Baptists denounce violence, call for prayer after shooting

Baptists from varied perspectives denounced political violence and called for prayer after the shooting death of political activist Charlie Kirk. However, they took different postures regarding many aspects of Kirk’s message.

Texas Baptists’ Christian Life Commission issued a statement Sept. 10 calling the shooting “an assault on the image of God” and saying “gun violence is in direct opposition to the pro-life values Texas Baptist churches hold.”

The CLC asked Texas Baptists to pray for Kirk’s family—“especially his wife and young children, and all who have been touched by this tragedy.”

While not mentioning the specific content of Kirk’s rhetoric, the CLC said his “prove me wrong” events “focused on important issues on which people disagree.”

“Kirk believed the best solution to a dispute was open dialogue, not violence,” the CLC stated. “The Christian Life Commission shared his vision of returning civility to the public square.

“This begins with Christians leading the way. We must love our neighbors as ourselves and recognize that, being made in God’s image, we have more in common than what divides us.”

SBC leaders laud Kirk’s ‘profound impact’

Southern Baptist Convention leaders issued a statement—initially released by SBC President Clint Pressley and endorsed by the convention’s first and second vice presidents and by all 12 SBC entity chief executives—similarly condemning violence, but also expressing gratitude for Kirk’s message.

“Political violence is a grave sin, and it represents a threat to our nation and its government. The murder of Charlie Kirk is a grave warning to us all as we consider the health of our nation and society,” the SBC leaders stated.

“All persons of good will must condemn this premeditated act of violence and see the depth of evil in this murder and in a spirit of violence that will undermine our ability to function as a nation.”

While voicing concern for Kirk’s family and pledging prayers for them, the SBC statement also expressed gratitude for Kirk’s “public witness to Christ and for his courageous defense of the dignity of the unborn and a host of other moral issues.”

“We rightly appreciate the profound impact Charlie Kirk has had on our young people, inspiring them to live with bold conviction and take righteous action,” the SBC leaders stated.

“We call for righteousness and justice and for the lawful prosecution of the assassin and urge Southern Baptists to join us in praying for his repentance and salvation. We also call for Southern Baptists and all Christian brothers and sisters to recommit ourselves to the defense of life, liberty, and biblical morality in our nation, and we pray for an end to political violence in any form. We condemn any retaliatory violence.”

After the SBC leaders released their statement, they allowed other Southern Baptists to endorse it.

Texas Baptists who signed the statement included Joseph Adams, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Mount Pleasant and second vice president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas; Greg Ammons, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Garland; Kevin Burrow, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Eastland; and Jeff Williams, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Denton.

‘Gap between Black and White evangelicals’

While the statement from SBC leaders condemned retaliation, it did not address the issue of gun violence, nor did it mention any of Kirk’s statements regarding race.

In contrast, Senior Pastor Dwight McKissic of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington denounced Kirk’s murder and affirmed his biblical orthodoxy in a Sept. 10 post on X, formerly Twitter. However, in a series of tweets, he listed multiple quotes by Kirk questioning the ability and intelligence of Black women.

“On the subject of race, and race related matters, I’ve disagreed with every word I’ve heard him speak thus far. I’m beginning to draw the conclusion that White evangelical Christians and Black evangelical Christians are miles and miles apart on racial subject matter,” McKissic wrote.

Three days later, McKissic tweeted: “The gap between Black and White evangelicals surrounding this issue is widening as I tweet. The SBC unqualified endorsement of Charlie Kirk will and already has set race relations back to the 50s. Really unwise move on the part of all White entity heads.”

In the immediate aftermath of Kirk’s shooting death, George Mason, founder of Faith Commons and senior pastor emeritus at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, posted on social media: “Every human life matters. Charlie Kirk’s murder is an assault against God, in whose image he was created.

“Whatever your politics, violence diminishes us all. Just stop it. Nothing good comes of it. It only leads to greater polarization. Now is the time to prove that empathy is strength not weakness.”