By BOB BIRD
The Church’s foundation is built upon the blood of martyrs. So said Tertullian, in the 2nd Century. It converted not only the pagan Roman Empire, but also, much later, the Norsemen.
The unintentional martyrdoms have already begun, in Nashville and Minneapolis. It comes because the teachings of religious institutions of authentic Christianity are well known, and therefore angers those who have been victims, not of Christianity, but of the unnatural values of a soulless and hopeless culture.
That is what I wrote in my last column. What I meant by “unintentional” martyrs were the innocent children killed in Nashville and Minneapolis, like the children devoured by lions in the Roman era. They were killed because their parents were bearing witness to Christ, themselves too young to fully understand what they were dying for. They were in Christian education because of the love their parents had for them, as they were only beginning to learn what it meant to be a Christian.
But now we have an authentic martyr, Charlie Kirk. He did not die because he wanted to, but because he loved his enemies, and considered them worth the risk for the sake of their eternal souls.
The word “martyr” means “witness”, and this man was bearing witness to Christ, overtly, persistently, charitably … and annoyingly. The word “annoying” usually means that someone was getting under the skin of someone else, and bears the blame because of their personality.
But not so fast. The Pharisees and the Romans found Jesus overt, persistent, charitable … and annoying. That His was the most perfect life ever lived meant that He was annoying not because of a whiny voice or abrasive personality, but because He proclaimed the Truth.
All Christians are called to perform An Imitation of Christ. The Thomas à Kempis classic booklet by that name is still as popular as ever. Charlie Kirk’s “crime” was to imitate Christ. He waded right into hostile territory and had the cost counted beforehand. Very likely he had discussed the possibility with his wife of someday being a victim of murder.
Riley Gaines had faced an overt and dangerous hostility simply for declaring the most glaring and obvious truth about being a woman. Locked inside a “safe room” for hours, her life was endangered every moment that she dared to speak at San Francisco State. That she came away with only minor physical harm does not diminish her courage.
An excerpt from Kempis is quite telling:
My son, thou art never secure in this life. As long as thou livest, thou hast need of spiritual arms. Thou art in the midst of enemies, and are assaulted on the right hand and the left.
Moreover, if thou dost not fix thy heart on me with a sincere will to suffer all things for my sake, thou canst not support the heat of this warfare, nor attain the victory of the saints.
Thus wrote author Kempis, who although spoke fictionally on behalf of Christ, certainly was inspired to capture the very essence of self-denial and … martyrdom.
But now let us take Christ’s very words as applying to our times:
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.’
Charlie Kirk embodied this godly advice, and waded fearlessly into the very nest of trouble. Yet he did not scold, he engaged. He reminded his adversaries that, like him, they bore the image and likeness of God, and thus deserved respect — a respect that they often did not return.
It did not matter. Christ did not say to go hide if things got ugly. Christ first delivered His unpopular messages, and then withdrew — to pray and rest elsewhere — until His time was fulfilled.
Kirk was in mid-sentence, delivering a message, when the Crown of Martyrdom was awarded him — likely by a professional assassin, acting on behalf of the Deep State.
I recall a political cartoon from 1968, from the immortal Bill Mauldin, after Martin Luther King was cut down by an assassin. King had his flaws which are still largely suppressed by courtier historians, but his message was godly. Mahatma Gandhi also was a flawed human being, but was also senselessly murdered. I do believe that what I heard from a Christian pundit, embodies Mauldin’s cartoon. He said, “A million new Charlie Kirks were created today.”
Bob Bird is former chair of the Alaskan Independence Party and the host of a talk show on KSRM radio, Kenai.
