Pastor at Prominent Evangelical DC Church Says Charlie Kirk Was a Negative Example of Christianity

Mike Kelsey — lead pastor of McLean Bible Church’s Montgomery County, Maryland, campus — argued during his Sunday sermon that people should not look to Charlie Kirk as a good example of what a follower of Jesus Christ should be.

McLean Bible Church is a five-campus evangelical congregation located in Washington, D.C., with reportedly over 10,000 members.

David Platt, who is the lead pastor of the entire church, received some blowback in 2019 from his politically mixed congregation when he prayed for President Donald Trump during a service at the location in Vienna, Virginia.

On Sunday at the Montgomery campus, Kelsey started his remarks about Kirk appropriately enough, condemning the murder of the 31-year-old conservative superstar.

“As Christians, we should denounce any rhetoric that tries to downplay the evil of his murder or tries to deny the inherent dignity he deserved as someone made in God’s image,” the pastor said.

Kelsey went on to cite Genesis 9:6, again a solid choice. It says those who murder an innocent person should die themselves for the crime.

But here’s where Kelsey’s sermon started to drift off into left field.

“I’ve also had to sit with my high school daughter and help her process some of the things Charlie Kirk said,” the pastor said.

“There is some rhetoric from Charlie Kirk that followers of Jesus should firmly denounce. Listen, he said some things clearly and unapologetically true from a biblical perspective. And I know there were some clips that were taken out of context. I understand what it’s like to have that happen to you,” he asserted.

A friend flagged for me that McLean Bible (David Platt’s church) did talk about Charlie Kirk this week. And while pastor Mike Kelsey strongly denounced his murder and those celebrating it (good), he went on to use Charlie as a negative example of how Christians engage… pic.twitter.com/AP3rquaghn

— Megan Basham (@megbasham) September 29, 2025

“I spent hours, hours just watching long-form debates, interviews, speeches, and just to be frank, in a lot of cases, the context didn’t help at all. In fact, in some cases, I was shocked that so many professing Christians were rationalizing things that were so demeaning and un-Christlike,” Kelsey argued.

“And not just rationalizing things he said, but idolizing him as the prototype for a new generation of Christians.”

Kelsey asserted that Kirk talked about people in ways that not only “dishonor them, but the God who created them in His image,” describing his conduct as a pattern of sin into which anyone could fall.

At this point, one has to wonder, what in the world is he talking about?

Is Kelsey saying that Kirk said insensitive things about race or sex?

Regarding race, Kirk opposed diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and thought the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was too broadly written.

Asked if he would get rid of the Civil Rights Act, Kirk responded, “No, I think you should have a one-page bill that says that racial discrimination based on race is illegal and will not be tolerated in the United States of America.”

Charlie Kirk opposed the Civil Rights Act because its overly broad provisions are being used to keep men in women’s sports. pic.twitter.com/bwdwjDvm8u

— Muscular Christian (@BuffedJesus) September 19, 2025

Kelsey offered just one broad example during his sermon of Kirk’s alleged un-Christlike rhetoric, pointing to his views on illegal immigration.

“It’s one thing to disagree on immigration policy. It’s another thing to talk about and treat immigrants in ignorant and derogatory ways,” the preacher said.

He really needs to offer evidence in order to support a charge like that.

Perhaps Kelsey could come up with some examples of Kirk being too harsh in his rhetoric about illegal immigrants or some other topic. It may be out there somewhere. All of us are learning and growing, and subject to not treating people as we’d like to be treated sometimes.

But Kirk’s overriding personality trait was treating people with dignity and respect, particularly as he debated them on college campuses around the country.

Here’s a typical Charlie Kirk exchange after someone accused him of being a so-called Christian nationalist.

First, Kirk answered that’s not how he described himself, though he did believe in Christ and sought the betterment of America for the sake of himself and his family.

Charlie Kirk’s response to the question “Are you a Christian Nationalist” is profound and correct!

Watch as he cites scripture and encourages dialogue. A wonderful conversation about Jesus and the Bible.

RIP Charlie Kirk. You are missed. 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/gove8bgeJV

— Ken Blackwell (@kenblackwell) September 25, 2025

“Christ called us to be salt and light. We, as Christians, should change the environment that we come in contact with. That’s what salt and light do,” Kirk told the questioner.

Kelsey may not like Kirk’s brand of Christianity, but the impact he had in his short life for the cause of Christ was very clear. Over 100,000 sought to attend a memorial service for him in the Phoenix area, and well over 100 million watched it online, during which the gospel was presented many times.

As Christian leader Dutch Sheets noted during his “Give Him 15” podcast on Monday, “Isn’t it interesting that by mixing faith, politics, education — campuses were his mission field — and the societal issues of our day, Charlie Kirk was used by God more than any Christian leader of our time.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me if, when all is said and done, his influence will have led more people to Christ than any pastor in America. Maybe more than any denomination. So much for the ‘leave politics and culture alone; just win people to Christ’ theology,” he added.

That seems to be a much more accurate assessment of Kirk’s Christian impact than Kelsey’s view.

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