The views and opinions expressed in this editorial article are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of Salina Post or Eagle Media. The editorial is intended to stimulate critical thinking and debate on issues of public interest and should be read with an open mind. Readers are encouraged to consider multiple sources of information and to form their own informed opinions.
By: SCOTT HILL
24th Kansas District Senator
Life changes in instances. We live our lives in a comfortable routine, sometimes almost enjoying the mundane. Then in an instant everything changes. An example would be the attempted destruction of America when crazed terrorists killed over 3,000 people by flying planes into buildings. We all changed when that happened. This last week was the 24th anniversary of 9/11, as it is now called. Unfortunately, an event that happened the day before 9/11 changed our lives again.
The assassination of a sitting president, John Kennedy, happened before I can remember. However, I grew up with the impact of that event affecting our culture. Last week the assassination of a prominent figure in our culture, Charlie Kirk, has had an effect similar to the shooting of JFK. The stunned silence at hearing the news has been followed by a mixture of profound sorrow, shocked disbelief, and in some instances despicable glee. This is, of course, not the first time that public figures have been killed by crazed ideologues. This senseless killing though is different in a key area.
I do not spend much time listening to or “following” pod casts. The name of Charlie Kirk was familiar to me, but I had not delved into his message. The last several days I have made up for that lost time. This led me to realize that Kirk was primarily an evangelist who fully lived his faith in Jesus Christ. It is clear that he was assassinated not because of his conservative political thought, but rather he was martyred because of the way he shared his faith. Charlie could not be defeated in arguing about his faith convictions, so those who couldn’t tolerate him calling the darkness in society to repentance, took his life to still his tongue.
The age-old adage is that religion and politics do not mix. In the case of Charlie Kirk and millions of other Christ followers it is about faith, not religion. People with deep-rooted faith have no choice but to follow that faith in every aspect of their life. One of the reasons Charlie Kirk touched so many is that his faith was authentic, transparent, and all encompassing.
Our forefathers were adamant that we should not have a “state” church. They were however, equally convinced that those who make decisions for policy in our government should be people of faith. Charlie got it right when he bridged the policy gap with an undying conviction about his faith.
The evil that ended that bright shining light actually gave ultimate credence to the message that could not be ignored. Unbridled selfish indulgence may be the face of the deterioration of society, but the truth of ultimate selfishness is that there is no room for God left in that life. The repentance that Charlie Kirk called for is the solution to the darkness that permeates. I encourage you to listen to his words and more importantly listen to the words he quotes when he references the book of truth, the Word of God, the Holy Bible. Those words will never be silenced.
Scott Hill, PhD 24th District Senator
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