–– Paul Schlehlein
The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.
Last night, on 10 September 2025, I joined millions worldwide to read in horror about the assassination of American Christian and political activist Charlie Kirk. It pains us to the core to observe the loss of life of such a young, gifted man, just thirty-one years old, with a wife and two young kids who will now grow up only hearing stories about their Dad.
But the hurt only grows when one thinks about how he died—assassinated on live TV by a bullet through his neck from a rifle a hundred yards away. Who can know God’s ways? His works and thoughts are higher than ours (Ps. 92:5). It’s natural to ask why the Almighty would ordain that such an asset to the kingdom would be brought to Heaven so soon.
What Can We Learn
In the midst of such terrible tragedies, we should first pause and pray for the grieving family of Charlie Kirk. God never promised to take away our trials, but He did vow that His grace would be sufficient to carry us through the valley (2Cor. 12:9).
We should also consider what God is trying to teach us at this time. Kirk’s death reminds us that life is brief, passing quickly like a moving shadow on a cloudy day (Ecc. 6:12). His death urges us to get busy in our youth, as God often cuts off his greatest servants in their prime—men like James, Stephen, Zechariah, Jim Elliot, and Henry Martyn. Efficiency is not God’s primary goal; Christlikeness is.
One of the greatest lessons this calamity can teach us is the blessing of free speech—a delight when enjoyed and an agony when taken away. Like few in our day, Kirk championed the right to say what he believed and encouraged others to speak their own minds—even if they disagreed with him sharply. Across hundreds of universities, he sat inside his tent, which read “change my mind” and encouraged dialogue on matters from gun control to the death penalty, to supposed trans rights. Kirk was a gifted debater, standing on college campuses as though he were a pyromaniac in a field of straw men. He strongly supported the rights of the unborn, male leadership, and traditional marriage.
Kirk believed passionately in the fundamental right to express one’s opinions and ideas without fear of censorship or punishment from the government or other authorities. In light of this, consider the following three observations about freedom of speech.
A Trio of Truths on Free Speech
The first is that freedom of speech is a gift that the world has not always enjoyed. In the Old Testament, the enemies of God often muzzled Jehovah’s people. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, for example, stood tall in the fiery furnace simply for expressing what they believed (Dan. 3). In the New Testament, Jesus’ disciples refused to stop preaching and most of them were killed because of it. In the early days of the church, Clement of Rome was tied to an anchor and tossed into the sea for refusing to deny Jesus as Lord. Polycarp was burned at the stake, and from there, millions of martyrs followed.
There’s a good chance that Kirk’s assassin was offended by some of Charlie’s speeches. He thought he was doing the world a favour by taking him out. Jesus warned us of this two thousand years ago in John 16:2. “The hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.”
Second, freedom of speech is rooted in Christian thinking. It’s not surprising that the modern nations with the least freedom of speech are also the least Christian—countries such as Syria, North Korea, Afghanistan, China, and Vietnam. According to the World Population Review, the nation with the least freedom of speech in the world is Eritrea, a Muslim country in Africa. Countries like Zimbabwe that claim to be Christian carry very low freedom of speech scores, betraying the biblical morals they claim to embrace.
Christians are free in Christ, not to do whatever they want but to do whatever He wants. This includes the mandate to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15). Therefore, any nation that suppresses the rights of its citizens to speak the truth is opposing God’s commands.
Third, true freedom of speech must come with appropriate virtues, such as speaking courageously (Eph. 6:20), not fearing man (Pr. 29:25), being willing to change one’s mind (Pr. 9:8), treating one’s opponent with love and respect (Lk. 6:35), and not being easily offended (Pr. 19:11). All of these are Christian characteristics that come with proof texts which should mark every follower of Christ.
The left, the woke, the commies—they hate free speech such that they will shout you down, insult you, and even kill you. When losing an argument, the left will quickly change course: “Nazi! Racist! Hitler!”
Christians, as the true protectors of free speech, must never imitate this language but instead season their words with salt and seek to convince their opponents with truth, not force or vitriol.
Conclusion
Once, when asked by a college student if he was a Christian, Kirk replied: “Very, very much so. Jesus saved my life. I’m a sinner. I gave my life to Christ.” America’s Christian heritage gave Kirk the freedom to proclaim his faith in Christ publicly, though, as this calamity shows, those biblical foundations today are being destroyed such that to claim Jesus as Lord may bring persecution and even death.