The recent death of Charlie Kirk has sent me into a tailspin of emotion and deep reflection. From reflection, I believe there is an important note that needs be said out loud.

When we look honestly at political violence in America over the past few years, a clear pattern emerges in assassinations (attempted or successful), riots, and school shootings.

Increased Assassinations

There have been increased targeted attacks on individuals:

Aaron Danielson (Aug 29, 2020): Patriot Prayer supporter shot and killed in Portland by an ANTIFA activist during protests.

Brett Kavanaugh (Jun 7, 2022): Supreme Court justice targeted near his home by an armed man angry over Roe v. Wade; plot foiled.

Donald Trump (Jul 13, 2024): Former president grazed by a bullet during a Pennsylvania rally; one innocent bystander killed, shooter neutralized.

Donald Trump (Sep 15, 2024, unconfirmed): Alleged foiled plot at a Florida golf club.

Brian Thompson (December 4, 2024): Assassinated UnitedHealthcare CEO in protest of corporate greed; act praised in radical anti-corporate and accelerationist circles and justified by many in mainstream media.

Charlie Kirk (Sep 10, 2025): Conservative commentator shot and killed while speaking at Utah Valley University.

Increased Riots

There have been numerous, destructive riots.

George Floyd Protests / Minneapolis Riots (May 2020): Police precinct burned, widespread looting and arson across the city.

Kenosha Unrest (Aug 2020): Arson, looting, and destruction after Jacob Blake’s shooting.

Portland Federal Courthouse Siege (Summer 2020): Molotov cocktails, fires, and vandalism targeting federal buildings.

Seattle CHAZ/CHOP Occupation (Jun 2020): Autonomous zone created after police left a precinct; shootings and lawlessness followed.

Atlanta “Stop Cop City” Riots (Jan 2023): Rioters torched police cars and construction equipment at a police training site.

George Floyd Anniversary Protests (May 2021): Destructive riots in multiple cities marking the one-year anniversary.

Increased School Shootings

Tragically, our schools have become increasingly unsafe as well.

Covenant School (Mar 27, 2023): Transgender former student murdered six at Christian school in Nashville.

Feather River School (Dec 4, 2024): Shooter with possible anti-Christian motive wounded two at Seventh-day Adventist school.

Abundant Life Christian School (Dec 16, 2024): Shooter killed two at Christian school; motives under investigation.

Annunciation Catholic School (Aug 27, 2025): Former student, who identified as transgender, opened fire during a Catholic Mass—killing two children and injuring 17 others—before committing suicide; authorities are investigating the attack as a hate crime and domestic terrorism.

Did You Spot the Theme?

There is a pattern emerging through these events.

What ties many of these tragedies together is not just anger but a worldview shaped by rhetoric that is consistently, unitedly, and relentlessly voiced within a sector of the political left—and only the left. Hear me clearly: I am not saying leaders are openly calling for violence. I am saying that a segment of the left promotes ideas and frames their opponents in ways that create a mental framework which encourages, motivates, and justifies violence.

Pastor Josh Howerton expressed it this way:

Political violence is a feature, not a bug of progressivism.

Because progressivism is built on top of a Critical Theory lens that sees the world through “Oppressed vs Oppressor” categories rather than a Christian Theology lens of “Right vs Wrong”, it trains people to see opponents not as mistaken, but as evil oppressors.

If you believe someone is mistaken, you try to persuade them (what Charlie Kirk did).

If you believe someone is an evil oppressor (“literally Hitler!”, “fascist”, “existential threat to democracy”, virtually everything and everyone is “racist”), you will feel a moral obligation to stop them.

This is why there is radically disproportionate violence emerging on the Left.

When political leaders, media figures, and cultural influencers within the Left say “Trump is Hitler,” “ICE is the Gestapo,” “conservatives are fascists,” or “America is on the brink of theocracy”—and when TikTok voices openly mourn assassination attempts or celebrate assassination successes —they are not merely exaggerating. They are working from and building into an intellectual framework and moral permission system that convinces unstable people that violence is not only justified, but necessary. They teach and speak in a way that, if taken seriously, makes violence inevitable.

Last month I mentioned this ideological and rhetorical pattern and some pushed back with “What about January 6th?” But given the events listed above, even in brief, it is inaccurate and dishonest to equate January 6th—foolish, chaotic, and reckless though it was—with the scale, destructiveness, death toll, and intentionality of these other incidents. January 6th was a single outburst. These others are repeated waves of riots, arson, assaults, and assassinations fueled by years of overheated rhetoric. Recognizing that difference does not excuse January 6th, but it does acknowledge reality: it is nothing like the tragedies above. To claim otherwise is, at best, inaccurate—or, at worst, willfully deceptive.

Why Am I Writing About This?

I’m not a politician—I’m a pastor, professor, and teacher. I write this because Jesus calls us to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). Valuing that will affect our words and how we evaluate the words of others. Doing that is always wise, good, and beautiful. Promoting that will help us, our families, and our nation flourish. Speaking truth in love, though it isn’t always easy or liked by others, is always good.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we must freshly commit ourselves to truth and goodness in word and deed. Ready to speak a word in season and equally ready to condemn what is false and evil wherever it shows up—whether on the Right or the Left. Our commitment to the Lord must make its way into our speech and our evaluation of the speech we hear.

But, for our own discernment, this is a truth about our society we must acknowledge: one of our nation’s political parties has built its platform on rhetoric that consistently produces harm for our neighbors. Prophetically, the late Charlie Kirk pointed out the same with regard to political violence:

Sadly, Kirk’s death highlights, underlines, and italicizes his assessment. Even more, the data matches our news feeds, doesn’t it? There is a cancer of thinking and speaking that lives on the Left aisle of modern politics. This is a pattern that wisdom says to recognize, truth says to admit, and love demands a response to.

None of this means those in the center or on the right are always correct. Nor does it mean every liberal is evil or that all on the left are guilty or complicit. This is not a blanket condemnation of everyone in one party, nor is it a blanket justification of the other. It is, rather, a condemnation of specific ideologies and consistent rhetoric—found and nurtured in some sectors of the left—that fuel patterns of disaster and tragedy.

We must be honest, on both the left and the right, about the words and ideas that create the permission structure for political violence. If you identify with “the left,” hear me: I am your friend. I am asking you to join me in condemning these deadly ideologies and reckless words—wherever they come from.

For Truth & Love’s Sake, We Must Do Better

I write this not as a “gotcha” or to score points, but as a humble attempt to help my fellow Americans—left, right, and center—see this violence and chaos are coming from, justified, and nurtured by ideologies and rhetoric that only exists on the Left. If we want our nation to heal and if we want to love our neighbor well, we must acknowledge the source of this violence, refuse to participate in it, and never let it pass without rebuke. As the Apostle Paul reminds us, “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them” (Ephesians 5:11).

By all means, we should freely disagree about policies, ideas, strategies, and arguments. We must value rigorous, honest, and intellectual debate. Don’t mince words or hide arguments—but may we all argue with integrity, always exposing error while holding fast to truth and love. Ideas and words are not neutral; they shape our perception of reality. Think clearly. Speak wisely. Speak well. Your words matter.