The Assassination of Charlie Kirk: An Orthodox Response

The news hit us like a thunderclap. Charlie Kirk, the brash, young conservative firebrand, was gunned down yesterday at a university rally, a sniper’s bullet cutting him down mid-sentence. The air is thick with outrage, fear, and the inevitable clamor for vengeance. Yet amid this storm, Fr. Michael Lillie, a priest of the Orthodox Church, offers a voice that cuts through the din with the quiet authority of ancient wisdom.

The Orthodox writer Anthony of Westgate tweeted, “We are being groomed for political violence.” In response, Fr. Michael posted an image: a row of matches being lit on fire. One match moves to the side, breaking the chain and preventing the fire from spreading. The caption says: “The power of stepping away.”

An anonymous X user replied to Fr. Michael, accusing him of being a coward. The priest’s response was flawless. “I am a man capable of great violence,” he wrote. “I have trained for it and will defend my family and country to the degree I’m able if needed but controlling the passions stirred up in us by the devil is not cowardly.”

This is the Orthodox response we need right now.

The details are grim: a targeted attack, a shot from 100-200 yards, a crowd of 3,000 left reeling as the FBI scrambles for the shooter. For Orthodox Christians, such moments test the soul’s mettle. Our tradition doesn’t flinch from the reality of evil—nor from the duty to resist it.

Mind you, the Orthodox Church is not naive. In the Divine Services, we pray to God: “Grant victories to the Orthodox Christians Over their adversaries.” The Church has also canonized dozens of warrior-saints, including George of Lydda, Demetrios of Thessaloniki, Constantine the Great, Olga of Kyiv, Tamar of Georgia, and Fyodor Ushakov—men and women who defended the Church and their people using force. At the same time, the Church demands that we resist feelings of vengefulness, bloodlust, and all forms of wrath.

Ww must also place our absolute trust in God. As Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica said,

We must be prepared to accept the will of God. The Lord permits all sorts of things to happen to us contrary to our will, for if we always have it our way, we will not be prepared for the Kingdom of Heaven. Neither heaven nor earth will receive those who are self-willed. God has a Divine plan for each one of us, and we must submit to His plan. We must accept life as it is given to us, without asking, "Why me?" We must know that nothing on earth or in heaven ever happens without the will of God or His permission.

Above all, we must beg God’s protection for our country, for the repose of Mr. Kirk’s soul, and for the consolation of his wife and children, his friends and family.

Come, Lord Jesus.

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