Washington, Sep 24 (AP) The way in which Charlie Kirk is being memorialized has stirred significant debate, particularly among Black clergy. Many conservatives and white Christians, especially evangelicals, are highlighting his faith and labeling him a martyr. This has left Black clergy grappling with reconciling the portrayal of the 31-year-old as a hero with his past statements that were offensive to people of color and central to his political activism.
The Rev. Howard-John Wesley of Alexandria, Virginia, remarked in a sermon following Kirk's death, which has amassed tens of thousands of views online, “How you die does not redeem how you lived.”
The reactions to Kirk's death reflect a striking divide in America’s racial landscape, made evident on a Sunday when the country witnessed two contrasting scenes. Black church pastors denounced Kirk’s rhetoric, which they deemed contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Gospel, while tens of thousands gathered in Arizona’s packed football stadium to celebrate Kirk as a martyr and an inspiring conservative figure.
Kirk’s killing on a Utah college campus, captured in a viral graphic video, along with its aftermath, has emerged as the latest issue in America’s ongoing race and political discussions during President Donald Trump’s era.
Black pastors from major African American Christian denominations connected the current glorification of Kirk—who frequently discussed racial matters in America and made disparaging remarks about Black people, immigrants, women, Muslims, and LGBTQ+ individuals—to a historical pattern of using faith to justify colonialism, slavery, and discrimination.
“Christianity told itself that Black people were inferior and therefore enslaved us,” said Rev. Jacqui Lewis, pastor of Middle Collegiate Church in New York City. She noted that powerful voices have repeatedly shaped Christianity to uphold power, exclusion, and hatred.
“We can call it Christian-esque, but it's white nationalism wrapped in talk of Jesus,” Lewis emphasized. “And it's not Christian. It's just not.” Lewis and others argue that Black pastors must now speak boldly and continue their tradition of challenging racism.
“We're criticizing the way the world is because that's our job,” she added.
'Not the Jesus I know'
The gathering of tens of thousands at an Arizona football stadium for a memorial service attended by Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and MAGA supporters shows the significant influence Kirk had in conservative America. The event was described by Rev. Joel Bowman, pastor of Temple of Faith Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, as both a memorial and a political rally, reflecting the merging of Christian symbolism and right-wing conservatism in recent years.
Kirk was praised as a family man with strong Christian faith and ultraconservative beliefs that appealed to many. “My friends, for Charlie, we must remember that he is a hero to the United States of America. And he is a martyr for the Christian faith,” Vance stated.
Rev. F. Bruce Williams of Bates Memorial Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, had earlier dismissed the notion of Kirk's martyrdom. Williams acknowledged that Kirk’s “life was tragically taken by violence” but argued, “What is also tragic is they're trying to make him a martyr of the faith.”
“Charlie Kirk did not deserve to be assassinated,” agreed Wesley, pastor of Alfred Street Baptist Church. “But I am overwhelmed seeing the flags of the United States of America at half-staff, calling this nation to honor and venerate a man who was an unapologetic racist and spent all of his life sowing seeds of division and hate into this land.”
Clergy decry comparisons with Martin Luther King Jr
Kirk once criticized the landmark civil rights law granting equal rights to people of color and described Martin Luther King Jr. as “awful.” This prompted many Black church leaders to denounce comparisons between Kirk's killing and King’s 1968 assassination.
“How dare you compare him to Martin Luther King,” said Rev. Jamal Bryant, of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Seacrest, Georgia, in a sermon posted online. “The only thing they got in common is both of them were killed by a white man. After that, they got nothin' else in common.”
Rev. Freddy Haynes III of Friendship West Baptist Church in Dallas echoed Bryant’s sentiments, urging caution in comparing Kirk with King. “Let me hasten to say, I'm anti-political violence. Kirk should still be alive,” he stated. However, in a sermon posted online, he added, “I don't agree with anything Kirk said. What Kirk said was dangerous. What he said was racist. Rooted in white supremacy. Nasty and hate-filled. But he should still be alive.”
Some pastors emphasize Kirk's faith and traditional values
Kirk’s conservative beliefs resonate with some Black pastors who hold traditional views and align with evangelical political ideologies that have gained traction during Trump’s presidency. Patrick L. Wooden Sr., a pastor in Raleigh, North Carolina, praised Kirk for his support of conservative Christian values. Wooden argues that liberal policies promoting diversity have overlooked working-class Black Americans in favor of other groups. He expressed agreement with Kirk’s statements against transgender individuals and the LGBTQ+ community.
“I pray that our country has not degenerated to the point that if you cannot overcome someone's point of view, someone's stated position... I hope the response isn't that you shoot them with a gun,” remarked Wooden, an ordained bishop in a predominantly African American Pentecostal denomination. (AP) NPK NPK
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