To the editor:
I recently read a news story published in The Daily Item back on Sept. 25 (Black pastors say Charlie Kirk is not a martyr), while decrying racism and political violence.
Seemingly, there appears to be a schism in this country on how to remember who Charlie Kirk was and what he stood for. Many white Christians, especially evangelical faiths, appear to emphasize his faith and courage, while many Black ministers focus on one of his statements on people of color and courage.
As I read that AP story in the Item back on Sept. 12, I do agree America is living through a notable split-screen moment in the American racial divide. Some Black churches have denounced some of what they call Kirk’s hateful rhetoric that runs counter to the Gospel of Jesus, while in another corner of America, witnessing white Christians celebrating Kirk’s inspirational life and martyr’s death.
It is starting to look like a WWF LIVE Event with both sides going to their respective corners, waiting for the bell to ring.
I did not and do not agree with everything Kirk expressed. Agreed with some, not so much with other tenets of his belief system. However, no one should ever be silenced because of their views. We are, or at least I hope, a free country with free speech.
I thought of a remark within that Jan. 25 Item news story by Rev. Howard-John Wesley of Alexandria, VA, on a sermon of his that stated, “How you die does not redeem how you lived.” We all need to stop demonizing each other, especially from a church pulpit, any church pulpit, anywhere.
Kirk co-founded TPUSA Faith back in 2021 to influence pastors and Christians to “counter and illuminate the inextricable link between faith and our God-given liberty.”
Kirk has been most misunderstood, as he never criticized civil rights. He once stated in 2023 that “We made a huge mistake when we passed the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s… The intent was noble, which was to say that no American can be not allowed into a place of business based on the color in their skin, or their ethnic heritage.” He agreed there were parts of the Civil Rights Act that were both necessary and needed. He did not, however, support DEI messages that only divided Americans from one another.
Charlie Kirk’s life mattered. He saw real injustice and sought to fix it. He believed our Bill of Rights was handed to us not by government decree but by the word of God. He was a good and moral person who did the best he could in the time God allotted him on this earth of ours. He deserves our prayers and not our scorn. A life well lived.
Salvator Giarratani
