American pews were full the Sunday after the brutal open-air assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The reminder of the fragile briefness of life and the stark display of evil in the murderous act understandably coaxed many backslidden church-goers back to worship.

The naysayers believe this won’t stick. It’s up to American pastors to prove them wrong.

“If your church refused to mention Charlie this Sunday, it’s time to find a new one,” activist Isabella De Luca wrote on X this past Sunday morning. Dozens of others echoed her.

She’s right. Christians in America, especially Protestants, are constantly told that “politics has no place in the pulpit.” This phrase, which at first blush appears demonstrably true, misses a crucial opportunity for churches in times of crisis. Yes, politics has no place in the pulpit, but only in the sense that a pastor doesn’t need to bind his congregation’s conscience towards a certain political vote or opinion. But politics is a moral affair, and this past week’s events only proved that more. A pastor’s response to this tragedy is a response to public displays of the darkness of Hell itself.

Pastors who refuse to speak out against such a public display of evil should not be surprised when their pews return to empty next Sunday. Those who filled the pews this past Sunday did so because the senseless killing they witnessed left them longing for an eternal faith in Kirk’s Heavenly Father.

A pastor’s words in the pulpit illuminate the antidote which Jesus Christ offers to this darkness. Pastors have an opportunity here to show that all hope is not lost because the Lord, the Comforter of the widow and the orphan, is also a just God who will punish the evildoer.

But it is not enough to merely make vague condemnations of killing and “hate.” Kirk’s assassination shook people to their core, precisely because it was a political and religious killing. The motivations of the killer, as of this writing, point to a driftless man who was thoroughly marinated in sexually degenerate online communities.

Yet the reaction of many on the left adds another layer to the grief and shock many felt as they drove to church this Sunday for the first time in years. Individuals on the right, Christian or not, found out in the worst way possible last week that their lives mean nothing to the people who disagree with them politically. In light of this terrible reality, a pastor’s refusal to condemn or even mention such targeted rhetoric and the violent act that inspired it will harden their hearts towards the institution that should provide eternal hope.

Pastors may feel tempted to mention Kirk’s assassination alongside other tragedies – school shootings, wars overseas, etc. All tragedies warrant a pulpit response, yet this one requires a different and more pronounced kind of reply.

Kirk’s assassination received a uniquely outraged response from many on the right who previously held their opinions quietly, and this outrage is not just because they will miss Kirk’s podcast or campus tour videos on Instagram. His assassination is a turning point for many because Kirk’s entire career was illuminated by a firm faith in Jesus Christ, a belief which made him a prime target for those doing the work of the Devil himself. No one who was unfortunate enough to see the video of the killing could deny that – no matter the amount of hand-wringing and what-aboutism evangelical leaders summon to claim that his killing was simply another example of a broken world taking innocent life.

Indeed, we felt like we lost a family member when Kirk died because we did – our brother in Christ was murdered for his faith, and thousands are now flocking to our pews to learn about the place where Kirk finds his eternal reward, and to which his widow and orphans now cling for their every hope.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never decay, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you….” 1 Peter 1:3-4 (NIV)

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The republication of this article is made possible by The Fred & Rheta Skelton Center for Cultural Renewal.

Image Credit: Picryl