Source: MANDEL NGAN / Getty
A sermon given by Pastor Howard John-Wesley denouncing the hero status being applied to the late conservative figure Charlie Kirk went viral, with many approving of his message.
The murder of conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk last Wednesday (Sept. 10) in Utah has led to numerous figures on the right, including the Trump administration, seeking to honor him as a hero. But there are many in the nation who have just as openly denounced the way that Kirk is being portrayed. In a sermon delivered at the Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia, Reverend Dr Howard-John Wesley vocalized that feeling.
“Charlie Kirk did not deserve to be assassinated,” the reverend began in his sermon on Sunday (September 14), “but I am overwhelmed seeing the flags of the United States of America at half-staff, calling this nation to honor and venerate a man who was an unapologetic racist, who spent his life sowing seeds of hatred and division into this land.” The congregation roared as he continued, asking where the outcry for compassion was for the Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband John, who were assassinated in June.
“I am sorry, but there is nowhere in [the] Bible where we are taught to honor evil,” Reverend Wesley said, “and how you die does not redeem how you lived. You don’t become a hero in death when you are a weapon of the enemy in life.” The clip taken from the sermon quickly went viral on multiple social media platforms, including Instagram and Threads, with many applauding Reverend Wesley’s words.
Reverend Wesley has been a stalwart figure for social justice in the Black religious community, serving as Alfred Street’s eighth Senior Pastor in its 200-year history. He received a Chairman’s Award at the 47th Annual NAACP Image Awards. Three of Reverend Wesley’s sermons are in the archives of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and he recently cut ties with the Kennedy Center for the Arts after its takeover by President Donald Trump.
Charlie Kirk was speaking to a crowd at Utah Valley University, a stop on his tour, when he was assassinated. He rose to prominence due to his polarizing views slamming Black people, Latinos, and the LGBTQ+ community. A suspect, Tyler Robinson, is currently in police custody but is “uncooperative”, according to Utah Governor Spencer Cox in an interview.
