Speaking of Charlie...
I’ve had so many conversations and messages about Charlie Kirk in the wake of his assasignation last week. So much so, that I’ve had a few daydreams about chatting things over with him. They’ve gone something like this:*
Me: Hey Charlie.
Charlie: Hey there. Have I been here before? This place seems vaguely familiar.
Me: I’m pretty sure you were here at our church once, maybe back in 2012…
Charlie: That’s it! I came to Elmhurst CRC for an exploratory meeting when I was thinking about going to Baylor University in Texas.
Me: You’ve been to a lot of college and university campuses since then, man.
Charlie: For sure. I lived my life in front of a microphone, for better or worse. It’s pretty much all out there on the internet.
Me: I’m not sure how you did that. I spend a part of my life in public, and it can be complicated.
Charlie: God gave me pretty boundless energy, and I passionately believe in the project of talking things out in public. It’s the way forward for us as Americans. It’s the best pathway to the truth. Politics and God - my two favorite topics. And when we stop talking, bad things happen.
Me: I have mad respect for how fluently you were able to speak about American history, our Constitution, legal theories, philosophical schools etc… But, can I pick on you for a second?
Charlie: Dude, have you seen any of my videos? I love to be challenged.
Me: Whenever you would talk about the Bible, or the history of religion - which is like the one fav topic of yours that I know something about - something was always 10% off.
Charlie, laughing: For sure! Not a theologian or Biblical scholar. I debate. But I was trying to learn as much as I could on this. All truth comes from God.
Me: But, you’re known primarily for being a political operative - and a super successful one. A lot of politicos have credited you as being the primary reason why Donald Trump is president again. Voters under 30 years old swung more than 13% toward the red team in the last election.
Charlie: The red team, I kind of like that! By the way, what percentage of folks at Elmhurst CRC do think voted for Trump?
Me: Are you trying to get me in trouble?
Charlie: (laughing at making me uncomfortable, showing trademark gummy smile)
Me: My best guess is that our church body is a pretty close reflection of the nation. Probably around 55% of folks here voted for the red team, and 45% voted blue.
Charlie: That’s actually amazing. So great. This church must be finding ways to share a faith in Jesus that transcends our political divides.
Me: Dude, it’s all about following Jesus, listening to his Spirit, and staying grounded in the Word. Our Elders actually have us reading through the Bible this year, calling it “Walk-Through-the Bible” - going old school and trying to get people to bring their Bibles back to church again.
Charlie: That sounds amazing. God bless your church. I truly believe that it’s the Blood of Jesus - not the blood of a political revolution - that can solve our problems and heal our divisions.
Me: I’ve heard you say that before, that’s good.
Charlie: Thanks, picky pastor man
Me: Hey!
Charlie: If you watch enough of my videos, you’ll see that my world view comes down to:
God is good and made everything
God made you in his image, therefore, your life is valuable
God asks us to take responsibility for the precious life we’ve received
Therefore, work hard and effectively
Me: Beautifully put.
Charlie: Didn’t even go to college. Because I led with politics and campus conversations, I typically focused on the third one: taking responsibility for your life.
Me: Super serious question: Do you think we should spotlight your career, or the tragedy of your assasignation in our Sunday morning worship services?!
Charlie: Isn’t the spotlight supposed to be on Jesus in worship? Aren’t you supposed to be Walking-through-the-Bible on Sunday? Don’t you think it would be a little complicated and distracting to convince the 45% of people that voted blue that I was a saint?!
Me: I mean…
Charlie: And, even though I was pretty famous (smiles again), you know that not even half of your folks knew anything about me until this last week…
Me: Yeah, but there are also lots of people really who love you, and miss you, and were positively impacted by you.
Charlie: And some others are annoyed that I’ve called Minneapolis, “Mogadishu,” recently. Jokingly. But, in retrospect, not my finest hour.
Me: That’s big of you to admit. I actually know quite a few people in Minnesota. Charlie: Keep the spotlight on Jesus!
Me: Is there anything we can do?
Charlie: You could pray for my wife and kids. They were my #1 mission, and now I’m not going to be able to fulfill it. It really hurts that that was taken from me. You could repeat the words of Psalm 46 often, they were my go-to when texting friends about spiritual matters. You know, “God is our refuge and our strength…”
Me: Seriously?! Psalm 46 is showing up in this Sunday’s worship service TWICE. That Psalm also has my life verse in it, “Be still and know that I am God.”
Charlie: Maybe start there…
*This is all 100% fictitious, except the part about Charlie on a college visit in 2012