Today, my college-aged son and daughter, along with their older sister, witnessed the horrifying video of Charlie Kirk (b. 1993) being shot — an act of political violence that Americans across the spectrum are condemning. I have not been this shaken since the assassination of journalist James Foley (b. 1973) in 2014. Foley’s brutal murder will never leave me, nor will the image of blood pouring from Kirk like water from a fountain. These images will remain with my children, too.
It is a heartbreaking day for our country. Outside of Kirk’s family and closest friends, it is also a painful day for Generation Z — especially for those who looked to him as a source of inspiration in their fight for free speech and limited government.
To my dear children, I want to say: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:27)