Change My Mind

As I was praying a few days ago, God showed me a stalk of wheat, with the kernels (the berries) still attached. It was a rich golden color and was standing straight up. It was in bright sunlight, but in the background, I could see the dark purplish grey of storm clouds.

As I thought about it, the first thing that came to mind was the phrase "Be fruitful and multiply." This phrase first appeared in Genesis 1:27-28 on the sixth day of creation:

So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female he created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it..."

God repeated that instruction to Noah after the flood (Genesis 9:1), and later used the stalk of wheat imagery by giving Pharaoh a dream to warn him about the coming famine (Genesis 41:22) and seven years of bountiful harvests beforehand so he could get ready.

As I considered the vision of the wheat stalk another key scripture passage came to mind-- John 12, where Jesus is giving final instructions to his disciples before his impending murder. People who know they are about to die tend to have some important things to say to their loved ones! Jesus chose to talk about wheat. Here is verses 24-27, reading in The New International Version:

Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

"Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!"

Last week, Charlie Kirk was very publicly murdered because of his words, which viscerally spotlighted a recent shift in our American culture. In the beginning, we cherished words, for that is how ideas are expressed. Our founding fathers had political disagreements with each other, and so they had debates and wrote letters back and forth and published essays about WHY they believed the way they did. The Federalist Papers were a great example. Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay wrote and published 85 essays to explain the proposed Constitution, and their words persuaded the people. The right to speak freely was so critically important to them that they later enshrined this freedom in the very first amendment to the Constitution. It was in the FIRST amendment, because it was the most important one.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

But lately, the American culture has shifted. Debate has given way to outrage and offense. Offense has come to be glorified. Taking offense has become less about something being actually wrong, and more about virtue signaling. In America, we are not supposed to talk about sex, politics, and religion (people might get offended!) and so we have lost the ability to politely do so. The Facebook and Instagram algorithms deliberately show us things we love (posts that agree with us) or things we hate (posts we share because we are outraged) because it generates clicks, and so we consume our social media in an electronic echo chamber. We think everyone thinks exactly like us, except they don't. And when those in opposition to us are described as pure EVIL, then they must be stopped at all costs, right? By any means necessary? Political speech has turned into shouting matches with bullhorns. Nobody is listening and everyone is angry, trying to shout each other down.

But Charlie Kirk was different. He embraced dialogue. My son insightfully described him as "a walking olive-branch." Charlie was counter-cultural in that instead of shouting down those that disagreed with him, he gave them a microphone under the banner "Prove me wrong." We tell toddlers in preschool not to hit each other. "Use your words," we tell them. And that's what Charlie did. He used his words, eloquently and persuasively. He listened. He used his words and then invited them to make a better argument-- to change his mind. He actually shared his public platform in the middle of a society that is not really into sharing things.

As a Christian, I am commanded in 1 Peter 3:14-15 (NIV) to be prepared for this kind of situation:

But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." But in your hearts set apart Jesus as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.

That's exactly what Charlie Kirk did. He was always ready to give an answer about his faith in Jesus, without apology-- standing tall like the stalk of golden wheat God showed me.

As I think about the John 12 passage about the kernel of wheat being buried and then multiplied, I can't help but think of the legacy of Charlie Kirk and the outpouring of sorrow and solidarity around the world. As of last night, his Turning Point organization has had 32,000 new requests to start chapters. (There are currently 3,500 local chapters.) I saw the pictures of the million strong march in London, and wept while watching the video of the Maori men in New Zealand performing the sacred Haka dance in his honor. I saw the video of the march in South Korea, with the crowd chanting "WE ARE CHARLIE KIRK!" and last night, I attended a memorial vigil for Charlie at the picturesque Ravenel bridge in Charleston, South Carolina. People parked at opposite ends, and walked up the bridge to meet each other in the middle. (I think Charlie would have appreciated the symbolism.) I think there were over a thousand people there, several hundred American flags, and I only saw three MAGA hats. The leadership prayed, the bagpipes played Amazing Grace, and we happily dispersed.

There was no pushing, no shouting, no arguing, no rage, no violence, no demands for vengeance, no hatred of the enemy. There was no visible police presence, other than a couple of patrol cars at the bottom of the bridge with their lights on. The police weren't there because they didn't need to be. The contrast with the ANTIFA, the BLM, and the Jan 6 protests was startling. In even greater contrast is the calls online for a vote on who should be the next conservative assassinated-- Matt Walsh? Ben Shapiro? Even more vile was the person who called for Charlie's widow to be murdered, "so their children would not be brought up in that lifestyle." Wow.

So what is to be done? How about this-- turn off the TV and talk to people. Be ready to share your faith. Express your opinion instead of hiding. Listen to what others have to say. Have a conversation. Do you have a problem with me or my actions or my opinions? Let's talk about it. Let's have some honest dialogue.

Change my mind.