Pastors, Say His Name!
By Aaron Randolph
Introduction
Last week thousands witnessed Charlie Kirk’s final moments of life at an event on the campus of Utah Valley University. As he began to speak his shooter took aim and at 12:23 pm sent a bullet through Kirk’s neck. The videos of this public assassination quickly inundated social media throughout this country and around the world. Millions mourned, but some celebrated.
Charlie Kirk was a political activist with an agenda many despised. He was also a Christian who saw his platform as a pulpit for the Gospel. Knowing that the news of Kirk’s assassination was weighing heavy on the minds and hearts of their people, many pastors chose to address the topic this past Sunday. Some even referred to Charlie Kirk as a modern-day martyr for Christ. Others made little or no mention of Him.
Tragedies of this nature, that grip our nation, leave people searching for answers. Many came to church deeply discouraged this past Sunday and the perceived indifference they felt as Kirk’s death was ignored from the pulpit only made it worse. Many aired this grievance on social media with some even claiming that if your church didn’t address Kirk’s death you need to find a new church.
There are cultural events pastors can mention, there are some we should mention, and there are some we must mention. As a young pastor myself, my desire here is to explain why Kirk’s assassination is the latter, and to help those who are disheartened and even angry at their pastor’s silence. As pastors we really do have a responsibility before God and to our flock to address these events and help those whose shepherds haven’t.
This was especially disturbing because the reasons people gave for openly celebrating his murder all boiled down to one thing, his beliefs. Some justified it because of his stance on the second amendment, others because of his beliefs on marriage and stances he took against the sexual depravity rampant in our nation. They called him a fascist, homophobe, misogynist and Nazi and praised his death because of his beliefs, beliefs, for the most part, that I hold and many others hold as well.
Confronted with the fact that a sizable portion of our country sees people like Charlie Kirk, people like us, as the problem and that many of them consider violence against him and, by implication, all of us perfectly justifiable, many of us felt that freedom itself was under attack. Pastor Tom Ascol captured and articulated this sentiment well stating,
Your Response Matters
Last Wednesday shocked us. Seeing an innocent man gunned down in broad daylight in front of thousands of college students affected all of us. Many young people, including me, compared it to the way we felt 24 years ago as we watched the second plane hit the towers on 9/11. Others likened this news to the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. Even before Krik was confirmed to be dead people were calling this a political assassination. As pastors we need to recognize that Kirk’s influence was massive especially with young conservatives. He wasn’t just some guy on YouTube, he came to their campuses and challenged the arguments they knew were wrong yet heard every day. Charlie Kirk fought for them, and many now feel like they’ve lost a close friend and brother. While every murder is an egregious crime, this death in particular has gripped America’s youth in a unique way.
In talking with friends, family, students, and fellow pastors last week it became evident that while we all saw the same news, we experienced it very differently. It became clear to me this past Sunday that, as a 30-year-old high school teacher with young children of my own, I had been affected more by this news than many in my rural and mostly older congregation.
Many of the older individuals I’ve spoken with first saw the news on Wednesday afternoon or evening. They saw the video cut for TV broadcast. Younger people like myself heard about it first on social media where the video lasted a few seconds longer and was not censored. It made the rounds across social media platforms Wednesday evening and if your teenager has a smartphone, they saw it too.
Beyond the graphic video, since outrage fuels engagement algorithms, the videos of people celebrating Kirk’s death were the next to go viral. I probably scrolled through videos for two hours Wednesday night and almost every single one of them was about Charlie Kirk. Though many by that time were honoring his life and asking for prayer, every 4th video or so showed blatant hatred of him or tried to justify his death.
Last Sunday Mattered
Young people on Sunday, particularly young men, came to church with softer hearts than ever because their world was shaken. I was just 6 years old on Sept. 11th, 2001. I remember watching the towers fall and knowing we were under attack, but I couldn’t grasp what that really meant. 9/11 is not a good comparison because 2,976 people were killed in coordinated attacks that day by multiple terrorists. Charlie Kirk, as far as we know right now, was killed by one shooter acting alone. We compare last Wednesday to 9/11 though, because it’s the only similar experience we have for reference. My generation has only felt this fear on the national level twice, first on Sept. 11th 2001, and now on Sept. 10th, 2025. The teens and college students who followed Kirk closest, didn’t really have a frame of reference for this at all.
Many who were moved by Kirk’s death came to church this past Sunday, some for the first time. They were looking for answers and for comfort. They came in part because they’re scared, in part because Charlie Kirk was a Christian, and in part because Charlie’s widow told them to join a church. Some saw God’s man behind the pulpit address the issues heavy on their hearts. The pastor prayed for Charlie’s family, referenced his assassination tied it to the Gospel and then preached Christ! Others for whatever reason stayed silent about Kirk’s death. Even though it wasn’t said, young men got the message that sacrificing your life for truth doesn’t matter to these people.
Christians have lamented for the past several years that young men are looking for role models in all the wrong places. They’ve flock to Joe Rogan and Andrew Tate and pastors have prayed fervently that they would follow godly examples instead. But pastor, when they came to hear you preach last Sunday, and you ignored the tragedy that brought them to your services, you didn’t speak to them. They came with broken hearts that weren’t acknowledged so they tuned you out. Even if you preached an excellent Gospel message and proclaimed the truth they needed most, if you ignored the concerns that brought them your words probably didn’t connect like they could have.
This Sunday Matters
If you’re a pastor who blew it last Sunday fix it this week. I’m not suggesting that Kirk’s assassination has to be the theme of your sermon, but mention it. Shed the light of the Gospel on this tragedy. Explain why God allows these things to happen. Invite young people to come discuss the pain and anger in their hearts with you and help them harness it properly. In God’s providence you might have another chance. Either way the young people already in your church need you to say something. If you ignored their needs last week, you need to fix it this week and you may need to repent because you failed to mourn with those who were mourning.
If your pastor didn’t talk about the news last Sunday, don’t just hastily leave a church you’ve been part of for years. This man probably prays for you regularly, he’s been there for you time and time again, but he made a mistake. Talk to him. Explain what you’re going through. He might not realize how deeply this has affected you, but he will if you talk to him. If you’re in a good church, your pastors love you. They’re praying for you and striving diligently to shepherd your soul well. Let love cover a multitude of sins and be back in your seat this Sunday. If you feel like you can’t talk with your pastor there’s a problem. Maybe you think he’s too busy or won’t understand, or maybe it’s just a little outside your comfort zone. Give him a chance to make this right. Sometimes though, there are pastors who really shouldn’t be in ministry. If he doesn’t know your name, he isn’t really your pastor. Get to know him so he can be, or get to a church where you can.
If last Sunday was the first time, or first time in a while you’ve been to church, go again. Find a church that preaches the Gospel boldly and handles God’s Word with precision and care. Your life may not change overnight, but God will use His Word day by day and year after year to shape you into the godly man or woman He wants you to be.
God is using Charlie Kirk’s death as a spiritual turning point in this nation and beyond. I pray it will be for you personally as well.
If you’re looking for a church to visit, here’s a great place to start.
