How should we respond?
In the video above, Jared took the time to offer a personal reflection from his position as Lead Pastor at BridgePointe regarding recent events related to the assassination of Charlie Kirk. We invite you to watch the video by clicking above, or read the transcript below.
After you have processed Jared’s response, we invite you to consider the following five principles as we live in this world filled with brokenness, division and pain:
Be like Jesus in all you do.
Grieve with those who grieve.
Don't use tragedy to make a point.
Work toward unity within the church, (both locally and globally).
Be kind to those who offend you.
It is our prayer that the BridgePointe Family continues to be know for its love of Jesus above all else. We pray the Holy Spirit would empower us to daily live out our faith in love.
A letter to the BridgePointe Family in response to recent events:
In recent weeks, our country has once again been shaken by tragedy. Coverage of the death of Charlie Kirk, opinions about it, and reactions to it have dominated national and social media and, in some cases, faith-based expressions including sermons and worship services dedicated to this.
When confronted with acts of violence, hatred, and division, the question for pastors, churches, and Christians is always, how should we respond?
As many of the voices around us have reacted in different ways, I’ve been praying for wisdom and discernment, having private conversations with trusted people, and considering what our people need to hear from me. To serve them well, I would like to share how I have been processing all of this.
I have heard from many friends in ministry across the country, who have chosen to respond to the situation in different ways. Almost all of them have received significant criticism from people in their churches for what they have or have not done. To the credit of the BridgePointe family, this has not been the case. I have received a few respectful questions, but none with a tone of anger, accusation, or attack.
I believe this to be the result of years of hard work to establish our faith in Jesus as our highest priority and the basis of our uncompromising unity. In doing so, we have also worked hard to untangle faith and politics so that nothing less important than the Gospel would divide or distract us.
As I have thought about the people of BridgePointe often these last two weeks, I have thanked God for the way He has worked to this end among us.
I recognize that remaining silent on a subject that everyone else is talking about can create questions. There are many of our people who are sincerely looking for Godly wisdom and spiritual direction for how to think, feel, and dialogue around all of this. That is very different than those who demand a statement or a stance on any crisis or tragedy, as if a reaction to it will tell them everything they need to know about a pastor or a church.
I’m struck by how destructive it would be to one’s faith if the defining factor about a church is not what a pastor says about Jesus, the Gospel, or the Word of God, but something said or not said about an event in our country.
My sacred calling is to shepherd the people of BridgePointe, the flock God has entrusted to my care. I have great reverence for the influence and authority that my voice carries. I recognize that if I use it in the wrong way or for the wrong purpose, it could greatly distract from, disrupt, or even damage the very work God has entrusted to me.
For that reason, I have felt it important for me, and therefore BridgePointe, to not be reactive to any situation in the world around us. We have striven to be patient, thoughtful, discerning, and disciplined in how we respond. Our highest priority in everything we do is to help you, the church, to love Jesus, follow Him, honor Him, and become like Him in every way. I have been made aware of some people, likely not within BridgePointe, who demand churches and pastors to be more bold in speaking up and speaking out about recent events and their implications for our country.
It is my conviction that speaking about Jesus, His Good News, and His Kingdom deserve boldness and courage. Speaking on anything else—including current events, culture, politics, and more—requires not boldness but wisdom and discernment.
It is also my strong conviction that what we do on Sundays is for and about the Lord. We gather on The Lord’s Day, as it has been called since the resurrection, to worship God, to proclaim the Good News of Jesus, to learn from His Word, and to be the living embodiment of His love toward each other. We make our plans, with sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, well in advance and trust that what the Spirit has prepared is what our people need, despite what is happening in the world around us.
We believe that what our people need most in these moments is not a reaction to the chaos of our world but a refocusing on the character of our Savior and King.
It is helpful, at the same time, for the church to receive wisdom, discernment, and perspective from their spiritual leaders. I would begin with Romans 12:2, as it reads in the NLT—
“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
Our aim ought to be to respond as much like Jesus as possible in any and every situation.
Based on what we know about Jesus, we should ask, “How can I be like Jesus in what I think, how I feel, what I say, and how I treat people, especially those who think and live differently than me?”
Jesus grieves death. Jesus grieves murder. Jesus grieves hatred. We ought to be able to set aside any agenda, platform, or affiliations to join Jesus in grieving what He grieves.
We ought to grieve the condition of our world, afflicted by acts of violence, hatred, injustice, and division. We should be able to grieve every instance of that brokenness, no matter who the person is or what they represent. And we ought to be able to feel compassion and have conversation with people who think differently than us, and to show grace and mercy to those who offend us.
If we are going to be known for something, let it be Jesus.
Let’s be known for how we boldly and courageously proclaim His Good News; how we treat each other with love, kindness, and dignity; how we persevere in worshipping Him in all circumstances; and how we respond with wisdom and discernment on all occasions. As people who follow Jesus, our presence in the world should feel like Good News, like light in the darkness, like a glimpse of a Kingdom that is not of this world. That is what our world is longing for, and this is what those around us needs from us more than anything else right now.
Following Jesus Together,
Jared Cowgur
Lead Pastor
