Hey, this is Trey. Thank you for joining us for the Tuesday edition of our podcast.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, death, where is thy sting? Grave? Where is thy victory?

Those verses were on full display Sunday in Arizona. A widow left to raise small children because

someone hated their father's spiritual and political beliefs and executed him. In truth, that

voice has really only been amplified. What the assassin tried to silence now echoes around the world

as it likely will the halls of history.

I think ultimately it will be his spiritual journey that is the legacy that he leaves.

Yes, it was intertwined with public policy or what some people call politics, not unlike the fact that most of our laws and policies and traditions

have roots in faith. The most poignant moment among many on Sunday was Erica Kirk saying

she forgives the killer. It reminded me immediately of the family members of those murder

at Mother Emmanuel African Methodist Church

in Charleston, South Carolina, as they, just like Erica Kirk in the days after that horrific

killing motivated by race, whereas the one in Utah is motivated by spiritual and political beliefs. Mother Emanuel was motivated solely by race. But those family members said they forgave the man who killed their loved ones. It reminded me of Jesus saying, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. She forgave the killer because

her faith commands her to do so. It encourages her to do so. It sets that as the aspiration. And that's

true for at least a couple of reasons. Her faith teaches her that she also is in need of forgiveness so therefore she should show it to others

but also because we can't live life tethered to rage and anger and retribution it consumes you

i think the old saying goes if you go after someone in revenge you better be prepared to dig two graves, one for you

and one for the person you seek. But Erica Kirk was also clear that the legal system does not

operate based on the New Testament teachings of Jesus. And I would not and could not forgive someone the way that she did, the way the family

of those murdered at Mother Emmanuel did, the way I saw so many other families of homicide victims

do the way Christ did. I would not do it. I would rather be the one doing the prosecuting, the one putting Tyler Robinson on death row.

Tyler Robinson had a precipitous fall into abject darkness, which led to premeditated murder.

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