When The Foundations Are Destroyed: Reflections on the Assassination of Charlie Kirk

Our nation witnessed the assassination of Charlie Kirk, a devout Christian who was unafraid to go to college campuses to speak truth and share the Gospel.

I am frequently surprised by God’s providential timing. 

Last week I preached a sermon on Psalm 11 titled “When The Foundations Are Destroyed.” I reflected on David and his response to the intense persecution he faced. I mentioned that Christians today often face persecution, though currently we haven’t faced persecution here in America to the extent that David did.

And then three days later our nation witnessed the assassination of Charlie Kirk, a prominent Christian figure and the founder of Turning Point USA. Charlie Kirk was a devout Christian who was unafraid to go to college campuses to speak truth and dialogue with others who had very different views than Christians. Many may know him for promoting free speech and conservative ideals—and passionately refuting liberal ideology—but he also regularly preached the gospel at these events. He has perhaps shared the gospel with more young adults and college students than anyone alive. He built a vast network of young Americans who were passionate about seeing real change in our nation, and his influence directly impacted the political landscape of our nation. He was a husband and father. Our prayers are with his wife, Erika, and their young children. 

Charlie Kirk was so effective in his impact for the kingdom that he frequently faced personal threats from political leftists and non-Christians. Sadly, the recent attack was fatal. An assassin with a sniper rifle shot him in the neck while he spoke to students on the campus of Utah Valley University. He was in the middle of answering a question about transgender gun violence before the shooting.

His murder was a profound cultural moment, as a reminder of how much Christians are hated today, and how many will stop at nothing to attack those who have placed their faith in Christ, who hold to a biblical worldview, and who believe that our nation, our culture, and our laws should be shaped by the Word of God. 

He refused to anchor his soul in his present circumstances and chose instead to anchor his soul in the unchanging character of God.

Pastor Nate, in his opening chapel remarks during one of the first days of school at Trinity Classical School remarked that we are in a war, a war of ideas. That we are training up students who will go to war in this war of ideas, taking every thought captive.

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. (2 Corinthians 10:3–6 ESV)

Unfortunately, in this war of ideas, often our enemies will resort to violence against Christians, as they do not align with the Gospel of peace that our Lord Jesus Christ preached. In the last two years there has been an uptick in violence towards Christians in our nation. From school shootings at Catholic and Classical Christian schools by transgender individuals, to the assassination of Charlie Kirk, we are seeing this culture war take a dark turn as Christians are targeted by violent persecution.

It is profoundly tempting for Christians today to respond as David’s counselors did in Psalm 11 to give into despair and ask: “if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” It is these very dark times where David teaches us the path forward. Here are a few things to consider in light of these dark times where it seems that the foundations are crumbling all around us.

We are to take refuge in Christ

David wrote in Psalm 11:1–3:

In the LORD I take refuge;
how can you say to my soul,
“Flee like a bird to your mountain,
for behold, the wicked bend the bow;
they have fitted their arrow to the string
to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart;
if the foundations are destroyed,
What can the righteous do?” (ESV)

David was in dire circumstances, a hunted man. His enemies enclosed around him, nocking their arrows, bending their bows, preparing to shoot the righteous. Imagine David hiding with his men in a cave in the wilderness. His counselors, perhaps well-meaning friends, advising him: “Flee! The wicked are hunting you like prey … the foundations are destroyed.”

And yet, despite this counsel of fear, David’s response cuts through the panic. He states: “In the Lord I take refuge.” When provoked with fear, David responds with faith in God instead. He refused to anchor his soul in his present circumstances and chose instead to anchor his soul in the unchanging character of God. If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? We can follow the example of David and take refuge in the Lord.

We are to trust in the sovereignty of God

When David was tempted with fear and panic, he lifted his eyes to heaven and saw the Lord God seated on his throne. He wrote in verse 4:

The LORD is in his holy temple;
the LORD’s throne is in heaven;
his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man. (ESV)

In the midst of David’s dire circumstances, when the earth itself shook, God was still on his throne. God is not absent, he is not surprised, he rules over all things. His care is not generic, it is very precise. Even the smallest, seemingly insignificant details are under his eye. David understood these truths about the rule and reign of God as a Father, which is why he found rest in seeing God on his throne.

