“For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.”
Mark 7:21-22
For many years, I’ve tried to meet faithfully on Thursday mornings with my good friend Bob. We meet at City Market downtown where he lives.
Bob is in his 80’s and has wisdom beyond his years.
This morning, as we verbally danced around many topics, our conversation at one point landed on the remarkable outpouring of love and respect that has manifested after the tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk.
We spoke about the memorial held at UAA a few weeks ago where, as a surprise to both of us, there were not any protestors. Not one.
Encouraging, we agreed, but obviously not indicative of what has transpired on-line and in person in many other settings.
As if on cue, a woman who had been seated behind us, got up to leave and approached our table.
“Just so you know“, she proclaimed, “I’ve been listening to your conversation and I can say that I absolutely celebrated when I heard Kirk had been killed.”
For the next few minutes, we tried to engage with her about our disagreements and how it’s actually good to dialogue with people who oppose your views. As Charlie Kirk often noted, when that stops…in a marriage, in a community or in a culture, violence becomes real.
She was having none of it. Dialogue with the likes of people like Bob and I, despite the fact that she was actually the one who came to our table, was useless according to her. We should not be allowed to have any platform. We should be eliminated.
Bob asked for clarification that she had really said she was happy when Kirk was murdered. “Absolutely” was her response.
As she walked away, her final words to us were “Expect resistance.”
Unsettling ? Certainly.
But ultimately, clarification. We have work to do and, though we battle against not flesh and blood but principalities of darkness right here in a coffee shop in Anchorage, Alaska, we love our enemies and we keep lifting up Truth.
There is no other way.