Saints, Symbols, and the Temptation of Power
A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble
“Truth is high, but higher still is truthful living.” — Guru Nanak
Yesterday, Charlie Kirk was laid to rest. The funeral was nationally televised, with the President, Vice President, cabinet members, and top political operatives in attendance. But it was not just a moment of personal mourning. It was a full spectacle—a liturgy of power. What unfolded was not merely a celebration of one man’s life but a rebranding of his ideology, wrapped in the language of national sainthood.
Speaker after speaker framed Kirk as a Christian martyr. His political views were presented as spiritual truths. His ideology was elevated to gospel. The separation of church and state—the very principle that has protected both religion and democracy in this nation—was not just blurred. It was bulldozed.
Kirk’s version of Christianity was his right to practice. But it was shaped by a theology many of us find profoundly troubling—one that elevated dominance over humility, and political power over compassion. He offered comfort to his own, but condemnation to those unlike him. That is not a spirit we recognize as sacred, no matter the tradition.
The complexity of his life matters. Like many of us, Kirk could be kind to friends and cruel to strangers. Compassionate to insiders and ruthless to those outside his circle. He cared for some deeply and denigrated others viciously. He said of Joy Reid, Michelle Obama and Ketanji Brown Jackson, “[these Black women] do not have brain processing power to be taken seriously. You have to go steal a white person’s slot.” He once stated, “America was at its peak when we halted immigration for 40 years and we dropped our foreign-born percentage to its lowest level ever. We should be unafraid to do that.”1
That form of political theology—one that sanctifies racism and exclusion and calls it righteousness—is not confined to Christianity alone. Every tradition has its own fundamentalist edge. But when it becomes aligned with state power, it stops being faith and becomes ideology.
Many spiritual teachers throughout history have paid the price for public truth-telling. Jesus was crucified not for private beliefs, but for daring to say the first shall be last, the poor deserve good news, and the reign of justice belongs not to emperors. Prophets across traditions—Buddha, Muhammad, Moses, the Hebrew prophets, and others—have challenged the empires of their time with messages of compassion, equality, and sacred dignity.
To see Kirk’s life proclaimed as a paragon of faith by the political establishment—without moral complexity, without accountability, without a whisper of critique of his racism, sexism and xenophobia—is to witness the machinery of power using grief to cement its own authority and agenda.
We are right to be disturbed.
What can we do? We can remember that faith is not meant to serve the state—it is meant to speak to it. We can remember that religious traditions, at their best, are tools of liberation, not domination. We can remember that our sacred task is not to conform to empire, but to walk humbly, act justly, and love mercifully.
May we have the moral clarity to name what distorts the sacred, the courage to speak with integrity, and the wisdom to follow love—not power—as our guide.
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
Where in your own tradition do you see teachings that resist the fusion of religion and state power?
What does it mean to honor someone’s humanity while also rejecting the harm they perpetuated?
How might you use your voice, platform, or relationships to safeguard the moral integrity of public life?
A Prayer for the Day
For a Path of Return
Holy One, In a time of confusion, help us see clearly. In a time of grief, help us love wisely. In a time of coopted faith, help us return to the heart of Love— where mercy flows, justice rolls, and power is always laid down in love. Amen.
Spiritual Practice
Cross-Checking Our Loyalties
Today, take 15 minutes to examine your loyalties—both spiritual and political. Ask yourself:
Whose voices am I elevating without critique?
What ideologies am I baptizing as "truth" because they feel familiar or safe?
Where might my silence be interpreted as consent?
Then, if you feel called, write down one principle from your faith or ethical tradition that you want to guide your engagement with public life. Place it somewhere visible—a small altar, your desk, your wallet.
Let it be your compass in an age where confusion is the currency of power. Let it remind you that complexity is not a weakness—and that courage often means standing somewhere in-between, with integrity intact.
Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…
NEW!!!!!!!!!!!! October 8-9, 2025, 7-8:30pm ET ONLINE Event- Counterpoint: A Response to Peter Thiel’s Antichrist - For four straight Mondays, tech billionaire Peter Thiel is convening a private series in the heart of Silicon Valley on his obsession with the Antichrist. This peculiar and troubling theological fixation is not just eccentric—it reveals how his version of political theology and apocalyptic imagination are shaping the worldview of some of the most powerful people in the world. We cannot remain silent. As a counterpoint, join me and Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox, along with Kamala Harris’ former Communication Director, Gil Duran, for a powerful counter-narrative rooted in wisdom, justice, and authentic spirituality. REGISTER HERE.
October 18, 2025 - No Kings 2.0 Protest - Scholars of authoritarianism teach us that we need 3.5% of the population rising up to disrupt the rise of authoritarians. The last protest had over 6 million people in the streets in the US (more around the world) which was one of the largest protest in US history. We need to double that number. So here we go again. The movement builds. See you on the streets.
October 20-24, 2025 - FREE Online 5-Day Summit on “Made for These Times: Spiritual Leadership for a World in Crisis.” Political extremism. Climate collapse. Cultural fragmentation. People of faith across the globe are asking: How do we lead with clarity, courage, and compassion in a time like this? REGISTER HERE.
October 23, 30, November 13, 20 2025, 7pm ET - In Search of a New Story: Reimagining What Comes Next, A 4-Part Online Series with Dr. Matthew Fox, Cameron Trimble, Ilia Delio, Diana Butler Bass, Caroline Myss and Luther Smith. We are living through the unraveling of many old stories—about who we are, why we’re here, and how we are meant to live together on this Earth. As these inherited narratives collapse under the weight of climate crisis, social fragmentation, and spiritual disconnection, the question becomes clear: What story will guide us now? REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!
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https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/11/charlie-kirk-quotes-beliefs
Greetings, Cameron. I do not share your views very often, but I do enjoy reading them to help me understand what other people are thinking. I am an avid reader and watcher of independent media for that very reason. I make time to take in many points of view and diverse perspectives and try to understand what drives them.
The way you define Charlie Kirk and his mission are like defining the Bible based on a couple of lines of scripture in Leviticus. It entirely misses the whole point of engaging openly and honestly with people with whom you disagree and being open to changing one's mind. We are hampered from moving forward without taking that step. He was courageous and put his faith in God and Christ before anything else. That is what Jesus asks us to do.
By the way, the idea of separation of church and state is widely misunderstood. It is not written into our constitution. The constitution sets church and religion apart but guarantees the right to participate in both of them. The government shall not establish one church or one religion as supreme. But that each member be guided by church or faith is encouraged. That is what Charlie Kirk did and did boldly. That you disagree with him and what he stood for is your guaranteed right and privilege. But it was also his guaranteed right and privilege to do what he did.
I pray that you find room in your heart for my point of view as I find room in mine for yours.
Blessings always.
Thank you, Cameron, for the reflection and the reminder of Micah 6:8 to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God. Amen.