I have allowed a few days to pass so I can better process my thoughts about Charlie Kirk’s recent assassination. As someone who is uncomfortable with politics, I wasn’t a passionate follower of Charlie and TPUSA, but I was very familiar with his videos and I enjoyed his debating style; honesty, directness, but sprinkled with compassion. In his videos, it was easy to see that he treated those he was debating like actual people rather than strawmen to knock over. He often asked for their story and would pause to make them feel heard.
I’ll be honest — when I first heard of his murder, it felt like a gut punch.
The Public Humiliation and Beheading of Bishop Sixtus II
Recently, I completed a series of books set in the 3rd century Roman Empire. One historical event that particularly struck me during this writing process was the murder of the Bishop of Rome—a man we now know as Pope Sixtus II.
According to historical records, Emperor Valerian launched an aggressive persecution campaign against the early Church, prohibiting collective worship and confiscating church property and funds. Despite these dangers, Bishop Sixtus courageously organized a large service in a remote cemetery, hoping to avoid detection by imperial authorities.
Unfortunately, an informer must have been present. Roman soldiers arrived at the cemetery, and according to historical accounts, Bishop Sixtus surrendered himself so his congregation could escape. The Romans later publicly beheaded him along with six of his deacons.
My Attempts to Understand the Impact
While writing about this event in “The Halls of the Shadow King: The Apprentice,” I spent considerable time imagining what the Roman church must have experienced watching their most trusted leader publicly executed. Seeing someone they may have considered untouchable brutally killed in public must have been shocking and deeply traumatic. Many likely saw Bishop Sixtus’ treatment as indicative of their own vulnerability in the future.
Then, this past Wednesday as I prepared to coach our school’s JV football game, it suddenly struck me that perhaps I now understood a little of what those early Christians felt.
In ancient Rome, I’m certain many people felt secure in their positions within the empire and openly mocked the humiliating death of this small Christian community’s leader. Some may have felt remorse afterward, but others probably appreciated the disappearance of this “irritant”, now enabling them to return to their undisturbed lives protected from any awareness of this community.
The Romans beheaded Bishop Sixtus publicly in August 258 AD. Yet just over fifty years later, Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity and by 380 it became the empire’s official religion. Meanwhile, Emperor Valerian was eventually captured by Persian ruler Shapur I and died in captivity. In 258, however, no one could have predicted these remarkable reversals.
There’s no way to know what will unfold from here, but history shows us how significant events—along with collections of seemingly minor ones—can create profound change.
If you’re interested in reading more about this time period in the early church, I’d welcome you to check out the full series, “The Halls of the Shadow King” in both Kindle and paperback formats on Amazon.
Other Links
Erika Kirk’s statement – what a courageous woman
Here‘s where I talk at length about the full book series in another blog post.
Turning Point USA website