When Bullets Replace Debate—The Assassination of Free Speech in America

September 11th, 2025

By Dr. Eric M. Wallace

They say free speech is dead only once violence silences someone daring to speak. That moment arrived yesterday, when Charlie Kirk was fatally shot while holding a forum at Utah Valley University. His assassination isn’t just the end of one life—it’s a terrifying marker in America’s descent toward political violence and suppression of ideas.

A Culture of Silence
Kirk’s murder, following earlier attacks on political figures and even three years of rising campus unrest toward controversial speakers, signals a dangerous shift. Universities used to serve as marketplaces of ideas—some uncomfortable, some contested—but always defended. Now, many see dissent as a threat. When civilians believe violence is a tool against those with whom they disagree, democracy is already dead.

What We’ve Lost—and What Must Be Reclaimed
We have always conceded more to civility when things were peaceful. Yet when silence worsens injustice, it becomes complicity. Ideas once defended by pamphlets and debate are now dismissed, canceled, or silenced with force. Kirk’s tragedy should rouse us—not divide us—which is why voices from both sides of the aisle need to declare: political violence is unacceptable. Every idea, including those we detest, thrives only when safe, lawful debate is allowed.

Steps to Rescue Our Founding Ideal

Campus policies must protect all speakers, regardless of ideology, so universities don’t become echo chambers for the comfortable.
Politicians, pundits, and citizens must reduce incendiary rhetoric and double down on expressing disagreement—without dehumanization or threat.
Law enforcement and institutions must better safeguard public events where speech is at risk—because the cost of complacency is human lives.

Hope Alive, Free Speech Still in Reach
We will misuse silence if we allow fear to define us. But we make a stand when we walk toward the mic, allow dissent, and demand protections—not merely for speech we agree with, but for speech we don’t. Charlie Kirk’s death is also a clarion call: Free speech doesn’t survive because it’s convenient; it survives because we defend it.

Dr. Eric M. Wallace, author of the new book, The Heart of Apostasy: How The Black Church Abandoned Biblical Authority for Political Ideology--And How to Reclaim It, is a trailblazing scholar, dynamic speaker, and passionate advocate for faith-based conservatism. With a distinguished academic background and an unwavering commitment to biblical truth, Wallace has become a leading voice challenging cultural and political narratives that conflict with a biblical worldview.

Wallace holds postgraduate degrees in biblical studies (M.A., ThM, Ph.D.), Wallace is the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in biblical studies from Union-PSCE (now Union Presbyterian Seminary). His scholarship and ministry experience equip him to address today’s most pressing sociopolitical issues through the lens of faith, reason, and historical accuracy.