The Truth of the Matter, Philosophically Speaking
1. If Charlie Kirk’s values were built on the foundation of Christ (P), then the truths that he taught from these values were the reason he was murdered (Q).
2. If the truths he taught from these values were the reason he was murdered (Q), then Charlie kirk is a martyr (R).
3. Charlie Kirk’s values were built on the foundation of Christ (P).
4. If Charlie Kirk’s values were built on the foundation of Christ (P), then Charlie Kirk is a martyr (R).
5. Charlie Kirk is a Christian Martyr (R).
(Hypothetical syllogism 1,2)
(Modus ponens 3,4)
For a frame of reference, see these two passages below with special emphasis on the last sentences of both passages.
1 Corinthians 3:10-11,
"According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
John 4:36-38,
"Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”
No True Scotsman
In an objection to my argument, a person stated,
“[Charlie Kirk] was lost and blind and not in the body of Christ. He believed Catholics and Mormons are Christians and right before he was shot, he was praising Mormons. Those who preach Jesus doesn't mean their (sic) one of his sheep. Jesus said it in the Bible. Kirk die (sic) lost.
“On Michael Knowles show he said he believe Catholics are Christians and at the event he said, "we need the strong Mormon church back in this country." Therefore, he believes Mormons are Christians.
"If he was a true Christian with the holy spirit in him, he would denounce the Mormon church and catholic church and preach to them they are lost and will go to hell if they stay in those false religions. Jesus said the blind can't lead the blind or they all fall into the pit."
If this is all true, that Charlie Kirk was not a true Christian, then he would obviously not be a Christian martyr. But is the reasoning here sound?
Right off the bat, this is a textbook no true Scotsman fallacy. What the objector is saying is that no true Christian would ever not denounce the Mormon church. In other words, “All true Christians denounce the Mormon church.” In other, other words, one is not a Christian unless they denounce the Mormon church. There are several problems with this. First, isn’t the Christian life progressive in its understanding? 2 Peter 1:5-8 sheds some light,
“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The key idea here is the phrase, “increasing measure.” We grow in Christ as Christians. When we become justified before God, we are not instantly omniscient. Yet, this is what the objection implies. I am not arguing at this point that Charlie Kirk didn’t know that Mormons are not Christians, I am just arguing that the charges against his martyrdom, that he was not a Christian because he said that "we need the strong Mormon church back in this country" does not follow.
We can unpack this further… If Charlie Kirk was not a true Christian because he did not denounce Mormonism, then this also means that children who become Christians are also not true Christians because they don’t denounce Mormonism. Neither are those who become brand new Christians through the work of missionaries in third world countries. Doesn’t a person have to know a considerable amount about both Christianity as well as Mormonism in order to know that it is not the same as true Christianity? So, if someone who recently became a Christian who knows nothing about Mormonism, according to the above objector, they are not a true Christian. The fallacious reasoning is clearly seen through reducing his argument to the absurd.
The point is this, every Christian is at a different level of growth in Christ. This is again, not to say that Kirk didn’t understand the difference between Christians and Mormons, but simply to show that the charge made against Kirk that he believed Mormons are Christians from the evidence provided does not logically follow. When Kirk made the remarks at the event concerning Mormons (see more below), he was more likely focused on the moral standing of Mormons and their emphasis on family values as opposed to the anti-family LGBTQ agenda. Even militant atheist, Richard Dawkins calls himself a "Cultural Christian" (See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COHgEFUFWyg). How is it any different for Kirk to focus on the family values of Mormons, but still not call himself one or theologically endorse Mormonism? Charlie Kirk was clearly referring to the culture of Mormonism, and safely so, because it is in a completely different category than the salvific beliefs of Mormonism.
We cannot demand or even assume that every Christian is at the same level of growth in Christ. This can land us in trouble (See Romans 14). If Kirk clearly understood the false claims of Mormonism and then still called them true brothers, then that is different, but even then it would still raise the question of whether Kirk himself was a false brother, or simply misinformed. In any event, I still don't see where he calls Mormons "true brothers" anywhere (see Galatians 2:4 for reference).
This image below has been offered as a defense to the argument that Charlie Kirk could not be a martyr because he was not a true Christian. The quotation still fails to show how Charlie Kirk believed that Mormons are Christians. In fact, it is much the opposite. In the quotation, Kirk does not call Mormons Christians but instead singles them out as Mormons in every sentence. "You Mormons" places distance between them and him.
The Truth of the Matter, Biblically Speaking
As far as the truth of the matter goes biblically speaking, Mike Winger correctly points out that since we call John the Baptist a Christian martyr (good luck arguing against 2000 years of Christian history on that one), then we can also call Charlie Kirk a Christian martyr. https://www.facebook.com/reel/1247996730349690
See the story in Matthew 14:1-12:
“1At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, 2 and he said to his attendants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”
3 Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, 4 for John had been saying to him: “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5 Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet.
6 On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for the guests and pleased Herod so much 7 that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” 9 The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted 10 and had John beheaded in the prison. 11 His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. 12 John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.
The point to understand here is that John the Baptist was not directly murdered for preaching the gospel, but for telling Herod that it was not lawful for him to have his brothers wife (see verses 4, 5).
Philosophically and biblically speaking then, Charlie Kirk is a martyr of the highest order. Charlie was murdered by a woke fascist who wanted to silence him, which we can deduce from the engraved messages on the bullet cases alone.
Written by Nace Howell through the grace of the Lord Jesus
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