Some people want to know why I haven’t addressed the assassination of Charlie Kirk from the pulpit. Let me be blunt: it’s not because I don’t care. I care deeply. The death of any human being, especially someone who sought to serve God, is tragic. But my calling as a pastor is not to turn the pulpit into a press conference for my opinions.
Lutherans have long held to what’s called the theology of the two kingdoms. God rules the world in two ways: through the kingdom of the temporary (government, civic life, law) and the kingdom of the eternal (the Gospel, forgiveness, eternal life). Both belong to God. But they are not the same. And when pastors confuse the two, the Church loses its voice.
Here’s the truth: I will not hijack Jesus’ pulpit to carry water for any political agenda – left or right. That’s not what I was ordained to do. I don’t preach left or right. I preach the hands of a Savior stretched out on a cross, reaching to the left and to the right, to forgive us all.
Do I think Charlie Kirk’s death is horrific? Yes. Do I think the endless stream of abortions, suicides, wars, and injustices are also horrific? Absolutely. Which one deserves more outrage? That’s a political debate. But the pulpit is not a podium for outrage. The pulpit is the place for Christ crucified for sinners, for the broken, for all of us.
If you want political hot takes, there are endless pundits who will give them to you. If you want to know where I personally stand, we can sit down and talk. But if you want the living Word of God, the one thing that actually saves, you’ll hear it every Sunday from this pulpit, unfiltered and undistracted by the latest headlines.
It doesn’t mean that I’m avoiding hard truths by any means. Because we can head on address the truths of this world in winsome ways without calling on names other than the name of Jesus. We can decry violence because that’s what Jesus did. We can serve our neighbors because that’s exactly what Jesus did. We can embrace our neighbors regardless of walk of life, because that’s what Jesus did.
We can do all of these things without standing on the temporary ground of political debates. So yes, I do have very strong opinions. I will gladly share those with inquiring minds in one on one settings when the invitation arises. I have thoughts but rarely do people ask about those thoughts.
Friends at the end of the day, kingdoms rise and fall, voices rage, and leaders die. But only one Word endures forever. And that’s the Word I am called to preach. That’s the Word that I will continue to proclaim. That’s what FREEDOM in the FAITH looks like.
Source: www.derrickhurst.org