Why Churches Must Confront the Kirk Assassination: Binding the Wounded Body

Commentary

In the wake of the shocking assassination of prominent conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, it seems that some church leaders have chosen to remain conspicuously silent, much as they did after the attempted murder in 2024 of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Their reluctance to address the recent assassination likely stems from fears of stirring controversy or alienating members of their congregations who may have disagreed with Kirk’s political views. Rather than addressing the profound moral and societal implications of such acts of violence, these leaders are opting for neutrality. Afraid of offering statements that they think could be divisive or offensive, they willfully abandon their traditional roles of providing spiritual comfort and moral guidance during a time of national trauma.

The single shot to Kirk’s neck mid-speech was captured in crystal-clear footage that flooded social media. It was a moment that seared itself into the national psyche, replaying over and over again in our minds. An oft-repeated phrase, “I wish I hadn’t watched it,” is easily found on an internet search. A Wall Street Journal op-ed advised, “Don’t Watch the Charlie Kirk Assassination Video. … I did, and I wish I hadn’t.”

Kirk’s murder was unlike the assassination of President John F. Kennedy—the graphic shot to his head on the famed Zapruder film wasn’t shown to the general public until 12 years later. It was also different from other videos of random violence because Kirk was a beloved public figure that most Americans had at least run across in their social media feeds.

Kirk’s assassination was immediate, unfiltered, and inescapable. For Christians who followed Kirk and shared his morals and faith—it wasn’t just a political tragedy; it was a visceral blow to the soul.

Soon after Trump was wounded in the assassination attempt in Butler, I documented that church leaders were deciding not to offer up prayers for fear of stirring up strife. Sadly, the same thing is happening following the (unfortunately successful) Kirk assassination. And I’m not the only one to notice it.

Mark DeJesus is a Christian author, mentor, and teacher who outlined the emotional fallout from our “national trauma” during a recent livestream. He said Americans have experienced shock, anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and unexplained tears—even among those who barely knew Kirk. “I wish I didn’t see it, but now I can’t unsee it,” DeJesus said in his livestream, his voice thick with emotion.

In a follow-up conversation with this writer, DeJesus elaborated on the churches’ responses: “I’ve asked those I’ve communicated with if their church made any mention, to even pray for the hearts of those grieving or to pray for our nation. Too many are saying little to nothing.” Such silence underscores a deeper crisis—one that demands urgent pastoral action to alleviate the pain of national grief and trauma.

DeJesus observed that pastors have largely sidestepped the depth of this pain, sometimes only offering “a quick prayer, and kind of ‘moved on.'” Why? Fear of offending congregants who disagreed with Kirk’s staunch Trump support or his stances on cultural flashpoints such as life in the womb, marriage, and transgender issues.

This hesitation, while understandable, is misguided. “The church has boxed itself into a corner where we have a world of political sensitivity that governs church life,” DeJesus said. Pastors don’t need to politicize every sermon, he contended, but this event transcends partisanship.

The assassination’s uniqueness amplifies the need for church engagement. “This is the first assassination we have witnessed like this in history in this vivid manner, in which all the world saw it,” DeJesus said, contrasting it with the JFK footage that surfaced in detail only years later. “This was raw, cold and demonic.” Its immediacy reverberated beyond Kirk’s fan base, with even casual observers feeling the sting of his death.

“There are shockwaves taking place in people’s hearts,” DeJesus told me. “I believe because this was an act of someone being martyred. And that has a widespread impact. It’s a spiritual thing, because on one hand, a dark and demonic act took place, and that wave of darkness is felt by believers right now. But on the other hand, it shook the hearts of so many in an organic way to walk more committed to God and step up to make a difference in this time.”

Kirk was an outspoken Christian, championing biblical values while expressing compassion for students whom he debated on college campuses. “Because Charlie was a believer, this affected the whole body of Christ,” DeJesus said.

For fans, the grotesqueness intensified the terror—here was a compassionate Christian walking with God who was very graphically and very publicly silenced.

“America has been historically friendly to Christianity. … But that is changing rapidly,” DeJesus said. “This event traumatized our sense of safety in being able to share what we believe, even though others disagree. What Charlie experienced sent waves of messaging that Christianity is no longer safe.” Drawing from John 15:18, DeJesus shared that he is “coming to terms with what Jesus said” when he said that they hated Him, and so “they are going to hate us, too.”

DeJesus is the author of such books as “The OCD Healing Journey” and “I Will Not Fear: A Strategy to Overcome Anxiety, Worry and Fear-Based Living.” He explained how current national trauma can be a trigger affecting mental health, exacerbating anxiety, despair, intrusive thoughts, and loneliness.

“I’ve seen where people are overreacting to day-to-day stressors with anger, sudden tears, or rushes of anxiousness,” he said. Many don’t even realize that recent events have affected them, yet “[the] murder of Charlie added a dagger to that already present struggle.”

Pastors must guide here, rejecting spiritual bypassing and embracing biblical grieving. “We can grieve, but we don’t have to grieve as a people who don’t have hope,” DeJesus said. “It’s OK to go through the valley of the shadow of death. It’s OK to go through that sense of darkness, that sense of like heaviness. It’s OK. … Believers that allow themselves to go through that, they become stronger for others.”

If you’re living in an area such as I do, where there were no publicly advertised prayer vigils or memorial services for Charlie Kirk, DeJesus has some advice.

“We have to remember that the most powerful way of gathering is in the small level. We’ve gotten so used to big churches that we’ve lost touch of the power of small and meaningful gatherings,” he said.

“I think if anyone can find a few believing friends or even one to process with, there can be much power in that. … I believe that those who ‘weep with those who weep’ will find great strength.”

DeJesus also suggested “diving into God’s mercy,” taking breaks from social media, doing deep-breathing exercises, and getting out into nature, even if it’s just for a brief walk.

Meanwhile, the Kirk assassination must compel church leaders to shepherd holistically to injured minds, bodies, and spirits.

“Our modern political world has caused us to lose our sense of humanity, to the point that we cannot agree as humans that someone being publicly assassinated is wrong, no matter the political affiliation,” DeJesus said.

Pastors, the pews await your voice—not to politicize, but to humanize. Now is the time to transform our national grief into communal grace. The Body aches; will you bind it or bypass it?

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.