commits to a church, Christians will need to become her new family.

In addition to these stories of people exploring faith for the first time, there are stories of deconverts inspired to make a return to the faith they’d left behind. One young man from Ohio shares that he hadn’t stepped foot in church or picked up the Bible in ten years. The day Kirk died, he was inspired to open his Bible again for the first time. A young woman gives a powerful testimony about going back to her “roots” after having deconverted as a teenager. She admits that she still lacks certainty about God’s existence. But “what I can prove,” she asserts with conviction, “is that evil exists, and that right there is proof enough for me.” 

Being shocked by evil is a repeated theme throughout these stories. This is a sobering, yet in its grim way encouraging reminder for Christians: As hard as we labor to make apologetic arguments for God’s goodness and truth, sometimes people won’t be shaken awake until they find themselves staring at goodness and truth’s polar opposite. Because if evil is raging so strongly, it stands to reason that it is raging against something real, something solid. 

In a moving eyewitness account of Kirk’s last day, his close friend and apologist Frank Turek reflects that Kirk desired nothing more than to “make heaven crowded.” If God had revealed that this would be accomplished in ways not thought possible, but only through his death, Turek believes he would have willingly accepted that price.

Pastors have a duty to match the boldness of Kirk’s short life with their stewardship of the truths for which he died. Now is not the time to speak with an uncertain sound. To those whose spirits are oppressed by evil, bring hope. To those who walk in darkness, bring the light.