By: Chloe Smith & Eliana Morales
At Southern Adventist University, students, faculty and administrators have been grappling with the impact of the recent shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
On Sept. 10, Kirk, age 31, was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University for “The American Comeback Tour,” a platform by which he traveled the country, inviting students to challenge his views in a live “Prove Me Wrong” debate organized by his conservative nonprofit, Turning Point USA.
Kirk’s death has left some across the country with questions about safety, free speech and accountability, such as: Can one speak publicly without fear of violent backlash? Is speech truly free if there are seemingly deadly consequences? Will anyone mention the controversial things he has said?
In an email to the Accent, Becky Brooks, Southern’s media liaison, shared the university’s perspective on Kirk’s untimely death.
“As a Christian campus, we always look forward to the soon return of our Christ and feel compassion for those who experience the loss of a loved one,” Brooks stated in the email. “We pray that the tragic passing of Charlie Kirk brings discourse that unites rather than separates our country.”
Republican politician, Greg Vital, who represents the 29th District in the Tennessee House of Representatives, briefly spoke about Kirk at a recent convocation.
“We can and must debate passionately, disagree fiercely and challenge one another’s ideas,” he said. “But we must never allow disagreement to justify violence. Today, we mourn a life taken too soon. Tomorrow, we must recommit ourselves to building a society where differences are resolved with words, not weapons.”
Kirk was a complicated figure, known by many for his Christian beliefs and fierce defense of conservative values in podcasts and videos, as well as his campus debates. For some Seventh-day Adventists, Kirk’s announcement that he kept the Sabbath at a March event held in Arizona made him a champion of the faith. At the same time, many of his controversial statements were seen by others as racist, misogynistic and insensitive to marginalized groups in American society.
Student Voices
For some Southern students, the loss of a human life outweighs political disagreements.
“I don’t agree with everything that he said, but at the end of the day, he was a dad, he was a husband, there are people that cared about him,” said Isabella Lagos, a sophomore journalism major. “The fact that he was taken away from them is just heartbreaking, and I don’t think anyone deserves that.”
Mandy Velez, a junior psychology major, shared similar sentiments, explaining Kirk’s death as inexcusable.
“The world has pulled down the curtain of morality and replaced it with a political door,” she said. “No death, no matter the place, background or seeming justification, is worthy of celebration.”
Other students, such as senior nursing major Lindsey Kim, raised concerns of people idolizing Kirk despite his controversial statements.
“Of course, his murder was absolutely shameful, but many make him out to be some sort of martyr or hero, which he was, in fact, not,” Kim said. “I contest many of the opinions and views he openly had about various marginalized groups in America and other bigotry he vocalized.”
A significant number of students who hold views on all sides of the issue said they felt uncomfortable commenting due to fear of backlash and judgment.
Controversial statements
Controversy surrounds Kirk’s various statements involving race, gender, sexuality and other bigotry.
On his podcast, Kirk reacted to a video of a white woman and a black man in a disagreement over a rental bike. He then proceeded to make the following statement regarding black people:
“Happening all the time in urban America, prowling blacks go around for fun to go target white people. That’s a fact.”
Charlie Kirk
The Accent reached out to representatives of Southern’s Black Christian Union, who did not wish to comment.
Another comment of Kirk’s that has received mixed responses is regarding the concept of empathy, and his preference for sympathy.
“I can’t stand the word empathy, actually,” he said. “I think empathy is a made-up, new age term that—it does a lot of damage.”
Charlie Kirk
At a Turning Point USA event in June, Kirk also said that although he thinks college is a scam, attending college simply to find a husband is a “really good reason.”
Supporters of Kirk
Some students expressed agreement with Kirk’s beliefs and sadness for the loss.
“I found Charlie [to be] not just an influential right-wing activist, but as a God-fearing man, a leader and an American patriot that I have and will look up to,” said Andrés Cabrera, a junior finance major. “It’s sickening that an event like this has taken place, and it reveals the true state of turmoil and desensitization that our great country has been victim to.”
Aleena Hurd, a senior health science major, said she was shocked and devastated at hearing the news.
“Charlie Kirk was a good, faithful Christian man, and to hear he was murdered in front of hundreds of people for speaking his beliefs is so sad,” she said. “It really made me worry and reflect on the current state of our country, and what this divide has done to us.”
Expressing political opinions
Kirk’s death has reignited conversations about dialogue, disagreement and the ability to express political viewpoints on college campuses.
