Read Time: 5 min 05 sec | Reading Level: 7th Grade

U.S. NEWS

Kirk’s Killer Charged

It’s been eight days since young conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated during a speaking event on a college campus in Utah. The suspected killer was arrested on Friday after a 33-hour search, then he appeared in court on Tuesday. 

Who is he?
We don’t report suspected shooters’ names because it gives violent people the fame they’re often seeking. Here’s what we can tell you:

He’s a 22-year-old from Utah. He was described as a “squeaky clean” and “considerate” boy. His mom said he had become “more political” recently.

Utah Governor Cox (R) says the suspect is “not cooperating” with authorities, but “all the people around him are.” The alleged gunman’s father turned in his son after he “implied that he had committed” the murder. 

What happened in court?
The suspect joined Tuesday’s hearing by video from Utah County Jail, where he’s being held without bail. The charges against him were announced, including “aggravated murder” (more serious than “first-degree murder”). Prosecutors say they have DNA evidence and an apparent confession the suspect posted to Discord (a gamer chat app).

If the suspect is found guilty in his Utah trial, he could face the death penalty.

How is America responding to Mr. Kirk’s murder?
Vigils for the 31-year-old have sprung up across the country. Some political leaders have increased their security or canceled events, and members of both parties have condemned political violence and called for peace.

A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday. Speakers will include President Trump, VP Vance, and other members of the Trump administration. Chris Tomlin, Brandon Lake, Phil Wickham, Kari Jobe, and Cory Carnes are scheduled to perform at the funeral. 

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RADIATE HOPE
In the face of a violent world, Christians have hope. The servant of God, who Himself did no violence, suffered violence for us to heal our brokenness and guarantee our home in His peaceful presence forever. 

“Yet he himself bore our sicknesses, and he carried our pains; but we in turn regarded him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds.”  
Isaiah 53:4-5 (CSB) (read full passage)

What might my kids misunderstand about this story?
The world’s way is to hate those who hate us—and even to do violence to them. Jesus’s way is to love them: 

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:43-45, CSB).

When we read “love” here, we often assume Jesus must mean “tough love.” Call out evildoers harshly; condemn them. But that’s not how the Bible describes love (1 Corinthians 13; Ephesians 5:14, 31-32). Loving enemies means treating evildoers with compassion. It means serving them. It means wanting and seeking out what’s best for them. It means forgiving them over and over and over (Romans 12:20-21; John 13:1-11; Matthew 18:21-35). That sounds absolutely crazy… but is it not what the Lord has done for us (Romans 5:6-8)?

The challenge for followers of Jesus is to simultaneously hate evil, oppose it in our world, and love evildoers. The first is usually pretty easy. The second is harder. The third is nearly impossible… apart from Christ.

How can I model loving an enemy when discussing this story?
One of the ways we can model love in everyday life is to stop retaliating. 

“Do not repay anyone evil for evil… If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for God’s wrath, because it is written, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord… Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good” (Romans 12:17-21, CSB).

We want to have the last word, to get in the zinger, to balance the scales. But we can choose to be gentle instead because we have confidence that God will bring justice in the end. He is not going to leave evil unpunished. He is waiting until the time is right. Demonstrate faith by waiting patiently for him.

• Confess to a friend and to God the recent times you have reacted to others with harshness and hate. Discuss how you might serve or show kindness to those individuals, then pray for them.  

• Memorize Romans 12:21, “Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good” (CSB).

• Pray with us: “Grant that we will love you with all our hearts, souls, and minds, and love our neighbors as we love ourselves, even our enemy neighbors. And we ask you, God, in these days of emotional tension, when the problems of the world are gigantic in extent and chaotic in detail, to be with us… in our moments of joy and in our moments of sorrow, until the day when there shall be no sunset and no dawn. Amen.” – Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., 1929-1968

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