Was Charlie Kirk a racist? Was Charlie Kirk a martyr? These are the two questions people seem to be asking, and you can usually guess who’s asking which question depending on their political beliefs.
Because this website is devoted to helping Christians get out of the left/right game and see through a kingdom lens, I have decided to tackle this issue.
A disclaimer though: before Charlie Kirk’s murder, I had maybe heard of him, but I had no idea who he was or what he did. It was only, driven by curiosity after his killing, that I started paying attention.
Shocked by the diverse emotional responses I received from friends on the right and left, or perhaps more disturbing, depending on their race, I decided to address the issue here.
Can a racist be a martyr?
Before exploring whether Charlie Kirk was a racist, we should ask whether a racist can be a martyr, or better: can a racist be a Christian? Although this may be hard to chew, it should be easier to swallow: can a Christian be deceived?
The answer is unqualifiedly, “Yes.” Jesus told His disciples not to be deceived. See Matthew 24:4; Mark 13:5; Luke 21:8. The Apostle Paul told the Corinthians (I Corinthians 6:9-10; 15:33), the Galatians (Galatians 6:7) and the Thessalonians (II Thessalonians 2:3) not to be deceived. James wrote to Jewish Christians not to be deceived (James 1:16). John wrote to Christians not to be deceived (I John 3:7).
If Christians could not be deceived there would be no reason for Jesus, Paul, and James to tell Christians not to be deceived. Why waste the ink and expensive papyrus to warn of something that was not possible?
So, if a Christian can be deceived, a Christian can be a racist. And If a racist can be a Christian, then a racist can be a martyr.
What is racism?
As a civil rights lawyer who has represented victims of racism and won verdicts based on racially discriminatory behavior, I’d like to think I have learned a little about what constitutes racism.
One trick the attorneys for companies I sued would use against my clients was to argue I had not shown the decision-maker who terminated my client’s employment was a racist. My response was always, “I don’t have to prove the decision-maker was a racist, only that race was a motivating factor in the decision.”
Someone can make a decision where race is a factor in that decision and not be a racist. One can play the drums once and not be a drummer. Something more is needed.
Racism is a doctrine or system of beliefs (“ism”) that discriminates against individuals on the basis of their race rather than their merit. A racist then is someone who has adopted, practices, and believes in (“ist”) racism.
Was Charlie Kirk a racist?
The Kirk statements I have seen being circulated from my friends on the left are almost always taken out of context or given the most malicious spin. Keep in mind that Kirk often made statements that were intentionally provocative and easily subject to being misinterpreted.
But the theme Kirk repeatedly returned to was that race is not essentially a genetic trait–there is more genetic variation within a “race” than between races–and we shouldn’t look at race in making decisions but merit.
Granted, Charlie Kirk was white, and likely never experienced the kind of racism most black individuals have experienced at one time or another in their lives. Kirk was almost certainly never stopped by police for driving while white. This lack of experience appears to have resulted in Kirk having less faith in the subjective belief of black individuals who have experienced more subtle forms of racism. His experience, like all of ours, was incomplete. But being wrong about such things does not make one a racist.
Kirk said that DEI programs created false narratives about people of color by presupposing they could not succeed based on merit alone. This, he contended, perpetuated racism instead of eradicating it. He argued that challenges like the higher-than-average crime rate among black Americans was not because of race because nearly 80% of black children grow up without a father in their household.
These are issues over which reasonable people (read, non-racists) can disagree, just like non-racists can disagree over the issue of race reparations. As a Christian, I could make persuasive arguments from either side of these issues.
Kirk, indeed, expressly disavowed racist and white supremacist doctrine and openly rebuked those who espoused such beliefs on the college campuses where he spoke.
Bottom line: I do not believe Charlie Kirk was a racist.
Was Charlie Kirk a martyr?
The word “martyr” is a greek New Testament word which originally meant “witness.” See Acts 1:8, 22:20; Revelation 2:13.
The use of the word in the sense that we are discussing it here is found in Revelation 17:6:
And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.
,A martyr, then, is one who is killed for their faith in Jesus.
Those on the right will be tempted to use a looser definition of the word “martyr” because it benefits their social agenda just like those on the left will be tempted to use a looser definition of the word “racist” because it fits theirs. But as Christians we should be more interested in Truth than political agendas.
So, was Charlie Kirk killed for his faith in Jesus?
Charlie Kirk said he started Turning Point USA as a movement to influence high school and college students toward conservative politics. I don’t think there should be any doubt Charlie Kirk was a Christian. He often spoke of his trust in Jesus on campus and unashamedly declared himself a Christian. He also quoted scripture for many of his arguments, abortion and gender-related issues being the best examples.
Kirk was killed by Tyler Robinson, a young man in a relationship with a transitioning male who purportedly told the transitioning male, “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.” Robinson may have been referring to something else Kirk said, but it is a fair inference Robinson was referring to Kirk’s position on gender-related issues generally and transexuals specifically.
However, even assuming that is true, and it is an assumption, that would mean Kirk was killed for his political views on gender-related issues. While Kirk’s views on those issues may have their provenance in the Bible, that is not the same as killing Kirk for his faith in Jesus. To so conclude is a logical non-sequitur, a causal overreach.
Maybe Robinson will say later that he hates Christians and killed Kirk for being a Christian, but until and unless that happens–and don’t count on it–it is speculation to suggest that was Robinson’s motive.
What Charlie Kirk was
Charlie Kirk was neither a racist nor a martyr.
Charlie Kirk was a conservative political activist and commentator who mobilized young people around market and limited government ideas, as well as being a bold and unashamed Christian.
Some Christians may disagree with Kirk over the former, but all Christians should praise him for the latter. For in being the latter, Kirk was an example for all Christians. GS
