The assassination of Charlie Kirk shocked the world. For many, the news stirred grief, fear, and even anger. Pastor Stephen McAlpine said the first step is acknowledging the reality of evil.
“You’ve got to step back and look at the issue and go, there is evil in the world,” McAlpine explained. “We don’t want to address evil with evil. That’s always the question how do you do that?”
He stressed the importance of naming injustice. “In some sense, you should feel injustice about violence and bad actions. That’s the first thing,” he said.
Why do disagreements so often turn into personal attacks?
In reflecting on society’s growing divisions, Stephen pointed to a cultural shift. “Instead of engaging with an idea, we’ll just try to silence or even destroy the person that’s holding that view,” he said.
He noted how online platforms amplify this problem. “Online is real life, and so it bleeds over into real life very quickly if you’re not careful,” he warned.
Quoting psychologist Jonathan Haidt’s The Righteous Mind, McAlpine explained, “You start to see the other side, not just as wrong, but evil. Once you start to do that, your category is: we can’t talk with these people.”
Can anything good emerge from such a tragedy?
While the assassination deepened division, Stephen saw a glimmer of hope in Charlie Kirk’s own approach. “His campaign, whether you agree with him or not, was ‘prove me wrong,’” he said. “It was an invitation to sit down and debate.”
Yet, instead of engaging, someone chose violence. “Most people were horrified,” McAlpine said. “But I don’t know if we’ve got the common understanding of how to deal with difficult issues settled yet.”
What does forgiveness look like when emotions are raw?
For many, the natural response to tragedy is anger, even a desire for vengeance. Stephen admitted he wrestles with this himself. “Something like this rises anger in me that I become self-righteous about other issues,” he said.
However, he pointed to Jesus’ example on the cross. “There were plenty of people crucified in Jesus’ era. Only one of them said, ‘Father, forgive them.’”
Stephen explained that the Christian message begins with humility. “The gospel tells me I’m not just a victim of someone else’s anger. I may be a perpetrator of anger myself. Those two things should humble you,” he said.
Where can we find stability and hope for the future?
In times of uncertainty, Stephen encouraged turning back to faith and community. “Charlie Kirk said most of all: trust in Jesus,” he recalled. “We’ve probably lost the kindness.”
For him, hope is found in surrounding yourself with people who love you enough to correct you. “We’ve got out of that practice a little bit,” he said. “Church is a good place that can happen in the safety net of a kind Jesus.”
A Final Word
In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s death, McAlpine’s message is clear: name injustice, resist vengeance, choose forgiveness, and lean into kindness.
“I don’t want to get self-righteous,” he said. “I have to see myself as part of the problem, not just part of the solution.”
Listen to Stephen’s full conversation with Leah and Dan below.