Incited to Speak

Much has happened in our nation this past week to discourage Christians. We received chilling video and reports of the cold-blooded murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutsaka. Only a few days later, Charlie Kirk was murdered while speaking to students on the campus of Utah Valley University. These events have sparked a flood of reactions across social media and major news outlets — some honorable and hope-filled, others ugly enough to make one wonder if there is any hope left for our nation, or for humanity itself.

As I wrestle with the state of our world, our nation and even our churches, I experience a host of emotions. It is easy to walk through our neighborhoods and see the evidence of evil, responding with despair or even numbness. Some of us shake our heads and quietly label the culture as “too far gone,” retreating inward and keeping our heads down. As an introvert who can display extroverted moments, I understand that impulse.

Yet I am reminded of Paul in Athens:

“Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there”
(Acts 17:16–17, ESV)

Paul arrived alone in Athens, surrounded by idolatry. He could have recoiled and waited for his ministry partners. Instead, provoked by what he saw, he engaged the culture. He reasoned first in the synagogue with those open to the God of Israel, and then in the marketplace with the citizens of Athens.

For many of us, that example feels intimidating. We may recoil from confronting our culture. I often struggle to start those conversations, or I hesitate to move from dialogue to sharing Christ. At times I even catch myself thinking someone is too lost, “too woke” or too indoctrinated to hear the gospel.

But that thinking is the problem. It assumes the results depend on me. The truth is that God makes the difference. I am simply the vessel. As Paul wrote, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). We should certainly grow in theology, apologetics and evangelism — but a lack of expertise is never an excuse for silence.

Just this weekend in Concord, N.C., I was encouraged by a reminder of God’s ongoing work. At a coffee shop I noticed a young man reading an exposition on the Gospel of John and “On the Incarnation” by Athanasius. I approached him assuming he was in seminary preparing to be a pastor. He turned out to be a high school student at a local private school and attended a Wesleyan church in Charlotte. Even though what he had in front of him was required reading for school, I was humbled and encouraged. Even in a culture thick with idolatry, God is still at work.

I generally avoid comparing modern figures to those in Scripture, but Paul’s example brings Charlie Kirk to mind. He was not perfect. He would admit that. But he consistently sought to engage people with the gospel as well as with politics. Instead of being provoked to retreat, he was provoked to reason.

Charlie will be missed. My prayer is that, like Paul in Athens, we too will be stirred by the sin and idolatry around us. Not to withdraw in anger or fear, but to step forward and lovingly reason with a lost world, trusting the gospel’s power to save.