By Robin Gough from his FB page.

https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=robin%20gough

I’m not on here much these days. I came on here to respond to a tag I received. And then I read all the posts. ALL. THE. POSTS. And it reminded me why I walked away. I don’t give political commentary. I don’t know that world well. But, I have devoted my life to studying and following the way of Jesus. So that’s what I’ll speak on and sign off.

Yesterday, Charlie Kirk was murdered. Whether you agreed with him or not, his life mattered. He was made in the image of God. To take his life is indefensible.

I’ve read voices saying this shows we are now “two peoples,” locked in a war that cannot coexist. But I believe Jesus would respond to that the same way He once responded to Peter when Peter tried to steer Him toward power instead of the cross: “Get behind me, Satan. You don’t have in mind the concerns of God, but human concerns.”

And let me say this: if you think the Christian response to evil in our world is to have bigger guns, shout louder, or wage war—then we don’t follow the same Jesus. The Jesus I follow laid down His life for His enemies. He conquered not through force but through the cross. His power was not in taking life, but in giving His own. That is the way of Jesus. That is the way of the kingdom.

When we stop seeing people as image bearers of God and start seeing them only as enemies, hate takes root. And when hate takes root, it always leads to destruction. Yes, there are truly evil figures in history. But most of the people we face day to day are not that. They are neighbors, co-workers, classmates, fellow citizens who may think differently, vote differently, or even wound us with their words. When we see them only as enemies, we lose the lens of Jesus.

The further our life as a nation slips from God, the more we will see these kinds of tragedies. We can blame schools or government—that’s easy. But the blame also lies with us. Followers of Jesus have grown lazy. We’ve treated church attendance as the bare minimum. We want prayer in schools—but what about prayer in our homes? We want Bibles in classrooms—but what about the Bible on our shelves? Until we look to our own hearts and homes, not just to the government, we won’t move the needle.

But here’s the good news: there is a better way. The way of Jesus. His way is humility instead of pride, patience instead of rage, love instead of hate. Whether or not you follow Him, our world desperately needs more of that. Imagine what would happen if our homes and our communities were marked by humility, patience, and love instead of division, anger, and hate. That’s the hope Jesus offers.

And to my fellow Christians: if we lose that, we lose the heart of the gospel. When we let political rhetoric replace Christ and Him crucified, we’ve lost our way. When we bless Jesus with one breath and curse His image-bearers with the next, James says we’re deceiving ourselves. And James reminds us: mercy triumphs over judgment. That’s the way of the cross.

So let me be clear: when we allow the government to claim the banner of Christ, it will always smear it. It will twist it into something Jesus never was—triumph over enemies through power. But the way of Jesus is humility, selflessness, patience, and love. It’s time for us to reclaim His call. To walk in His way. To live as if He really is Lord.

As we grieve the violence of our present moment, may we recommit ourselves to living like the Messiah. To be people of peace in a divided world. To refuse the poison of hate. And to bear witness to the kingdom that cannot be shaken.

 

Robin Gough is minister at Fairfax CofC in Fairfax, VA.