Pastor Blessed Uzochikwa, married to beloved gospel artist Mercy Chinwo, has found himself at the center of a social media storm after paying tribute to slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The Nigerian pastor’s heartfelt Instagram posts mourning Kirk’s death have divided his followers, with some applauding his compassion while others question whether he truly understood who he was honoring.
In his initial tribute, Pastor Blessed focused on what he saw as Kirk’s most admirable quality – unwavering conviction in his beliefs.
“One thing I truly admire about Charlie Kirk is his clarity of convictions,” he wrote.
“Whether you agree with him or not, he never wavers; he boldly stands for what he believes in. That kind of courage is rare and worth honoring. RIP.”
The 31-year-old conservative firebrand and Trump ally was gunned down during a campus event at Utah Valley University earlier this week, shocking the political world regardless of party lines.
Pastor Blessed didn’t stop there. In a follow-up post that would prove even more controversial, he painted Kirk as a man of faith whose violent death was unconscionable.
“The gruesome murder of Charlie is heartbreaking and painful,” he continued. “He was a man of strong values, reflecting courage, dignity, and Christian virtues. No one deserves to die in such a cruel way.”
He ended with prayers for Kirk’s family and calls for swift justice – the kind of compassionate response you’d expect from a man of the cloth faced with senseless violence.
But social media had other plans. The pastor’s comments section quickly became a battlefield, with followers questioning whether Kirk deserved such glowing praise given his polarizing public record.
“Is that the only good thing about him you can post? What about all the terrible things he has done and said about others?” one follower challenged.
Another got straight to the point: “If you know the man wasn’t worthy of your submission, leave him alone and go.”
The most pointed response came from someone clearly familiar with Kirk’s controversial statements over the years. In a lengthy comment, they called out the pastor directly:
“I have to say this with love but also with truth: misrepresenting Charlie Kirk and using Christianity to cover it up is dangerous.
Especially from the pulpit, and especially as a Black pastor, there’s a greater responsibility to discern before declaring a man ‘good.'”
They warned that “Christianity should never be used as a shield to excuse or sanitize destructive ideology.”
Read more comments below:
p_yabahgirl reacted: “Is that the only good thing about him you can post, what’s about all of the terrible things he has done and said about others, please post those as well, Pastor!”
sisi_ola24 penned: “If you know seh the man no deh worthy of your submission leave em alone and go….”
@aiv10 noted: “Pastor, I have to say this with love but also with truth: misrepresenting Charlie Kirk and using Christianity to cover it up is dangerous.
Especially from the pulpit, and especially as a Black pastor, there’s a greater responsibility to discern before declaring a man “good.”
Charlie Kirk has a long record of harmful rhetoric — calling for more weapons while demonizing others for the same, dismissing the struggles of marginalized communities, and downplaying suffering in places like Gaza.
To highlight only what sounds convenient and then dress it in the language of faith isn’t preaching Christ — it’s distorting Him.
For anyone listening, this is why Scripture tells us to test the spirit and seek the whole truth. Christianity should never be used as a shield to excuse or sanitize destructive ideology. The gospel calls us higher than that.”
