006 Pentecost 14: A Signal Moment
“Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”~ Acts 4
Prove Me Wrong
I didn’t follow Charlie Kirk very closely.
Then again, I’m not in his target audience. My teenage kids mentioned his death to me – I didn’t realize they knew who he was. But such was his reach with young people.
The sickening assassination has been followed by an absolute horror festival of blame with left and right trying to pin responsibility on each other. It’s not hard to see which ideologies are fueling division and violence as a valid means of achieving political goals. What’s hard is convincing those trapped in them—they really believe their lives are at stake. Many believe as one of Kirk’s friends lamented, that “a well-trained rifle is finally what settles debates.”
Kirk himself was known for trying to persuade anyone willing to listen. He once said that when people stop talking to each other is when violence begins. But now people don’t want to talk. The entire malignant culture that progressive elites have created is built on discontent and the worship of power. In such a world, even admitting that “I disagree” is different from “I hate you” becomes impossible. In their minds, the stakes are too high. There are people who openly say that “debate is inherently violent”. Those same people say that Kirk “spoke his fate into existence”.
Politicians reach for the tired line: “We need to look at root causes.” But they never seem to find them. What would drive a 22-year-old, seemingly from a good home, to kill a man for what he was saying? There are many elements in our toxic cultural stew: captured universities and inflaming media, judges who will not judge, fatherless homes, drugs and depression, and the endless distraction of social media. That stew is what feeds those who applaud political assassinations.
It’s dark, but this is not too big a problem for Jesus. He placed His church on earth to bear witness to the Gospel’s transforming power.
And the devil always overplays his hand.
Albert Mohler reflected this week on meeting Charlie Kirk when he was younger, brash, and combative. Over time, Kirk “began to argue with consistency that a recovery of Christian truth was essential for a lasting conservatism…He got married to Erika and they were blessed with two children. As we all know, and as God intended, that brings maturity and deeper meaning to a man’s life, and all that was evident in Charlie’s life.”
The hunger—for meaning, for truth, for family—is stirring in the next generation and Kirk spoke to it. His shocking murder might even spur many to action. Our culture’s rejection of God lead to moral relativism and then to nihilism, but many young people have had enough. Surveys show more young men want to get married and raise families. Versions of “having a baby restored my faith in humanity” pop up online. Younger generations are attending churches more faithfully than their grandparents. By God’s grace, ten will take Charlie Kirk’s place—and perhaps a hundred more beyond them.
Some have called for a “kumbayah” moment, hoping to end the cycle of violence with grace. It’s true, no fight ends without someone lowering their weapon. But the truth is, there are ideologies you cannot build a nation on, nor will they peacefully share space with you. Matt Walsh expressed anger at the ghoulish glee over Kirk’s senseless death: “May we all be so successful and effective that our enemies celebrate when we die. May we all be so devastating to the Leftist project that they pray to their demon gods for our demise.” But the truth is, that kind of evil won’t be beaten by rage. It will only be conquered through repentance, through Christians on their knees and in the Word, impacting their spheres with light and good.
The question is not whether we fight, but how. Now is the time to be bold.
God’s peace
Frisby
Noise Decoder
Bad News on Our Doorstep
Popular conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during a campus rally in Utah. The suspect, arrested after several days on the run, had scrawled phrases on his rifle and ammunition referencing cultural issues. While NBC quoted “experts” warning against interpreting the messages, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said the line about fascists “speaks for itself” and vowed to pursue the death penalty. The killing has raised fresh concerns about safety at conservative speaking events, with some organizers moving rallies indoors. The Spectator’s Daniel McCarthy urged the Trump administration to push back against universities that respond to violence by imposing steep security costs on targeted speakers.
Shocking footage has surfaced of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee, being stabbed to death on a Charlotte train two weeks ago. The suspect, a homeless man with a long criminal history, allegedly said he “got that white girl.” While local outlets covered the killing extensively, national media focused more on surveillance concerns, “MAGA narratives,” and race. Federal charges have since been filed. The accused claimed he was controlled by “manmade material” in his body and believed Zarutska was reading his mind. His family had tried to have him institutionalized. Colorado Sheriff Steve Reams, citing similar cases, warned that violent offenders deemed unfit for trial are not allowed to be held while they wait to receive treatment—particularly if considered “marginalized.” After being forced to release one such offender, he said, “The public deserves to know of his past violent actions so they can protect themselves accordingly. God help this State.”
