(I’ve struggled to post anything about this. However, know that this event is what inspired me to put “pen to paper” with an idea I’ve held for several years.)

²¹ “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor.

“Barabbas,” they answered.

²² “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked.

They all answered, “Crucify him!”

²³ “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.

But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”

The Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 27

How do you condense a hive of thoughts into a condensed article? That’s the writer’s struggle, or one of them. I decided to try to describe my thoughts into (3) main points. One final thought that as a Christian, I have a pre-supposition that I see the world through. This pre-supposition accepts the presence of evil and the truth that our battle is one that is spiritual.

We Can Be Mad About More Than One Thing, The Impact of the Event, and Why Does It Matter?

We Can Be Mad About More Than One Thing

Evil exists. Even people who aren’t Christians look at those in history that commit horrible acts as being “evil”. Of course, without a standard of morality it may be difficult to define evil and what it means to them, but they will say it exists. As Christians, we see the world and what happens in it through the lens of evil/lostness/things of Satan, or things that lift up the name of Christ/good (that’s a generalization).

As Christians, the events in this section are all evil, and we should be upset about all of them. In most cases, there are (3) specific events people bring up to argue against people that are upset about Charlie Kirk. The first is the murder of Melissa Hortman, the Democratic Senator and her husband, Mark, in their home. The second event was a school shooting at Evergreen High School that occurred the same day that Charlie Kirk was murdered. Last is the war in Gaza and the innocent victims.

Most comments blame those upset about Kirk for not being upset about any of the events listed above, or other similar events. Of course, those saying these comments assume that those speaking in support for the Kirk family aren’t also upset about the other events, as well. There seems to be a misunderstanding, that someone cannot be upset about what happened to Kirk and also upset with the evil surrounding someone premeditating a targeted attack on a Senator in her home, or upset with the mental health crisis in our country that would lead a high school student to open fire on his classmates at Evergreen. I think I can speak for most and say that we CAN be upset about all of it. I can say that we see all of these events as the by-product of the blatant presence of evil, sin, and lostness that plagues our world. I can also say that just because we post about Kirk and not the others also does not mean they all don’t upset us either.

It is acceptable to be more upset, or affected, about one event than another. This happens in so many aspects of our lives. The death of our loved one matters more to us than the death of someone else’s. Are they both sad? Yes. But, which one affects you more? Or maybe even on a more surface level. Say someone from your favorite band dies. Does that bother you more than the death of another random band member you haven’t heard of? Of course it does. You followed their music your whole life, it’s OK that it bothers you more than the other. Again, are they both sad? Yes. I don’t see the problem, here. Why can’t we be more upset/affected about certain events that matter more to us than others? That’s a problem with lack of consistency.

To be even more clear, I am upset about all of it, but I am more affected by the murder of Charlie Kirk and I can explain more about that shortly.

The Impact of the Event

“I think, for this generation, that’s their JFK moment” -Charlie Sheen

I want to remind everyone that on September 10, 2025, the assassination of Charlie Kirk was shared in a very public, graphic, and gory way. I also want to remind everyone that Charlie Kirk was a guy that held events at college campuses inviting others to the microphone that disagreed with him to engage in debate/dialogue. He often pointed out flaws, inconsistencies, and held conversations with those that disagreed with him. Overall, he kept these respectful, I believe, never resulting in displaying some of the same behavior shown by those that came up to the mic to protest him. He was not a politician, a lawmaker, or anyone that could change these laws he often spoke for or against. He was an idea man. He was shot for being that idea man.

Just minutes after Charlie Kirk was shot at an event at Utah Valley University last week, videos capturing the moment the bullet struck him began appearing online. They quickly racked up millions of views.

“We are not wired as human beings, biologically, historically — we have not evolved in a way that we are capable of processing those types of violent imagery,” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said at a recent press conference. “This is not good for us. It is not good to consume.” -NPR.org, “Kirk shooting videos spread online, even to viewers who didn’t want to see them”

He was a very public figure. Millions of people followed him on social media and watched his videos. Some sources estimate that his videos have been viewed over 1 billion times. According to the above NPR article, his killing got millions of views online. I think based on all of this, it is easy to see how this event could bother someone more than others.

He was a very public figure with a very public death.

That paired with the Why Does It Matter? section below speaks to the impact of the event.

Why Does It Matter?

I’d like to remind you, the reader, that I’m a Christian. As mentioned earlier, I view things through this pre-supposition. One thing I did not mention about Kirk earlier is his faith. He was very vocal about his faith. Yes, he would mention his faith on college campuses and online, but also on platforms, in interviews, and on stages. Unlike some public figures who “thank the man upstairs” or say “yes, I believe in God”, he shared the gospel and discussed some intricacies of the faith that were very direct and not vague.

“I believe in the Bible, and I believe that Christ rose from the dead on the third day. This is the foundation of my faith and guides my actions.” – Charlie Kirk, Instagram

I honestly don’t need to keep adding quotes on here. It isn’t hard to find countless videos and quotes online with a simple search on how he felt about his faith in Jesus.

A martyr in verb form means “to kill or persecute (someone) because of their beliefs”. That’s exactly what happened to Kirk. Many people are saying Kirk wasn’t a martyr. I love defining terms. It is actually something I hope to do often on this blog. You can’t argue with definitions, and that is what I love about this exercise.

So, this event matters in so many ways but it matters the most if you’re a Christian. This shows that you can be killed for your faith. Was it the main reason? No, but it was in the list of reasons I’m sure. This also matters as an American. This shows that you can be killed for your ideas and beliefs on policies.

So, the shirts that say “I am Charlie Kirk” aren’t that farfetched. That could be any of us on any side of an issue. Because we see now that if you have a microphone and an opinion on issues, you are now susceptible for silencing. Again, that would be for anyone debating topics for the right, left, conservative, liberal, Christian, Muslim, Agnostic, Atheist, etc.

I want to end with explaining the reason for posting the scripture on Barabbas. No, I’m NOT saying Charlie Kirk is Jesus. The purpose of sharing that is for a time of self reflection on where would you stand in the crowd for both events? Picture yourself in the crowd of Biblical times and the crowd on the college campus on 9/10/25. If you were in the crowd that day a long time ago, would you chant to save Jesus or Barabbas? If you were on the college campus in Utah the day of Charlie Kirk’s murder, would you chant to save Charlie Kirk or chant:

” F Charlie Kirk” – protestors in NYC, Youtube