09/17/2025
The impact on our nation of the murder of Charlie Kirk is deep. We’ve all been impacted. Depending on who you are, the response ranges from emotional, to spiritual, to cultural, to political, to economic and beyond. The full outcome and result of this tragic event will take years to determine.
Here’s what we do know. Many people are seizing the opportunity to further agendas—raising money, selling t-shirts, promoting podcasts and a host of personal and political brands. Friend and foe alike are cashing in on heartache. As expected, politicians are leveraging Charlie’s murder to gain visibility for legislation and position themselves for higher office. Members of the media—both legacy and newer ideological outlets—are competing to be the moral and ethical compass for a wandering nation.
As Charlie’s wife and family grieve, a growing universe is leveraging the moment for money and fame. Like 9/11, the impact of this moment will neither be soon resolved or forgotten. Forces are working to shape the narrative. From ‘government storytellers’ to ‘AI algorithms’ embedded throughout digital media, Charlie Kirk’s story is being tailored to dozens of agendas. That’s the reality.
For those of us who lived through September 11—nearly a quarter century ago—we remember it as a moment of deep introspection. Emotions then and now are raw. Hope was overwhelmed by fear. When millions sought spiritual solace, churches filled. But too soon thereafter, the feelings of that moment evaporated. A tide of fear and soul-rending anxiety is once more rising.
In 2025, there is no greater fear of God. We’re not begging for His mercy. We’re not returning to Him.
Instead of seeing the horrors of this moment as the result of innate sin—the universal condition—we’re dividing the world into “good” people and “bad.” We blame bad actions—the symptoms—on politics, ideology, orientation and a host of other influences—and ignore the root cause.
Few believe the only restorative hope for any nation is asking, begging God for mercy. Fewer still view faith in Christ alone as the only way to transform hearts and heal our national brokenness.
So many of us have fallen prey to cunning and deceptive promises of greater safety from government more than the protection of God. We’ve found shelter in political movements instead of running to the Author of Liberty—the originator and guarantor of all our rights. As God’s people did on the pages of the Old Testament, American Christians have run after other, lesser gods. When we can’t find a God which ‘fits’, we form one from our feelings and out of our very minds.
To find our way back, and escape the chaos of the moment, we must first ask and answer a few challenging questions. Before we enlist in someone’s personal movement, or a sign up on a website promising revival which only God can bring, we must gatekeep the doors to our hearts, and prayerfully ask the following:
First, what is the most important lesson God wants me to learn from this terrible event?
Second, am I following a movement, man, or mission, other than God?
Third, where is this ‘movement’ leading me?
Fourth, do the leaders of this ‘movement’ reflect the character and humility of Jesus Christ?
Fifth, is the end goal of this ‘mission’ the construction of an earthly kingdom or to grow the Kingdom of God?
These questions aren’t easy to answer. Each requires discernment and wisdom which only comes from abiding with God, asking His Spirit to sift through error. Emotions deceive and mislead, but God’s Word interpreted by His Spirit is without fail. The answers to what and who we follow will determine our eternal destiny. Any blending of pragmatism, common sense, political astuteness, or human wisdom will lead us not to Christ as God but some other ‘god’ of our own making.
Pontius Pilate’s 2,000-year-old question to Jesus is the one we must ask ourselves today: “What shall I do with Christ?” Pilate knew Jesus of Nazareth was an innocent man. He also knew he winds of political opposition blew strong. When he “washed his hands” and condemned Him to an executioner’s cross, he rejected Christ as God’s Son. Pilate’s answer to the question was fatal. Our answer is equally consequential.
If you’re finding yourself confused and angry by the events of the past week, let them point you to Hope. By faith, submit to God’s Authority and embrace Jesus the Christ as Savior and Redeemer. You will see that Jesus’s death, burial, and miraculous resurrection is the answer to the discomfort and confusion you now likely feel as you’re bombarded with empty solutions streamed, posted, and echoed in the world around you.
Turn off the noise. Get quiet. Step away from the personalities begging for money and attention. In that silent space ask God to reveal Himself to you by making his Word plain and His promises to rescue and restore your soul.
True Salvation rejects anything we can do. True Salvation comes by accepting all that Jesus Christ alone can do….pay the penalty for our sins.
When I was just 7 years old, I placed my faith in Jesus Christ. He saved me. God then immediately adopted me into His family—an act made possible by trusting and believing in His selfless act on the cross. He is waiting to do the same for you.
Sincerely,
Sam....
Sam Rohrer
President, American Pastors' Network
