The Cult of Charlie Kirk

 

The death of Charlie Kirk, the Founder of Turning Point, a Conservative Movement to get young people in America to adopt conservative values such as faith, family, and right wing politics has dominated the news. Today, they had a heavily televised and scripted memorial with much of the US Administration giving speeches. 

I want to say that I do not know what St. Charlie Kirk (as he is presented now) really intended. Was his preaching genuine or merely a political smoke screen? The apostle Paul says, “It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.” (Philippians 1:15-18). So I should be glad that the gospel is being preached, but I cannot throw my discernment (‘to another the ability to discern and distinguish between [the utterances of true] spirits [and false ones],” -1 Corinthians 12:10 AMPC) aside in that all of this feels like a “turning point”, of using religion to cloaked right wing political zealotry. 

Charlie’s Pastor said Charlie “used politics to bring people to Jesus,” how odd when the apostles say preach the gospel, not politics, and Jesus distanced himself from politics, “Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” And they were amazed at him..” (Mark 12:17). When I watched some interviews of Charlie Kirk, I confess I did not sense the Holy Spirit, he like a lot of Right Wing politicians sounded hollow, they say all the right Christianese jargon, but it feels empty, as if it merely is part of scheme to expand the Evangelical MAGA base through Turning Point; kinda like Elvis singing Glory Hallelujah to please Christian fans. 

I do feel a turning point is coming, that as I have been saying, Christianity is going to be synonymous with Right Wing Politics, in specific that The Turning Point and MAGA movements so that when the Opposite Party is in power, Christians will be persecuted, being seen as acolytes of party politics as much as church goers. This hybridization of Politics and Christianity, known as Christian Nationalism and Politicanity has happened before in Byzantium with the Emperors of the Eastern Rome, and it happened in the Crusaders States, and in Europe, and it always ended in abject failure. Jesus said emphatically to The Political Figure, Pontius Pilate, “Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world,” (John 18:36) and he made it clear the one who controls earlthy kingdoms is Satan, “I will not speak with you much longer, for the ruler or prince of the world (Satan) is coming. And he has no claim on Me [no power over Me nor anything that he can use against Me].” (John 14:30). That is why I feel something nefarious behind this cloaking stuff in Jesus terms at Charlie’s Memorial. It reminds me of Spanish Inquisition that said it was working for Jesus Kingdom’s Kingdom by cleansing Spain from infidels, but really was an arm of Spanish Kingdoms to help with the Reconquista by deporting Muslims and other non Catholics. Because in Spain Catholicism and Politics was intertwined.

I am really afraid of this merging of Politics and Christianity. That it will take a long time for Doctors of the Church to prove that Christ and Christianity is not Right or Left Wing, it is the Kingdom of Heaven, and not part of the kingdoms of this world. For did not Satan offer Jesus the kingdoms of this world?, “Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.” (Matthew 4:8-11). Which tells us who is controlling the politics of men and the rulerships of this world is not Jesus, it is Satan! 

I am fearful for our Faith. It did not begin with a great revival, like they are saying this Memorial for St. Kirk has started. Jesus had Twelve Disciples, one betrayed him, then there was the 70 below them and a hundred or so below them, but many left him when he revealed the hardships of fallowing him in John, Chapter Six, “After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.” (John 6:66). Christianity did not get popularized till Constantine, a Political Power of the Emperor, and how genuine were the conversions? Many pagan priests just crossed over to Christian ecclesia to keep their revenue and favor with Emperor. Could no this be another Donation of Constantine Moment only in America? Where the name of our Lord Jesus is thrown around, and a great deal of Christian Jargon to make it sound spiritual, but “have form of godliness, but deny its power.” (2 Timothy 3:5). You cannot power the Gospel with politics, nor the Faith, it is powered by the Holy Trinity, and genuine belief, not co opting the prince of this world’s game of thrones (politics) with Christ’s Kingdom Not of This World! Remember the Apostles urges us, “Be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,” (Romans 12:2), “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him,” (1 John 2:15) and Jesus even said, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” (John 15:19). How can people believe they can mix this world’s politics with the Kingdom of Heaven’s devotions? They are at odds. 

I regards to Charlie Kirk’s death, I am not going to say much, because now the rhetoric of saying do not commit political violence has become a talking point more than a truth that should be bipartisan. What I will say is that I do not pass judgement over Charlie Kirk, only Jesus The Judge can tell if he was genuine follower or using Christianity as means to spread his political message of conservatism. I confess I feel it is more the ladder, despite what all the people saying Jesus was the most important thing to him (curious since he started Political movement, he did not become a missionary and make Evangelion his sole focus),and it  seems suspect every person in current US Administration was his best friend, sure… they were. 

Its intriguing, martyrs in all of Christian history were hated by the world and its politics, but celebrated in the Church; even Jesus our Lord Crucified by the Political Power of Rome. Now this supposed Christian paragon is being highlighted by the Right Wing World as a Saint and Martyr, and that is alarming to me. Everything about the movement Charlie started and the politics mixed with Christianity gives me pause and cause for concern. 

If some genuine revival and souls come to Christ over Charlie Kirk’s work then great. But I remain skeptical, this politicalization of Christianity I believe is going to be bad for us Christians in the long run, where you will have trouble explaining you follow Christ but are not part of Right Wing movements, but are part of the Kingdom of Heaven. Amen.