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In a recent interview with Jim Daly, Ben Sasse answered several challenging questions about how to respond to suffering with both Christian faith and hope: "I don't want to be aggressive with the intellectualist rationalist side, but God tells us in Scripture everything we need to know for faith... show more
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![James T. Roberson III of Bridge Church NYC denounces the assassination of Charlie Kirk but spends roughly half his statement (and even the following prayer) dragging the man's name through the mud: This morning before we pray, I want to lean into some of the political tension in our country and the recent assassination of gentleman named Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated this past Thursday, I believe. And I've written out a statement here. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 reads this way: "For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God. And we take every thought captive to obey Christ." In this text, Paul is reminding us that as believers, our battle is not a physical battle. It's a spiritual battle God has called us to be a part of. And it is therefore not fought with carnal weapons but with spiritual ones. And I think in this political tension that we live in, Charlie Kirk and other political activists, particularly some on the evangelical right, often see ideas and policies that claim to be Christian, but they're fought with in a carnal posture. They're fighting for Jesus with anger and harshness and rage. And the danger of that is when you when you fight spiritual battles in a carnal way, the world responds with that same carnality. It's as if the world says we know how to do worldly better than you. So, let me be clear. I denounce his assassination veheminently [sic], and we all should. That shouldn't be hard. It's wicked. That's obvious. It is also wicked to celebrate his death. It is carnal to celebrate his death. To lack empathy for someone who doesn't have empathy for you is to live in carnality. At the same time, while he fought for ideals that he believed were Christian, I also denounced the way he carried himself and especially the way he talked about black people. So, here's what I want us to remember as a church, what I need all of us to know. People are not defined by their ideology. They are defined by the image of God. Genesis 1 says "God created them in his own image." So here's what we've got to understand. Charlie Kirk, at his core, is not a Republican or a conservative. He is a child of God made in the image of God who has right-wing positions. And as a believer, we're called to see people not politically but spiritually. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5, "From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh, even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh." I think we're getting some feedback over here, FYI. So, let's be clear. We should be grieving with his wife, his kids who have woken up this morning without a father. We should weep with those who weep, and we should be praying for their families. But I also grieve for our country that elevates people into hero status and martyr status so quickly. Disagreement is not wrong, but it's how we disagree that matters. And my prayer is that we, the people of God, would resist the temptation to fight our battles with carnal weapons. Instead, let us choose a spiritual posture that Christ has given us, because truly, the weapons of our warfare are spiritual and not carnal. Amen. Pray with me. Father, we pray right now that as we jump into the word here, we do lift up the Kirk family. We lift up those who are weeping this morning. And I pray, God, for a spirit of compassion in this room. Make us wise with what we post online. Make us wise with what we watch online. But just because someone fought for Jesus doesn't mean they fought like Jesus. God, I pray for a spirit of peace. I pray that a spirit of fruit in our community and I pray that we would renounce all elements of the flesh. Now, God, be with us. Speak to us in this time. In Jesus' name. Amen? Amen.](https://image.24vids.com/tw-1967602982502969655/amplify_video_thumb/1967602711454535681/img/ehzR-pZimW_hp8lR.jpg)
