The Murder of Charlie Kirk and the lie “Love is love”.
In 1995, the film The Usual Suspects introduced audiences to one of cinema’s most shocking twists. Roger “Verbal” Kint (Kevin Spacey) spends the entire story convincing detectives of the existence of the mysterious crime lord Keyser Söze. Piece by piece, he weaves a convincing tale. The police believe him, until the final moments reveal that Verbal himself is Söze. The narrative was a fabrication, built from random details in the interrogation room. It was a masterclass in deception.
Deception has always been part of human life. It is how many gain power, wealth, and influence. In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, I have been reflecting on the divided responses to his murder. Many on the right grieve the loss of a trusted voice, a man who stood boldly for Christian values and conservative principles. Meanwhile, many on the left have openly rejoiced in his death. That disturbing reaction has brought to mind the oft-repeated cultural slogan: “love is love.”
Like the detectives who believed Verbal’s lies, we have too often accepted this phrase at face value, as if it were purely altruistic. But perhaps we should ask: have we been deceived by a culture that wears this slogan as a mask while behind it lurks malice, hatred, and even murderous intent?
“If you hold to the ideology of “love is love” yet revel in the brutal murder of your opponent, you expose the emptiness of your message.”
The Life and Death of Charlie Kirk
Charlie Kirk was enigmatic. He did not speak to gain popularity, but to proclaim truth. He declared that men cannot become women and women cannot become men. He taught that children flourish best with both a biological mother and father in the home. He upheld marriage as a covenant between a man and a woman. Above all, he proclaimed that Jesus is God. Charlie’s convictions were not grounded in politics but in the person and work of Jesus Christ. For this reason, he was hated and for this reason, he was ultimately murdered. In the days that followed, many celebrated his death. Online, many mocked him, saying he “got what was coming.” Others fantasized about committing the act themselves. Some even damned him to hell.
The striking irony is that many who rejoiced have spent more than a decade loudly repeating the phrase “love is love”, yet in their celebration, they revealed a different creed: conditional love that extends only to those who think, live, and believe as they do. For dissenters, their love quickly turns into hatred, contempt, and violence. In reality, their motto should be read as: “Love is love unless you disagree with us.”
Charlie Kirk found himself literally in the crosshairs of this distorted creed. He loved America, his family, young people and above all Jesus. He loved them enough to enter hostile arenas to debate ideas and defend truth. He loved Jesus enough to step into the lion’s den to proclaim God’s design and the hope of the cross. And it was for that love, a love rooted in Christ, that he was murdered. Many Christians, shaken by his death, cannot help but ask: “If it can happen to Charlie, could it happen to me?”
The Empty Creed of “Love Is Love”
What people mean by “love is love” is not self-giving sacrifice but emphasis on sexual desire, sexual appetite, and sexual autonomy. It is the declaration: I define love. I rule my life. I answer to no God, no design but my own.
From a biblical perspective, the slogan is not only shallow it is false. Scripture teaches us not that “love is love,” but that Jesus is love.
“Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him” (1 John 4:8–9).
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:12–13).
“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
“Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2).
“The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
The phrase “love is love” is not a harmless slogan. It is a lie, an echo of the serpent’s deception in Eden. In Genesis 3, Satan whispered half-truths to Adam and Eve, promising that if they ate the fruit, they would be like God. Humanity’s problem is not only that the enemy deceives, but that our sinful hearts are willing to be deceived.
True love is not found in appetite, desire, or autonomy. True love is found in Christ, who laid down His life for us. Charlie knew this, lived by it and was murder for it.
The Final Word
“Love is love” is poison masquerading as sweet tasting wine. It is pleasant in the moment, but it kills in the end.
The truth is this: Love is not love. Jesus is love.