Following the death of George Floyd five years ago, the Stated Clerk of the EPC released a lengthy statement declaring a day of lament, prayer, and fasting. When Charlie Kirk was gunned down, the Stated Clerk and Office of the General Assembly did not acknowledge his death or issue any statement whatsoever. The silence was deafening.

The assassination of Charlie Kirk has revealed a deep divide among EPC pastors and two conflicting worldviews.

The contrast could not be more stark. In the wake of Kirk’s murder, some EPC pastors honored him as a Christian martyr and evangelist, while others branded him as a racist and Christian nationalist. On one Facebook page for EPC pastors, the exchange became so heated that the administrators shut down all further comments related to Kirk.

“It has become clear that much of the conversation has become uncivil and many of the same talking points are being repeated,” explained the moderators.

While there was general agreement that the killing was wrong and tragic, some EPC pastors were quick to disparage and discredit Kirk.

“I think Charlie Kirk is a Christian based on what he’s said, but I believe the merging of his faith with the Republican Party has caused harm to the gospel,” one EPC pastor posted. “The words he has spoken about African Americans specifically are deeply offensive to me.  Sadly … there is too much of the offensive to warrant the honor being given.”

Expressing contempt for Kirk, some EPC pastors even questioned his faith and salvation.

“I would say that, assuming his faith was genuine, of which only God is judge, he will be experiencing even as we speak that the grace of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, which is more than sufficient atonement for his heartless, dehumanizing words,” one EPC pastor posted on Facebook.

Responding to the attacks, some EPC pastors defended Kirk.

“If this is helpful, I knew Charlie,” one EPC pastor posted. “I have no doubt he is with Jesus. Do Christians make strong comments in the public square that make us turn our heads? Yes. So did Calvin, Luther and the gang.”

Another EPC pastor posted, “I find it interesting, though a bit disturbing might be more accurate, that almost the whole focus of comments in this forum on Charlie Kirk’s life and ministry has little to do with his primary focus and purpose in life—to bear witness to Christ, to the saving and preservation of souls. If we were to ask the question, who in the last 20 years has brought more young people to faith in Christ than Charlie, who would be nominated?”

Committing the ‘Unforgivable Sin’

As I read some of the anti-Kirk rhetoric, I began to wonder if these pastors knew anything about Charlie Kirk and his ministry. They cited no facts, evidence, or video clips to support their claims. Instead, they seemed to be attacking a straw man and caricature created by the liberal media.

How do you explain the contempt for Charlie Kirk? Very simply: Charlie Kirk committed the unforgivable sin of supporting Donald Trump. The fact that he proclaimed the gospel, advocated marriage and family, and defended Biblical standards of gender and sexual morality made no difference. If you believe that Donald Trump is the anti-Christ and Republicans are the nexus of evil, then it becomes impossible to praise Charlie Kirk or speak a kind word about him. Of course, this is a now-familiar trope: “How could a Trump supporter possibly be a Christian?”

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