Statement on the Death of Charlie Kirk

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 10, 2025 - Westerville, OH

LOVEboldly is horrified by the tragic death of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University today.

We want to be absolutely clear: political violence is unacceptable, full stop. Violence does not solve or improve disagreements. Regardless of their identities, faiths, political ideologies, and backgrounds, the overwhelming majority of Americans agree that violence has no place in our society.

By rejecting political violence, we also reject the weaponization of violence to further curtail and restrict our rights and freedoms.

While LOVEboldly often disagreed strongly with Mr. Kirk's political views and commentary, we unequivocally affirm his fundamental right to speak and express those views. The freedom of speech and peaceful dialogue are cornerstones of our democracy, especially when we find ourselves in profound disagreement.

LOVEboldly calls on all people to reject violence as a means of addressing ideological differences. In this moment of grief and shock, we must recommit ourselves to the difficult, work of building a society where people can express their views without fear of violence, where disagreement does not lead to dehumanization, and where our deepest differences are resolved through dialogue rather than harm.

We ask for your prayers for Mr. Kirk, his family, friends, and all those who morn his passing. We also ask your prayers for our nation as we continue to reject violence and build the beloved community and the Kin-dom of God.

Sincerely,

The LOVEboldly Team

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This statement may be attributed to the Rev. Dr. Ben Huelskamp, Executive Director of LOVEboldly.

The Dark Side of Vocation

Monday, September 8, 2025

Happy Monday, my friends! Our chaplain at Sewanee, the Very Rev. Tom Macfie, was a fan of Fredrick Buechner and often quoted him including his statement that, “Vocation is the place where our deep gladness meets the world’s deep need.” While the word “vocation” became an alternative to “trade” or “career” sometime in the last two centuries (particularly in the case of a “vocational school” or “vocational education”), its etymology is in the Latin words for “to call.” A vocation is simply a calling, and the word is often used in religious and spiritual contexts to describe the sense that a person is called by the divine to a particular ministry or manner of life. Many religious leaders describe realizing their vocations as finding their “dream jobs.” But there is a dark side to vocations: they don’t always assure economic and financial security.

Reflecting on his early call to ministry in the movie Keeping the Faith, Fr. Brian Finn (played by Edward Norton) says, “My dad wanted to know if God paid dental.” Similarly, one of my clergy friends says that “God is great, but God doesn’t always pay well.” One of the realities of ministry is that despite your call and preparation—which in many cases can last nearly as long as lawyers, doctors, and therapists—you may need to work at least a part time job in addition to your ministry to make ends meet. Yes, there are many pastors and other leaders who are able to more than provide for themselves and their families with their salary from a church or organization, but there are just as many pastors and leaders who draw little or no income from their ministry and can be found in professions that have little or no relation to ministry. You may work with, live next to, or regularly associate with a pastor and not know it. One of my neighbors was more than a little surprised when, on a recent Sunday, she saw me in a clergy collar on my way to guest preach.

For almost four years, I’ve had the immense blessing of being able to follow my calling nearly full time as the Executive Director of LOVEboldly and for almost two years as the Pastor of Blue Ocean Faith Columbus as well. Clergy and nonprofit friends alike have reminded me of the special position I’ve been in supporting myself entirely on my salaries from these ministries. I couldn’t agree with them more. The last four years have been a blessing.

On Friday, LOVEboldly announced that due to funding constraints we are stepping back our operations and prioritizing the programs and resources that no one is currently offering. If you haven’t yet seen and read that announcement, please take a moment to read it by clicking here. As part of this change, I will be transitioning to an hourly position and fewer hours while remaining in my role as executive director. For the first time and starting today, I’m joining the corps of ministry leaders who need to secure another position to support their work in ministry. I ask your prayers during this season of uncertainty. There is a vulnerability and trust needed to weather these kinds of seasons. I don’t naturally possess though qualities.

Because vocation is situated at the world’s greatest needs, it can be difficult to acknowledge and attend to our “deep gladness” including meeting our basic needs. But without attending to ourselves, our needs, and our lives, we can’t give of ourselves to anyone or to any ministries. And that, friends, is the dark side of our vocations.

What is your calling, your vocation? How do you attend to your needs in the midst of meeting and fulfilling your vocation?

Let us pray: “Gracious God, you call us to serve at the intersection of our deep gladness and the world’s deep need, yet we confess our anxiety about meeting our own basic needs while answering that call. Grant us the courage to remain faithful to our vocations, even when they don’t provide economic and financial security. Help us trust that you see our struggles and our service. Give us wisdom to care for ourselves so we can continue caring for others and remind us that our worth isn’t measured by our ability to sustain ourselves through ministry alone. Be with all who serve in vulnerable positions and open the doors of opportunity. We ask this in the name of our liberator, Jesus. Amen.

Blessings on your weeks, my friends! Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you.

Faithfully,

Ben +

When a Prophet Arrives, Let Her Speak

Sunday, September 7, 2025

The Rev. Dr. Ben Huelskamp (he/they)

Executive Director, LOVEboldly

Queer Christian

As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying silently; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard; therefore, Eli thought she was drunk. So Eli said to her, “How long will you make a drunken spectacle of yourself? Put away your wine.” But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman deeply troubled; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord.”

(1 Samuel 1:12-15)

Women, particularly BIPOC women and trans women, have been devalued, extremely limited in their social, political, and religious roles, and practically turned into baby-making figure heads to show off in public while their husbands are given nearly limitless freedom to pursue whatever careers, hobbies, or passions—including women not their wives—they choose. Of course, this dehumanization of women is even more powerful in white supremacist, colonial, and Eurocentric narratives.

North American Indigenous traditions and cultures long situated women as leaders as have other pre-colonial cultures around the world.

Despite their marginalization, women have shown up as leaders in many contexts from their local communities to global affairs and not only in the last two hundred years. For example, many people of many identities know to stay out of the way of a Black woman on a mission, in fact many of the rights we enjoy today were won through the efforts of Black women who either got tired of waiting or knew from the start that waiting wasn’t an option. Yet, when women prophets arrive men and often other women treat them like Eli treated Hannah. All the worse, girls are taught that smiling and sinking into the background is the best way to be in the world.

Reflection

If you’re a cisgender man, how have you contributed to the marginalization of women? If you’re answer is “I haven’t” you need to keep thinking.

If you’re not a cisgender man, take a break and do something good for yourself.

Action

When you meet a woman prophet, listen to her.