Looking to the cross: Jesus knows hearing of human evil is enough to overwhelm us, but we are not crushed. Bring all before the throne of grace. Ask for mercy on the suffering. Ask for courage to live faithfully in a darkening world. And remember: one day every tear will be wiped away, every injustice will be set right, and death itself will die. Until then, let us keep watch, encourage one another, and refuse to give in to fear.
On the Radar
Crime and Punishment
Courts, Law and Policing
A 16-year-old boy shot two fellow students at his Colorado school before taking his own life. The two victims remain in critical condition. (CBS)
Dr. Anthony Fauci has been called to testify before Congress again after newly released emails suggest he lied under oath about obstructing access to COVID-19 data. One message shows Fauci instructing recipients to “delete this email,” raising potential violations of federal record-keeping rules. (New York Post, ZeroHedge)
The Wall Street Journal published a 2003 birthday greeting reportedly from Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein. VP JD Vance accused Democrats of suddenly feigning concern about Epstein to target Trump, while Speaker Mike Johnson highlighted Trump’s past cooperation with the FBI to catch sex traffickers. Trump has denied drawing the sketch included in the greeting, though reports suggest otherwise. (Red State, NewsNation, ABC)
Tribes and Tongues
Immigration and Race
Trump immigration officials say they have located about 22,000 of the estimated 233,000 unaccompanied minors the Biden administration lost track of. Twenty-seven have been confirmed dead, with others found caught in horrific cases of abuse and trafficking. (Not the Bee)
The Supreme Court ruled on its emergency docket that the Trump administration may resume “roving” immigration raids. Critics argued the practice is discriminatory, targeting non-English speakers in low-wage jobs. Justice Brett Kavanaugh offered his own opinion, writing that it was reasonable to assume that these things about illegal immigrants, while dissenting justices labeled the ruling “irreconcilable” with the Constitution. (WNG, USA Today) | A federal judge in San Francisco blocked President Trump’s move to end temporary legal protections for more than one million Haitians and Venezuelans in the U.S. (AP)
Treasure
Money, Markets and Jobs
Shares in Tylenol-maker Kenvue fell amid rumors a forthcoming report on autism may link the condition to acetaminophen. Company executives reportedly met with RFK Jr. to dissuade him from including the drug in his findings. (Investopedia, CNN)
Between 450–475 workers were detained at Hyundai and LG Energy’s battery plant in Bryan County, GA, during a federal raid. Nearly 300 were South Koreans who overstayed short-term or holiday visas. None of the detainees were directly employed by Hyundai, and all have been returned to South Korea. The plant has been under investigation for months, after the deaths of two workers raised concerns about poor conditions. (WNG, Fox, Prospect)
Reality Bytes
Digital Technology
AI company Anthropic will pay $1.5 billion in compensation to authors whose books were used to train its models. While a judge ruled that using books for AI training falls under fair use, Anthropic’s use of pirated copies sourced online tipped the scales. “This settlement marks the beginning of a necessary evolution toward a legitimate, market-based licensing scheme for training data,” the judge said. (NPR)
The Federal Trade Commission has asked tech companies to report on what they have learned about the impact of chatbots on children and what they are doing to mitigate potential harm. (CBS)
OpenAI explained that AI “hallucinations”—false or invented answers—stem from the wrong training incentives. Machines are taught that it is statistically better to guess and maybe get it right, than say it doesn’t know and be incorrect. (Open AI)
Heritage
Arts, History and Sport
Serial and storytelling narrative investigative podcasts seem to have gone the way of episodic TV, just more quickly. ”It went from people were making absolutely no money, to people were making fortunes big…to ‘There’s not a budget for that’ in less than 10 years.’” (Rolling Stone)
Marine archeologists have discovered a Roman helmet under the sea, presumed to be from the first Punic War against Carthage. (The Independent)
Health
Medicine and Food
