The vile evil attacking Erika Kirk must be condemned

OPINION:

Imagine enduring the absolute horror of your spouse’s public assassination, only to be endlessly accused of his killing, maligned, publicly abused and obsessively criticized.

This has been the reality for Erika Kirk, wife of slain conservative and Christian commentator Charlie Kirk. As voices who do not deserve to be named sow discontent, doubt and a demonic level of disdain for Ms. Kirk, many concerns emerge.

The “I’m just asking questions” crowd has had a field day over the past 10 months posing various theories about who is truly responsible for Kirk’s death.

Some of these folks reject the notion that accused killer Tyler Robinson is the gunman, instead opting for divergent theories that craft a starkly different narrative.

Some of them even seem to heap blame for Kirk’s death on Turning Point USA, the organization he founded.

From foreign actors to some pointing the finger at Ms. Kirk herself, social media has been alight with insanity — all based on non-existent evidence. It’s wild and almost traumatic to watch as a bystander, yet one cannot imagine what it must be like to be a relative of Kirk.

In an era of true crime obsession, people have seemingly lost their minds, souls and hearts, turning Ms. Kirk’s trauma into a playground for their own obsessive whims. And some are profiting handsomely off the speculation and chaos.

Make no mistake: There’s nothing wrong with asking questions or pondering legitimate issues surrounding the highly publicized tragedy. But this situation has gone far beyond that, with evil penetrating almost every facet of the public reaction.

But rather than opine about those nefarious actors who seem obsessed with lambasting Ms. Kirk, I want to focus on something else that has been lost amid the chaos and consternation: what the Bible says about widows.

It doesn’t matter what you think or believe about Ms. Kirk. You don’t have to like her or understand how she exercises her grief. But if you’re a Christian — or a person with any semblance of decency — you should take into consideration that this is a wife and mother whose husband was brutally ripped from her life.

The Bible is clear about how we’re to treat widows and those whose fathers have been taken away. Exodus 22:22-24 is among the many verses calling people to care for and love the widow and fatherless child.

These Scriptures read (NKJV): “You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry; and My wrath will become hot.”

And it doesn’t end there, as God makes it clear other places that He has a heart for the fatherless and widows. Psalm 68:5 reads, “A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation” (NKJV).

The Lord understands human pain and suffering and the unique horror that emerges when a woman loses her husband — or when a child’s dad has died.

This is the very situation in which Ms. Kirk and her children find themselves, and rather than compassion and God’s heart, many have chosen selfish whims, conspiracy theories and the heaping on of more pain and suffering for Ms. Kirk.

Aside from the emotional and psychological toll Kirk’s assassination and the resulting chaos have likely had on his widow and others around her, she also has been forced to deal with threats sparked by this endless barrage of insanity.

In May, a man was arrested for allegedly threatening Ms. Kirk before a Texas Turning Point event. He replied to a social media post, writing, “I know exactly where to bomb.”

“Death to Erika Kirk and every single speaker there!!” another email reportedlystated. “America will live on without those scum on this earth. Every Christian nationalist shall perish in the bombing that will take place at every single Turning Point rally and event.”

It should come as no surprise that these sorts of messages will unfold when critics incessantly make claims about Ms. Kirk and unstable people react, and yet these forces refuse to halt or amend their vile attacks.

Aside from the dangerous nature of this insanity, it’s clear God doesn’t take too kindly to such messages. “The Lord tears down the house of the proud, but he sets the widow’s boundary stones in place,” Proverbs 15:25 reads.

The people terrorizing Ms. Kirk refuse to see their evil, but the Lord observes it all, and the Bible is clear: Those who choose this sort of behavior are offending God himself.

As Ms. Kirk and her family move toward the trial phase of this tragedy, stop wasting time harassing her and, instead, pray for peace for her and her children.

• Billy Hallowell is a digital TV host and interviewer for Faithwire and CBN News and the co-host of CBN’s “Quick Start Podcast.” Mr. Hallowell is also the author of four books.