Why did Charlie Kirk die?
By John Dekker
On Wednesday, September 10, Charlie Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA, was assassinated while speaking at Utah Valley University.
It is natural for us to ask “Why?” in situations like this. However, when we do, it is essential to recognize that there are multiple layers of reasons and causes underlying any event. Let’s explore a few of them.
On the most basic level, the physiological explanation is that he was killed by a bullet piercing his carotid artery. The bullet was fired from a .30-06 bolt-action hunting rifle. And the trigger was pulled, it would seem, by one Tyler Robinson.
But obviously, we need to go deeper: why did Robinson pull the trigger? So we come to motivational explanations: it would appear that Robinson hated Kirk’s views about gender, and no doubt other things as well. Kirk, of course, was thoroughly biblical in his views of gender, so we have to say Robinson hated biblical truth.
But there is a flip side to this motivational explanation: Kirk was killed because he was publicly and unashamedly committed to God’s Word. He loved to discuss and debate, and was not afraid to engage with people who hated him. In some ways, he got killed because he was willing to put his life in danger for God and country.
However, we can go deeper still. It appears that the assassin grew up in a conservative home but was indoctrinated at college. And so we have a variety of systemic explanations. Not only are his professors partially to blame, but this is an indictment on the whole (secular) university system. We might also come up with other systemic factors, such as political polarization, inappropriate labeling, and the influence of social media and online culture.
But behind this is the diabolical explanation: the influence of Satan and his demons. I don’t believe Satan is able to guide an assassin’s bullet (though I think good angels are able to stop them) – rather, his power lies in his influence: the power of suggestion. A demon may well have inspired and prompted Robinson to do what he did. But we need to remember that demonic influence is corporate as well as individual: Satan has control over many of our society’s institutions.
Yet even this is not the ultimate explanation; behind all the physical factors, behind all the societal factors, behind all the spiritual factors, lies the providence of God. The ultimate explanation is a providential one – this was planned by God. We still don’t know all about the why, of course. We might speculate that much good will come from this, even as many people are now testifying to the influence Charlie had on them in life and in death. But it is not just that God will use this tragic event, as Christians, we must confess that he ordained it. He called Charlie Kirk to himself, and he did so for his own glory.
A part of this providential explanation, of course, are the promises of God: “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,” (2 Timothy 3:12) “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you,” (John 15:20) etc. This is something that Jesus promises his disciples, so it ought not to take us by surprise.
We can, of course, apply this scheme to any event or situation, although the relative weight of each level might be different. If we keep these five levels of causality clear in our minds, we will be kept from knee-jerk reactions to current events. This theological view of history is an antidote to fear, as we fix our eyes on a loving God, whose wise and kind providence directs all things, yet is not the author of sin.
John Dekker is married with six children and serves as pastor of Christ the King Church in Eugene, Oregon. He also teaches at Reformed Evangelical Seminary and has a PhD in Biblical Studies from Christ College in Sydney, Australia.
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