Words and a Prayer

Audio By Carbonatix

*Editor’s Note:

These are the words and prayer offered by James Emery White this past weekend at Mecklenburg Community Church following the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the 24^th annual remembrance of 9/11. The Church & Culture team felt they were worth sharing.

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Welcome to Meck.

Before we begin, I want to speak to the heaviness that I know all of us have felt this past week. A heaviness that came from the political assassination of Charlie Kirk, followed immediately by the anniversary of 9/11.

9/11 is a reminder of the hate that can be directed toward us as Americans on the basis of political ideology and religious zealotry, and the murder of Charlie Kirk is a reminder of the hate we can direct toward one another as Americans on the basis of political ideology and religious zealotry.

Let me state what I hope is obvious.

There is no place for hatred. No place for violence. No matter where you stand on any political spectrum or any ideology, hatred and violence only achieve one thing—more hatred and violence.

Those who celebrated the death of Charlie Kirk have no place in the moral discourse or fiber of our nation, and no standing in the things of God. Their words, and the heart behind their words, are to be condemned.  

Here was a 31-old man with a wife and two young children. He was practicing free speech, and let’s be clear—it was for that he was killed. And he was doing it right—in public, in an invited forum, and willing to meet and debate those who would disagree. That is the very foundation of our democracy.

And for those who would say his death now means war, and want to return that senseless act of violence and hate with more senseless violence and hate, to use this act to inflame even more passions and acts of violence and hate, only do a disservice to his memory, undermine the very fabric of our nation and, again, have no standing in the things of God.

Such reactions don’t represent Jesus any more than the person who killed him.

This isn’t about ideology, this isn’t about politics, this isn’t about culture wars, 

... this isn’t about Democrats vs. Republicans, or left vs. right, or conservative vs. liberal,

... it’s about hate.

And the hatred must end.  

As one editorialist put it:

[the] single thing [that] worries me most about American politics and culture... [is] hatred. Even vast political differences can be managed when people acknowledge the humanity and dignity of their opponents. At the same time... small conflicts can spiral into big ones when hatred and vengeance take away our eyes and ears.

Every threat, every assault, every shooting, every murder — and certainly every political assassination — builds the momentum of hate and fear.

You can look at the history of American conflict and unrest and see the same pattern time and again. What starts as a political difference becomes a blood feud the instant someone is hurt or killed. And so, each act of political violence has a double consequence. It shatters families, and — over time — it breaks nations.

The hatred must end.

The violence must end.

And Jesus must begin.

Begin being spread as the ultimate truth, the ultimate morality, the ultimate value. And that means love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control.

Those are the marks of a Christian.

And if it really wants to be, those are the marks of a Christian nation.

We can have our debates, have our differences, stand for our values and convictions, and work for them to be represented, no matter the side, but it must be done in a way that reflects not only the freedom on which our country was built, but also the God before whom one day we will stand.

So, to that end, will you join with me in prayer?

“Heavenly Father, we pray, as your people, for Erika Kirk and her two precious children. They are grieving in ways we cannot begin to comprehend.  

“We pray that you would be with them in a powerful way, giving them peace beyond understanding, strength they do not have, and a sense of Your presence that is unmistakable.

“We pray for our nation. We pray for peace and love to break out, and hatred to fade.

“We pray that this would be a defining moment that would shape our nation not for more violence and division, but less.

“That there would be something about this tragic event that would lead us to say, ‘Enough,’ and to seek to repent and turn our hearts toward You.

“And I pray for this church, this community of faith, to be models of that kind of community.

“I pray this in the name of Jesus.

“Amen.”

James Emery White

Sources
David French, “If We Keep This Up, Charlie Kirk Will Not Be the Last to Die,” The New York Times, September 11, 2025, read online. 

Photo Courtesy: ©GettyImages/olegbreslavtsev
Published Date: September 15, 2025

James Emery White is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, NC, and a former professor of theology and culture at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he also served as their fourth president. His latest book, Hybrid Church: Rethinking the Church for a Post-Christian Digital Age, is now available on Amazon or from your favorite bookseller. To enjoy a free subscription to the Church & Culture blog, visit churchandculture.org where you can view past blogs in our archive, read the latest church and culture news from around the world, and listen to the Church & Culture Podcast. Follow Dr. White on X, Facebook, and Instagram at @JamesEmeryWhite.