Yes, there is cultural upheaval all around us. The headlines on the news might induce terror, you might feel all alone, under the crushing weight of fear. It might seem like the foundations are crumbling all around, but you must remember, as David did, that God is sovereign over all of history and over every circumstance. Nothing surprises him, and nothing will thwart his plans.

We are to persevere through trials

Psalm 11:5–6 reads:

The LORD tests the righteous,
but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves
violence.
Let him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a
scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup. (ESV)

God is sovereign over all things, and so even in the midst of the attacks of the wicked, God has a purpose for the righteous. The Lord tests the righteous. All those years that David was on the run from King Saul, unjustly hunted … God was at work in David’s life to test him, to refine him, to prepare him, and to produce righteousness in him.

Death is no longer something that Christians need to fear, because Christ has already conquered it.

When the righteous are grieved by various trials … God is testing the genuineness of their faith. Refining that faith with fire so that the testing may result in praise, honor, and glory to Christ. We honor Christ in the midst of trials by continuing to trust in the goodness of God in all circumstances, and in not taking vengeance into our own hands.

Even though God is able to use the attacks of the wicked against the righteous for his purposes, he does not condone their wicked actions. God hates the wicked and the one who loves violence, those who delight in attacking his people. God will rightly judge the wicked for their evil; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.

Christians are called to resist the temptation to take vengeance into our own hands, and instead persevere, even in the midst of persecution. God in his providence will work through the civil magistrates, who are his servants, as he is sovereign over every ruler, and every nation. Romans 13:4 says:

for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. (ESV)

So often in the midst of heinous violence against Christians, it seems right for us to lash out, to exchange blow for blow, to get even or assert our dominance. But this is not what the righteous are called to do; we are called to trust the Lord. Just as the Lord judged Saul in his own timing, when Saul and his sons were killed by the Philistines in battle, paving the way for David to become king, today God will repay with vengeance those who afflict his people.

What is our hope that enables us to stand?

Often in these cultural moments, when it seems like all is lost, our enemy will tempt us to give up hope. David concluded this Psalm giving the people of God hope:

For the LORD is righteous;
he loves righteous deeds;
the upright shall behold his face. (ESV)

Our God delights in the righteousness of his people. The righteous will not be forsaken, but we will see his face.

We persevere through trials because of this hope, that we will be with Christ for eternity. Death is no longer something that Christians need to fear, because Christ has already conquered it. In light of the hope of the resurrection, the Apostle Paul wrote:

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. (1 Cor. 15:58, ESV)

In these times, it isn’t advantageous to live publicly as a Christian. Our city, state, and federal governments enact laws and policies that are in opposition to our beliefs. The wicked, who want everyone to celebrate their wicked deeds, malign and attack Christians, simply for holding to different beliefs than them.

The wicked resort to murder, and assassination, against our young children, and against the best of us, men like Charlie Kirk, who are making a difference in this clash of worldviews, destroying arguments and taking every thought captive.

It is so tempting to feel defeated, to give into despair, to not trust that God is on his throne, as the foundations crumble around us. Psalm 11 reminds us that even in the midst of the foundations being destroyed, there is hope.

Charlie Kirk is an example to us all. He courageously fought against the tide of wickedness in our nation, using weapons not of the flesh, but instead taking every thought captive with the divine power available to him in the Word of God. He wanted to be remembered for his courage and for his faith.

I hope that as Christians we continue his legacy and learn from his example. May this moment be a turning point for us. May we not cower in fear but be courageous and bold. May we speak truth and life into a culture that hates what we stand for, bright lights in the midst of deep darkness.

Hugh Latimer, an early Protestant martyr in England, before he was burned at the stake for his Christian convictions, turned to his Christian brother, Nicholas Ridley, who was to be burned with him and said:

“Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle by God’s grace in England, as I trust shall never be put out.”

For our nation today, may the assassination of Charlie Kirk light a fire that will never be put out. May there now be millions of us who play the man, and who jump in to continue his mission of proclaiming the truth of Christ to a lost world. 

Christ has already won the victory for us, it is now our life’s mission to be heralds of his Kingdom, and his victory.