The Debate We Still Need To Have

Political violence has no place in a democracy; neither does religious nationalism

When a young man in Utah decided to murder Charlie Kirk this week, he tried to silence a debate on a college campus and an argument about the future of America that depends on the assumption of equality, a commitment to liberty, and a respect for human life. In a volatile moment, when political leaders agree on very little, Republicans and Democrats have spoken with one voice to condemn political violence in America.

We mourn the murder of Charlie Kirk because every life is precious. We mourn a political assassination because it makes this nation less safe for everyone. We also grieve because the shooter cut short a debate we still need to have.

In December of 2019, when Jonathan published a book arguing that religious nationalists were misusing the Bible to justify the MAGA movement, Charlie Kirk challenged Jonathan to a debate. Kirk had joined Jerry Falwell, Jr., then President of Liberty University, to launch an academic center on the role of faith in American public life. Though they did not know it, we were in conversations at the time that would lead to us launching the Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale Divinity School three years later. We thought it was important for Christians to have an open and honest conversation about how Jesus calls us to live out our faith in politics.

We accepted the challenge together, and Jonathan had an initial conversation with Liberty University about the terms of a debate between us and a team Kirk would assemble. But Jerry Falwell, Jr. became embroiled in personal scandal the following year and abruptly resigned. The Falkirk Center changed its name, Charlie Kirk left, and we never got to have the debate we’d discussed.

One of the tragedies of this week’s violence is that it makes it harder to have the honest conversation that’s needed about Jesus and American politics.

But the debate we didn’t have with Charlie Kirk is still a conversation America needs.

Because a troubled young man thought he could decide who should live and who should die, we will never get to have that debate with Charlie Kirk. But it is a debate we can and must have if we want to repair the deep divides in American society.

Because we follow Jesus, we practice nonviolence. We are called to love our enemies, even when they do things that hurt us and the people we love. We are called to never want to see the demise of another. We accepted Kirk’s challenge to a debate because we believe the religious nationalism he vigorously advocated was dangerous. Even as we mourn his death, we maintain that conviction. Now is the time to embrace his family, wife, and children with the sincerity of grace. But in time we can have and must have a reasoned public debate about his understanding of the faith we share. As the prophet Isaiah said, “Come, let us reason together.” Such honest dialog is essential to a healthy society.

We know Jesus, but we did not recognize the religion Kirk worked to teach our youth. When his organization published “watchlists” that included professors we know, we heard from them about the harassment and threats they received from Kirk’s supporters.

Where Jesus taught that love casts out fear, Kirk encouraged Christians to see themselves as victims who should fear liberal influence.

Where Jesus taught a path of repentance that leads to life, Kirk embraced reactionary movements that denied America’s past sins of racial injustice and policies that aimed, however imperfectly, to address past harms.

Where Jesus taught that if you live by the sword, you will die by the sword, Kirk embraced the NRA’s agenda to escalate gun sales and arm Americans to the teeth.

Where Jesus said that every nation will be judged by how we treat the most vulnerable among us, Kirk embraced a movement that sanctified the slashing of government programs and ignored the cries of the people who are harmed by those attacks.

Where Jesus set up free health clinics everywhere he went, Kirk embraced a political agenda that has cut Medicaid, gutted funding for rural hospitals, and denied millions of Americans access to healthcare.

We never questioned the sincerity of Kirk’s commitment to a religious nationalism that we oppose. Like us, he was the heir of an America where Scripture has been used to argue for and against slavery, for and against woman’s suffrage, for and against Jim Crow, for and against action on climate change, for and against civil rights for all people. But in a free and open debate, where people have had the chance to hear both sides, we know that the truth is the light, and the truth will set all of us free.

Since long before Charlie Kirk came onto the scene, our faith has been misused and abused to recruit fellow Christians into an authoritarian movement that is undermining the best of American values. We understand it to be our Christian duty to make the case for a Christianity that actively works for love, justice, and mercy for all and for public policy that ensures liberty and justice for all. We’re sorry we will never get to have that debate with Charlie Kirk, but we remain committed to having it with anyone who will listen. Indeed, our faith requires it.

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On Monday, September 15 we invite you to join us and Moral Monday allies for a National Call for Nonviolence at 11 AM ET.

Democracy must be built on justice, not destruction and death. On the 62nd anniversary of the 16th St Baptist Church bombing, faith leaders, artists, and impacted people will showcase how the same hateful forces are manifesting today - through ICE raids, deadly healthcare cuts, and horrific acts of political violence.

You can watch the virtual Moral Monday on the Repairs of the Breach livestream page.