At the time of this writing, Charlie Kirk was assassinated 24 hours ago, when he was holding an open forum question-and-answer session at a college campus. Much has already been written about Charlie, a brilliant, winsome Christian and political leader liked, respected, and admired by millions; a man who connected deeply with college students and young people across the world. He had an unflagging optimism, a very informed and lived-out Christianity, and an openness to everyone in the realm of free speech with his Socratic method of debate. He frequently fielded questions from atheists and frequently declared how evolution theory was fraught with all kinds of problems.
But as a result of his outspoken stance for biblical morality and principles, and his effectiveness in communicating them and winning people over, he was also hated by many on the radical Left. He was, as the saying goes, “over the target” and effectively so. And he himself became a target, a casualty of a radical anti-biblical worldview.
As Whittaker Chambers wrote 70 years ago, “The crisis of the Western World exists to the degree in which it is indifferent to God.” Chambers – an ex-communist spy and a convert to Christianity – was speaking of the anti-God vision of communism. Communism may have been beaten back in the Cold War against the old Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), but secular and irreligious “progressives” have taken up the Marxist mantle and have been very successful in muting the Christian heritage in Western Civilization.
At its most fundamental level, Marxism and its variants of progressivism, socialism, and communism, have no room for God. Because an all-powerful State replaces the biblical God and the freedom which He represents.
Whether it is socialism by revolution or socialism by slowly infiltrating the institutions of civilization, evolution has been the supposedly “scientific” basis for the vision of godlessness espoused by Marxist ideology. Joseph Stalin, for example, was attending the Tiflis Theological Seminary when, at the age of 19, he began reading Charles Darwin, became an atheist, and went on to join and lead the Communist Party in Russia. His method was to purge the party and the country of any threat to his power, justifying his actions of killing and disappearing people on the basis of “survival of the fittest” while claiming to defend the victimized working class, the Proletariat.
The supposed utopian “end” justifies the “means” in Marxist thought. Today, under revised Marxist theories, the definition of the “victimized classes” has seemingly expanded to include every conceivable group apart from white males. Though it is supposedly a solution to all the “victimization”, Marxism repeatedly ends in totalitarianism, death, and the destruction of economies.
Courage to stand and act for biblical convictions is part of our calling as Christians – whether it’s on a cultural or a personal level. We are called to look beyond the cares of this world and to step out boldly for the truth of God. Moses was courageous when he confronted the Pharaoh of Egypt and commanded him to let God's people go. Joshua was courageous when he conquered Canaan. Young David was courageous when he faced and felled the giant Philistine, Goliath.
The basis of our courage is the promise of God's presence, power, and perseverance. Moses encouraged Joshua when he transferred leadership, and it was reaffirmed by God to Joshua, “Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou go” (Joshua 1:9, Deuteronomy 31:7,8).
Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled, believe in God, believe also in Me” (John 14:1). Jesus frequently exhorted His disciples to be of good courage saying things like “fear not” and “take heart” and “Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Jesus’ entire ministry life was one of courage, and as fully human Jesus was arguably the most courageous man who has ever lived. It is no wonder that those who take their courage from the Son of God, the Living Word, are also most exemplary in courage. Charlie Kirk was a reminder of this.
Another example is Martin Luther, who narrowly escaped with his life after being asked to recant his exposures of the unbiblical corruptions of the institutional church of that day. He said before an intimidating parliament gathering of the Holy Roman Empire in 1521, the Diet of Worms: “Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Holy Scriptures or by evident reason, I cannot and will not recant. My conscience is captive to the Word of God. To go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me!”
This famous saying properly established the supremacy of Scripture and freedom of conscience over the authority of Popes and Church Councils. Its legacy helped give rise to freedom of speech in America. Let us pray for more courageous Christians who will continue to rise up and defend that legacy, defending with courage and reason the truth of the Bible.
- Mark Cadwallader, Board Chairman of Creation Moments
Image: Charlie Kirk, Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
