I thought long and hard about whether or not to write this post after Charlie Kirk’s horrific and tragic assassination. So much has already been written on it, and at some point, silence and prayer for the family and for justice is the best response left. But it did strike me that it was worth considering the role technology has played in mediating our experience of each other and thus numbing each other to our shared humanity, to our shared imago dei. I’m not arguing necessarily that this is a motive behind Kirk’s killer, but that it helps explain people on TikTok (reportedly) rejoicing over his death. They aren’t celebrating the death of a human, but a symbol. And it can explain the rampant vitriol, racism, hatred, and threats of violence that fill social media daily. For someone like Kirk, who became a larger than life Internet figure, literally someone lampooned by South Park, he would seem unreal in a sense, mediated through a thousand YouTube videos. A figment of celebrity and the digital gaze of viewers. Not a father (which he was). Not a husband (which he was). But an image to be torn down symbolically. And this is only possible because his humanity had been slowly divorced from his digital image.
So it is with all of us. Our political and theological opponents become digital chimeras which we can loath and distance ourselves from without knowing meaningfully. Already in the wake of the Charlotte stabbing and Kirk’s death I’ve seen a Christian pundit announce their unwillingness to sit next to democrats in the pews. I’m reminded of the Tower of Babel. With the Internet, we’ve built a Tower stretching toward the heavens, and God has struck us with division. In our hubris, we created the very device that separates and divides us. And it does so by making each of us feel thin and insubstantial. We’re all just avatars, floating heads. Disembodied opinions.
Until, of course, the video comes out of our horrific death, then our humanity is grimly on display. But even here callousness is possible! There are people able to watch brutal killings and reply with dark humor. How is that possible? What have they done to their souls? What have we done to their souls? The fact that “autoplay” is default on most social media platforms means that most of us are bombarded with videos we don’t want to see and we can’t unsee. Which only further separates us from the humanity of our fellow creatures. We were not created to view strangers’ deaths on tiny screens in fine detail. Or the death of a celebrity. It’s shameful.
What all this dehumanization through digital mediation leads to is nihilism, the belief that politics is hobbesian a war of all against all in which the Other side must be eliminated, deported, jailed, disenfranchised, or forcefully converted. I fear that this is where much of contemporary politics lives. If you are not on our side, you are an existential threat to our nation. How many times have we heard that in the last decade? And in this nihilistic space, the move toward violence is not far away. Because nihilism is a despair about life itself. In this case, the life of the nation. And political nihilism is a despair about the other side being persuadable or being able to live at peace with you. One of my objections to the culture war is that it tends to skip over the command to “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:18). Few people seek to genuinely live peacefully with all. It’s hard for all of us in a digital age, myself included. So we should not be surprised, but we should always be horrified when violence erupts under such tension.
So what can we do to challenge this problem of mediation? First, turn off autoplay. It’s bad for your soul. Second, recognize that no matter who you follow, who you interact with online, who you listen to, who you read or watch, these are real humans made in the image of God. Place that in the forefront of your mind. People deserve your kindness and respect. Treat them as you would if you met them in person. Third, don’t give in to nihilism. Desire to live at peace with your neighbor. Your nextdoor neighbor and your national neighbor, insofar as it is in your power. Yes, there are times when your neighbor needs to be restrained because of violence or violations of your rights, but do what you can to live at peace. Desire to live at peace. So often I think our mindset is the culture war, the idea that we must dominate our neighbor, rather than demonstrate to our neighbor the love of Christ. Fourth, pray for Charlie Kirk’s family. I cannot imagine the pain and sorrow and trauma they are experiencing right now. No one should have to experience that. Fifth, pray for justice for the shooter. Sixth, pray for peace for our nation, a de-escalation of violence.
If you are feeling world-weary today, I understand. Remember there is hope. Hope in Christ and hope in our agency to act in the world.
Exciting Things to Know About
On a radically different note: It’s been a while since I’ve made y’all aware of some of the things I’ve been up to, some of the projects I’ve been working on and how you can help. Next week a book I contributed to releases called The Gospel After Christendom. Please share the word and order a copy. I have a chapter on the posture of Cultural Apologetics. And I happen to sneak in some talk of virtues, as this quote suggests:
The other big news, for me at least, is that I finally sent of copy edits for To Live Well: Practical Wisdom for Moving Through Chaotic Times. This process was more arduous than I expected, but I think the results are going to pay off well. Please, if you haven’t preordered yet, now is a great time to do so.
I’ve been really encouraged lately with the number of people reaching out who are reading You Are Not Your Own or leading book studies with it. I’ve even had some speaking engagement requests specifically for that book—still, four years later. Which is a blessing and encouragement. I wanted to make people aware that I did write a study guide for the book which you can find on IVP’s website called This Is Not Your Own Study Guide, which I thought was clever. Download it here.
The last thing I’d like to make you aware of is The Center for Christian and Public Life’s annual Summit this year, featuring some of my favorite people, including my friend Justin Giboney and the oft-quoted Freya India. I won’t be able to attend due to a prior commitment, but if you can, I encourage it!
“Desire to live at peace. So often I think our mindset is the culture war, the idea that we must dominate our neighbor, rather than demonstrate to our neighbor the love of Christ.” Yes. This is perhaps me chief central grief with respect to todays American church. Heat and garlic over salt and light.