Did Your Church Mention Charlie Kirk On Sunday?

“Did your church mention Charlie Kirk on Sunday? If not, you need to find a new church.”

Wow. That’s a potentially destructive statement on so many levels. It’s not nearly as simple as it might seem. I keep seeing it posed by friends, media outlets, and others. And every time, my stomach turns a little.

My friend Jon George addressed this topic yesterday, and his words were the balance my heart had been searching for. He posted: “If your pastor didn’t speak on Charlie Kirk this past Sunday, and you leave because of it, your pastor isn’t the one in error.”

In the comments, he went further: “You don’t control what your pastor preaches on. And to think you do is exactly the kind of attitude we should be concerned about. God gives them the word, and God may not have that word for every congregation. In fact, I can see God withholding that word to test the hearts of the people. He did this all the time in Scripture. People don’t control God’s mouthpieces, and the moment they do, those are the churches we should be running from!”

That’s the heart of the issue.

Demanding that a minister preach on a specific topic is a dangerous road to go down.

I’ll use our church as an example. This past Sunday, the issue was discussed and prayed about in the prayer room before service. It wasn’t mentioned during worship. It wasn’t addressed during the sermon. But afterward, as we gathered to fellowship, the topic came up naturally among the congregation.

The sermon itself was a deep scriptural study on God’s love, and everything taught could be applied to this situation. My husband didn’t preach that day—one of our new leadership members did. Would my husband have mentioned it? Perhaps. But is it wrong for a new pastor, still finding his footing behind the pulpit, not to bring it up? Not at all—unless God specifically told him to, and he said “no.”

Telling someone to leave their church because of one sermon on one Sunday is incredibly destructive. What happens if a new Christian reads that? They may not understand Scripture yet. All they hear is: “Don’t go to a church that didn’t mention Charlie Kirk.” They could disconnect completely, not attempt to find another church, and even walk away from the very place God had led them to. They may be struggling with life issues and need the body of Christ—but the internet’s sweeping directive could isolate them instead. That doesn’t sit well with me.

Could I get on board if the statement were worded differently?

Possibly. Here’s a better approach:

“Did your church address Charlie Kirk this past Sunday? If not, it might be worth considering why—perhaps God had a different message for that day. It’s important to find a church where you feel spiritually fed, but that doesn’t always mean agreeing with every sermon or every topic discussed.”

As I reflected more, I thought of a few healthier ways this question could be asked publicly:

Better Ways to Ask the Question

• “Did your church address Charlie Kirk this past Sunday? If not, perhaps God had a different word for your congregation that day.”
  
• “Before deciding whether to stay or leave a church over one Sunday, take time to pray and ask the Lord for clarity.”
  
• “Is my church consistently teaching the Word of God and pointing me to Christ, even if a particular cultural issue isn’t addressed every week?”
  
• “Rather than leaving quickly, could this be a time to pray for my pastors and ask God how I can support them?”
  
• “Am I being spiritually fed here over the long haul, even if I don’t agree with every sermon or every topic chosen?”
  
• “What fruit is being produced in this church body, and does it line up with the heart of Christ?”
  
• “Could God be asking me to stay planted here for this season, even if my preference wasn’t met this week?”
  
• “Have I sought wise counsel and spent time in Scripture and prayer before making a major decision about leaving my church?”
  

My husband added one more thought: beware the danger of “mob mentality.” Just because something trends and gets shared doesn’t mean it’s true. We need discernment. The call to “leave” is a sweeping, blanket statement—and saying every church that didn’t address this is wrong misses a lot of nuance. The enemy loves to use moments like this to stir up division among Christians. We’re often too quick to attack one another when there’s so much Kingdom work that needs our attention.

Bottom line:

The original statement is potentially destructive and lacks the prayerful, thoughtful approach God calls us to when we’re faced with major life decisions. Let’s be people who pray first, discern carefully, and build up the Church instead of tearing it down.