The World of September 9 Seems Very Far Away Today

In the fall of 2012, I was a sophomore at the University of Mount Union in the small town of Alliance, Ohio. That year, if you remember, was an election year. Obama was running for re-election, and Mitt Romney was the challenger.

Attending a small liberal arts college was a unique experience during election season. I was in the minority with many people’s opinions. I was a farm boy from rural America. I experienced life differently. I grew up attending church on Sundays, having family dinners, and knowing exactly where all the food on the table came from.

Fortunately, there was a College Republicans chapter on campus. Through it, I was able to connect with people who shared similar beliefs. A big part of that fall involved helping with Romney’s campaign in the local community. While we all know how the election turned out, I still felt like I did my part to contribute and be a part of something. I had a sense of belonging to something bigger than myself.

Yesterday that sense of community and an ability to belong were shattered. It’s more than just shattered; if feels as if they have been pushed out of society. The assassination of Charlie Kirk hits hard, not only because I’m a 33-year-old married man hoping to start a family, but also as a man of faith who attended university at various levels.

We no longer have spaces where people can openly debate and discuss political issues without fear of being attacked. Charlie offered something no one else did…a free place to discuss and debate. A place that welcomed everyone from all walks of life. And like many, he started small, with a simple table and a poster board on college campuses.

As a fellow millennial, he sought to be a spokesperson for America’s youth and the best place to do that was at universities across the nation where voices on the right weren’t welcome. University is when young people break away from the shackles of home and try to discover who they are. It’s the place where they consider new ideas and are most impressionable. Charlie challenged them to think critically, to look at all sides of an argument or a viewpoint before deciding. He asked them to be independent.

We need more Charlies in our world. This isn’t about politics. It’s not about red or blue, left or right, conservative or liberal. It’s about humanity and human decency. What are we coming to if people are condemned simply for thinking differently? We are a nation built on ideas and strongly held opinions. That’s what makes America great. We are becoming a country that lacks respect for the individual. My heart breaks knowing that Charlie’s children will, at some point, have to face the decision to watch the death of their father.

In a recent sermon, my pastor said something profound that resonated with me: Love without free will is coercion. We live in a free world, but when role models are targeted, when believers are attacked, and when people are shot down for sharing opinions that challenge the national narrative, coercion is slowly eroding free will.

My hope and prayer is that Kirk’s assassination shocks us into realizing this. The sad truth is that today, September 11, marks the 24th anniversary of another stark reality check. Now, two reminders will stand side by side in history.

My thoughts and prayers are with Erika Kirk and her two young children, who will only ever hear stories of how great their father was. And for Charlie, “All death can do to the believer is deliver him to Jesus.” Charlie is rejoicing, for the Father has called him home.

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” – Galatians 6:9 NIV