On September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University while giving a Q&A. Regardless of who the shooter ends up being, the message they sent was clear: If we do not like what you say, we are willing to silence you by any means necessary.

This was not random or meaningless, and Charlie Kirk wasn’t targeted because he was violent or evil. He was targeted because he said words that went against the ‘accepted’ narrative. It was an act of intimidation against free speech itself, and more.

Don’t misunderstand me here: this isn’t the article where I urge you to pray for your enemies or practice mercy. That has its place, but not now. This is about clarity, orientation, and survival when words are met with violence.

Orientation Before Outrage

The first instinct after violence is outrage. Outrage feels powerful and righteous. I would even argue that it IS righteous; there are few things as evil as the blatant jubilation seen online over Kirk’s bloody body, and feeling a deep, visceral anger at that is absolutely valid and understandable. But outrage is not orientation; it is not clarity, and it cannot drive your decision-making process.

If we allow ourselves to be driven by rage or fear in this moment, then the shooter wins twice: first in taking a life, second in distorting the orientation that must dictate our response.

The reality we must face is that the world is not neutral ground. It has never been neutral. Christians, conservatives, and even other types of free thinkers do not live in peacetime. We live in a contested space where the truth is always under attack.

The test is whether we can see clearly enough to respond faithfully, from a position of clarity and proper orientation. Yesterday’s events must force a reorientation to reality. This article is about how to do that.

I don’t usually bring faith to the front in my writing, but I will here. This wasn’t only an attack on a man, or on free speech. It was an attack on belief itself. And if we don’t name that openly, we lie to ourselves about what we’re facing.

A Spiritual Battlefield

This is not just politics, and it never was.

Christ told His disciples, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you” (John 15:18). The hatred of truth is not new. It is woven into the fallen order of the world.

Charlie Kirk’s killing is not only a political act; it is a spiritual one. It is the attempt to enforce silence through fear. It is meant to tell resisters and specifically Christians: you are not safe, you are not welcome, you are not free to speak.

But faith has never been safe. The Gospel has never been welcome in the world’s systems. And freedom to speak has always come at a cost. What happened in Utah reminds us that seeking truth and speaking it is not a spectator sport. It demands courage under fire, literally and figuratively.

Security as Ministry

The temptation will be to dismiss security as paranoia, as if preparation is incompatible with faith. That is a deadly illusion.

As Keith Graves points out, security is stewardship. [Side note: if you attend a place of worship and you do not follow him, you are missing out on the best possible training you could receive.] To guard those who gather, to protect spaces where free speech can still exist, is a responsibility we must defend.

This principle extends far beyond churches. Universities, public forums, independent media, and community groups face the same reality: if you dare to be a dissenting voice, you are a target.

Practical steps are unavoidable:

* Awareness. Stop pretending this can’t happen in your space. It can and it does.

* Preparation. Harden events. Vet participants. Train people to respond to threats.

* Vigilance. Assume adversaries will test boundaries, both digitally and physically.

Jesus told His disciples to be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16). Wisdom does not cancel innocence. Innocence does not excuse naivety. Both are necessary in moments like this. And let’s be clear: innocence does not preclude the use of force. It means that when force is required, its motivation must be the love of the innocent: protection, not vengeance, and stewardship, not hatred.

The Enemies of Free Speech

There are ideological, cultural, and spiritual enemies who believe that violence is justified to silence Christians or anyone else who dares to challenge the narrative.

They may not wear uniforms. They may not carry official badges or even be associated with the government at all. But they carry the same spirit of hostility that has opposed the truth in every generation.

* Some will gloat online, mocking the death of a man whose only weapon was his words.

* Some will excuse the act, muttering about “provocation” or “dangerous speech.”

* Others will distance themselves, offering half-hearted condemnations while quietly approving the outcome.

This is what hostility looks like in a culture that has declared certain truths unfit for the public square. And we should not be surprised.

“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2 Timothy 3:12)

We also need to understand something clearly: what happened was not just ideology spilling over into random violence. It shows signs of organization and adaptation. In both the attempt on Trump’s life and the killing in Utah, the shooters blended into conservative crowds by wearing patriotic gear and mimicking the look of those around them. That is orientation-based infiltration.

While Christians and conservatives have been arguing over tone, optics, and whether to turn the other cheek, our adversaries have been training, networking, and refining tactics. They kill us, then flip the narrative until somehow they are the victims. They have mastered the art of narrative warfare and are becoming fluent in resistance tactics. Pretending otherwise is suicide. A GruntStyle shirt or a flag pin does not make someone a friend. The old markers of belonging no longer hold, and if we are to survive, we MUST reorient to that truth.

Faith Without Compromise

This is the point where clarity matters most.

We must not mistake safety for faithfulness. We must not believe that retreat buys peace. It doesn’t. Silence does not protect; it only concedes ground.

Faith is not a hobby to be practiced when it’s easy. Faith is the compass by which we navigate in the minefield.

That means acknowledging reality for what it is: a man was killed for speaking truth publicly. And that reality must steel us, not soften us.

Yes, it will cost. Yes, it will bring hostility. Yes, it will feel overwhelming. But faith without cost is not faith at all.

Doctrine in the Ashes

What happened in Utah is not the end of free speech. It is a reminder that free speech was never guaranteed.

What happened is not the end of the church. It is proof that the church is still speaking truth that cuts deep enough to be hated.

And what happened is not the end of faith. It is the line where faith is tested. Will we cross it with courage, or retreat into silence?

Charlie Kirk’s death is a spiritual warning, whether you agreed with everything he said or not. It reminds us that the world is still not neutral. They see free thinkers as the enemy, and they are willing to end our lives to silence us.

The question now is simple: Will we reorient?

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