Lisa Diller, interim chair of the School of History and Political Science, has spent the last 24 years at Southern guiding students through an ever-changing world of politics. In an interview with the Accent, she expressed her worries that moments such as Kirk’s death fuel the fear of expression.
“What [Kirk] was doing was trying to have people engaging in dialogue with each other who believe differently…,” said Diller. “That was something he believed in and has wanted to bring to college campuses. So, I would hate for anything to get in the way of us being able to have different opinions and people speaking different opinions on our college campuses.”
Diller explained her concern that fear-driven reactions may limit student engagement in difficult conversations.
“I don’t want our students to start feeling afraid of talking about anything that’s hard,” she said. “I want students to have diverse ideas…I want students to feel like they can engage in those interesting ideas and wrestle with that without it being an existential crisis.”
Safety Concerns
According to End It Now, an Adventist organization that raises awareness for violence around the world, the church stands on a strong belief in anti-violence. As a professor at an Adventist school, Diller emphasized this belief in her comments to the Accent.
“The idea that our church comes from a non-violent tradition where we do not take up weapons against other people…is the official stance of our church,” she said. “That is a culture that is changing partly out of fear. Fear builds on fear, so we arm ourselves more and more.”
Some believe that reactions to Kirk’s death miss a bigger picture.
“It’s ironic how many people have drawn so much attention to his death,” Kim said, “rather than addressing the actual, much deeper issue: unnecessary gun violence due to lack of gun control.”
In an email to the Accent, Jamie Heath, the assistant chief of police for the Collegedale Police Department (CPD), emphasized the department’s dedication towards safety.
“Our department remains committed to protecting the freedoms guaranteed by our Constitution and stands firmly against all acts of violence that threaten or undermine the liberties we are privileged to enjoy as Americans,” he said.
Following Kirk’s death, the importance of collaboration with local authorities is evident, according to Southern’s Campus Safety.
“Campus Safety works closely with local law enforcement to monitor and respond to potential threats on our campus,” said Shawn Haas, associate director of Campus Safety. “We maintain partnerships with the Collegedale Police Department and other local agencies.”
The Utah Valley campus shooting has also shed light on the need for increased security at large campus events.
“For larger events, such as the upcoming David Brooks lecture, additional security measures are taken,” said Haas. “These may include hiring off duty law enforcement and additional campus safety staff.”
Heath said, “When an event or visitor requires additional security, the university typically hires off-duty officers through our off-duty management program to provide that support.” He further explained that the CPD and the university are making efforts to increase police presence on campus.
“It’s common to see a Collegedale officer walking or driving around campus and interacting with students or faculty,” he said. “The safety of any community depends on collaboration between law enforcement and the people and organizations it serves…We are fortunate to enjoy that support here in Collegedale.”
Kirk and the Sabbath
In March, Kirk spoke about the Sabbath at the “Will You Be Made Whole” conference hosted by The Wisdom Pearl, a Christian organization founded by Ivan Raj, an Adventist.
“My message to churches is that you are missing out so sorely by not honoring the Sabbath,” Kirk said in a panel discussion with Raj and Danny Shelton, founder of Three Angels Broadcasting Network (3ABN).
Kirk said honoring the Sabbath strengthens a marriage and deepens one’s connection with God. He said if a Christian felt something was missing despite attending church, tithing and worshipping, a lack of Sabbath-keeping might be the cause.
“By honoring the Sabbath, whether you realize it or not, you are pushing against all the dark nihilism that has infected our world,” he said.
During a Turning Point USA tour, Kirk explained that he turned his phone off from Friday sundown through Saturday.
“It is the best 24-25 hours,” he said. “If every young person took a legitimate Sabbath from Friday sundown to Saturday night, I guarantee you anxiety would go down, depression would go down, you’d actually spend time with people you care about and meaningful conversations would happen. …Take the Sabbath. Take it seriously.”
Doug Batchelor, an Adventist pastor and founder of Amazing Facts, posted on Facebook after learning of Kirk’s death.
“I understand from a common friend that he watched Amazing Facts programs and was a Sabbath keeper. We will have to meet in the kingdom. Please pray for his wife and family,” the post read.
Diller believes that in times of violence and divide, it is important to stand on a foundation of faith.
“I would hope that what we are doing is trusting God more [and] developing policies that allow for trust-making rather than seeing people as enemies,” she said. “When you see them as enemies, you dehumanize them.”