A new study in Washington has reignited debate over vaccine safety, finding that vaccinated children statistically visit doctors more often. Critics say this may reflect “detection bias,” but attorney Aaron Siri testified to a Senate committee that the study’s design accounted for that. He also noted that no routine childhood vaccine was licensed on the basis of a trial using a true inert placebo. Opponents counter that placebo-controlled studies show no health difference between vaccinated and unvaccinated children. Siri claimed: ”There is not a single routine injected child vaccine that was licensed based on a trial that affirmed its safety.” (Camus via X, Camus via X, Children’s health Defense via X)
Learning
Homeschooling, Education and Classrooms
Newly released test scores show record lows nationwide, with a significant share of graduates struggling to read. About 32% lack the skills needed to perform at a basic level, such as drawing general conclusions from text. (Christian Science Monitor)
Is AI a help or hindrance when it comes to learning? “Offloading can be useful once foundations are in place. But those foundations can’t be formed unless your brain does the initial work necessary to encode, connect and understand the issues you’re trying to master.” (The Conversation)
Knowledge
Science and Data
A new study says that expressed breast milk is best kept airtight. Once breast milk was exposed to air, beneficial anaerobic microbes would die within 60 minutes. (FemTech Insider)
Scientists are divided on whether new Martian landscapes captured by the Perseverance rover show signs of biological activity or can be explained by geological processes. (Space)
How physiological experiences become emotions in your brain. (Nice News)
War and Rumors of War
Conflict and Weaponry
The Justice Department is weighing restrictions on firearm purchases by trans-identified individuals. The issue ties into longstanding debates over mental illness and gun ownership, with suicide making up the majority of gun deaths. Under Obama-era rules, people with severe mental disorders that impaired their ability to work—including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and neurocognitive conditions—were barred from owning firearms. (Daily Wire, Time, Cross+Sentinel)
Nearly 20 Russian drones have crashed or been shot down in Poland. Moscow denied involvement, while Belarus blamed electronic jamming. Analysts say Putin may be testing NATO’s response. “The alliance scrambled Polish and Dutch jets, German-operated Patriot systems, and Italian surveillance aircraft.” Observers argue cheaper, more proportional deterrents are needed. (AP) | Putin’s culture war in Mairupol (The Dial)
President Trump has urged European nations to impose 100% tariffs on China and India as leverage to pressure Russia to halt its war on Ukraine. (CNBC)
Israeli strikes targeting Hamas leaders were reported in Doha last week. Hamas claimed none of its members were killed. (ABC News, ZeroHedge)
Stories From Far Away
World News
🇫🇷 Prime Minister François Bayrou resigned after just nine months in office, the fourth French PM in two years. His support for pension cuts drew protests, while others think tax increases will help arrest the growing debt crisis. Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu was tapped to replace him. (BBC, Euractiv) | Is France becoming ungovernable? (The Critic)
🇮🇳 India is working with a rebel group in Myanmar to obtain rare-earth samples, seeking alternatives to Chinese-controlled supply. (Straits Times)
🇦🇷 Argentine President Javier Milei suffered a major electoral defeat in Buenos Aires province, where Peronists prevailed. Analysts say voters prioritized jobs over inflation reforms. Milei also reopened the Interior Ministry, aiming to rebuild alliances with opposition governors. (ZeroHedge, AP)
🇪🇬 Egypt has appealed to the UN, accusing Ethiopia of violating international law with its newly inaugurated Nile River dam. The $4.8 billion project, 14 years in the making, has heightened tensions with downstream neighbors, Egypt and Sudan. (Andalou)
🇧🇷 Brazil’s Supreme Court sentenced former president Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years and three months in prison convicting him of attempting to overturn the 2022 election results. (AP)
🇦🇱 Albania has appointed an AI bot as a government minister tasked with combating corruption and fraud, touting its resistance to bribery. (Yahoo)
Quickhits For The Eyebuds
🛤️ Some of the best train trips in the world
☢️ Visualization of the 2000+ nuclear detonations since 1945
⭐ An official map of Star Wars galaxy trade routes
🌻 Record-breaking sunflower is about three storeys tall
💬 Find the words to link common phrases
🦅 All about falconry
Pastor Fisk’s response to Charlie Kirk’s death:
Let us pray. Lord Jesus, You are the Good Shepherd, without whom nothing is secure. Rescue and preserve us that we may not be lost forever but follow You, rejoicing in the way that leads to eternal life; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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